Great White North

Full Moon crew, working hard!

Eileen and Tammy cruising past Gasworks

Ignitor (left) shall not pass!

The Mengedoht boys having fun as usual

Full Moon crew Art “Moose” Teller, Doug “Perfect Light” Schoemaker, Eileen “Muscles” McHugh, Tammy “More Torque” Cross, Daniel “Big K” Mengedoht and skipper John “Strange Brew” Mengedoht were a bit thin on décor for the Canada Day Duck Dodge, but managed a decent start near the favored end of the line. Initially blanketed by a lot of nearby boats, Full Moon eventually found a clear lane and made good speed upwind to the AGC buoy.

Turning downwind, the mighty Equalizer was launched but the wind remained light enough to reduce the normal advantage gained by the nylon monster. Nevertheless, Full Moon got by some boats, including Fortis and good old Ignitor, which had started some 5 minutes earlier in second start! After rounding the Freeway buoy, Ignitor tried mightily to catch up in fluky light air approaching the Aurora buoy but could never quite get overlapped.

The fleet was a bit piled up at the Aurora buoy. Full Moon maintained forward progress and found a bit of breeze after going around. This came and went for the final leg upwind, though Full Moon did well in each little micro-puff. In the end, Full Moon had to settle for fourth place but was clearly in the hunt for the lead and will continue trying third start, at least for awhile.

Third in Third

At the invitation of the Race Committee, Full Moon switched this week from Start 2 (“half-fast boats”) to Start 3 (“cruising and slower boats”). Given the large number of boats in the second start, many of which are considerably faster than Full Moon, this may be appropriate, though there are also quite a few second start boats which are clearly slower!

Unfortunately, crew Randy “Languid” Olsen, Galina “Rested” Gordeeva, Michael “Lethargic” Medina, Debra “Relaxed” Ricard, Daniel “Sitting Duck” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Tired” Mengedoht got held up at the start with a wall of boats apparently unwilling to make the tack onto port for the beeline to the “Freeway” buoy. Once clear, there were a lot of boats ahead but a few were soon dispatched.

Heading to the “Aurora” buoy, Full Moon got by a few more boats and then popped up the mighty Equalizer for the long reach down the lake. As on many occasions, the Equalizer proved invaluable as Full Moon reeled in boat after boat, even passing several boats from the second start. Closing in on the AGC buoy, Full Moon eased inside a cluster of boats slowing to windward and, with full overlap rights, passed the entire group in one shot.

With the finish line in sight, the fleet looked quite a bit thinner and, sure enough, a Santana 20 was given a horn, followed soon after by a larger San Juan. As Full Moon crossed, the horn signaled yet again as Full Moon had scored the Bronze Duck for third! After the awful start, this was a very pleasant surprise.

Dead Calm

Are we moving?

Flying into the sun with the mighty Equalizer.

Rounding the Aurora buoy.

In stark contrast to last week, Duck Dodge No. 2 featured glassy calms and often imperceptible wind. Full Moon crew Michael “Safety Nuts” Medina, Don “Swabby” Caffrey, Dave “Blue Mountain” Pulsifer, and skipper John “Slowest” Mengedoht managed a good start in what looked like a clear lane but old rival Fortis nailed the favored Committee Boat end of the line for a small advantage. It was then very slow going most of the way toward the “Freeway” buoy until a bit of breeze began to fill in from the north.

Full Moon played the shifts pretty well as the wind clocked around until it was out of the east. This turned the next leg to the “Aurora” buoy into a downwind run and the Equalizer was soon up and flying well. This brought Full Moon slowly up to a group of boats nearly stalled out ahead, including Fortis, resulting in a fairly crowded and very slow rounding of the Aurora buoy.

Fortis remained just ahead and then managed to increase their lead a bit during the interminable reach southward. Then the wind began to fill it a bit more from the northeast and, after a pause to rerig the spinnaker gear, the Equalizer was once again put into play. Full Moon was able to obtain an overlap inside Fortis and, with a smooth douse, round the AGC buoy cleanly ahead.

On the final leg Fortis fell farther behind but then settled in about 50 yards back. The wind continued to be agonizingly light and Fortis eventually took a slow “flyer” toward the Eastlake shore. This paid off but not quite enough as Full Moon crossed the finish line half a boat length ahead to take eighth in the fading light.

Surfin' Safari!

Full Moon crew Art “One More Time” Teller, Chuck “Laptop” Weldy, Dave “Silver Bullet” Pulsifer, and skipper John “Crazy Ivan” Mengedoht pulled out the small “#3” jib for the first time in years as the wind blasted at 18 knots for Duck Dodge No. 1. After a decent start, Full Moon stayed on the edge of control upwind but managed to hang in there with most of the fleet, rounding the Aurora buoy with old rivals on Fortis.

Launching the ancient standard spinnaker rather than the giant Equalizer, Full Moon flew downwind, even popping up onto a plane a few times, surfing the small Lake Union waves. The takedown wasn’t pretty but the foredeck was quickly sorted (thanks, Art!) and Full Moon returned upwind to complete the first lap.

Fortis was close behind after rounding the Freeway buoy and threatening to get past but Full Moon proved tough to get by. Approaching the Aurora buoy, Full Moon just held onto the layline while Fortis needed a few extra tacks and Full Moon was ahead for good.

The second spinnaker run was even better than the first and the chute came down cleanly for a smooth rounding at the AGC buoy. The final upwind leg proved uneventful except for catching a Thunderbird just before the Freeway buoy. (Always a pleasure!) One final spinnaker run took Full Moon across the finish line about tenth (we lost count) out of well over twenty boats – an excellent finish on an evening that favored the larger boats. More importantly, it was a fun and entertaining beginning to the summer racing season and a good time was had by all.

Saving the Best for Last

Shoot The Moon slowly gaining from behind. Randy Olsen photo.

Full Moon skipped Goosebump Race No. 5 as the main halyard remained stuck at the top of the mast. A creative solution with an extension ladder and a very long telescoping pole (23’!) finally brought the shackle end down to the deck Sunday morning in time for the final race.

Several boats, including usually savvy Shoot The Moon, mistook the 1 minute warning for the start and were caught over early with a tough time getting back to restart in the light and shifty winds. We’re not sure if Shoot The Moon ever did properly start as they abandoned the race later but it was fun to be ahead of the big 40 footer.

Meanwhile, Full Moon crew Randy “Ethernet” Olsen, Art “Safety First” Teller, Chuck “Porter” Weldy, and skipper John “Pole Control” Mengedoht nailed the start and were battling the blue Thunderbird Selchie for first place until a red Santana 20 caught some breeze along the Westlake shore to surge ahead by a large margin.

After holding 3rd through the short reaching leg to the “Cove” buoy, Full Moon deployed the Equalizer to good advantage, pulling ahead of Selchie and closing on the red Santana, which had hoisted its spinnaker sideways! Unfortunately, a late wind shift necessitated a quick jibe with not quite enough time to jibe back and Full Moon rounded the Freeway buoy bareheaded and shrimping a bit besides. The jib was quickly hoisted but Selchie and the Santana were now solidly ahead and 30’ Tenacious was charging up from behind.

Rounding the Aurora buoy, Full Moon just caught the red Santana when the Santana got a nice puff of breeze and pulled back ahead. Then Tenacious swept by and a large 40+ footer started to challenge as well. In the end, Tenacious got by everybody to take the win, Selchie was a close 2nd, the red Santana held onto 3rd, and Full Moon somehow held off the big boat for a still-excellent 4th, our best finish of the series.

One is Enough!

Is there something missing here? Randy Olsen photo.

Goosebump Race No. 4 (Superbowl Sunday) got started with a “bang” for Full Moon crew Art “Packers” Teller, Randy “Not Steelers” Olsen, Daniel “Blue Balloon” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Splice-Nut” Mengedoht as a fitting at the end of the main halyard failed 10 minutes before the start. Unfazed, the valiant crew lowered the mainsail and prepared to race with just the genoa jib!

Performance upwind was reduced somewhat (more so on the short reaching leg) but the wind was strong enough that the difference wasn’t huge. Under the mighty Equalizer spinnaker, Full Moon was fast enough to pass some boats, though taking it back down was a challenge with no mainsail to help block the wind. Poor Daniel (10 years old) struggled mightily to help with the take-downs and at one point we thought he might be pulled aloft (or overboard) by the nylon monster!

In any case, through two laps, Full Moon held her own and still managed to finish about 12th (we lost count…) with 12 boats still behind, including a Thunderbird. Not bad at all!

Tossing Back a Cold One

Daniel scouts the competition. Michael Medina photo.

Full Moon crew Randy “Otter Pop” Olsen, Michael “Icicle” Medina, Daniel “Klondike Bar” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Creamsicle” Mengedoht lined up for a potentially great port-tack start at the buoy end for Goosebump Race No. 3 but encountered a long wall of boats on starboard tack with no holes to sneak through. The ensuing dive to leeward and late tack to starboard placed us mid-fleet at best. At least it wasn’t our usual overly conservative start!

After clearing the starting line, Full Moon held a good pace to the Aurora buoy. With a decent but very cold breeze and smaller than normal crew, the mighty Equalizer spinnaker was left in the bag. Good old Shogun and a speedy red Santana 20 threatened a bit after getting their own spinnakers up and under control but could not muster the speed to pass.

Returning upwind and then around again for a second lap brought no changes in position, despite forgoing the spinnaker yet again on the second lap. However the breeze dropped considerably for the final downwind leg to the finish line and Full Moon finally launched the Equalizer to ensure nobody overtaking at the end. Full Moon finished a respectable 12th so we are, if nothing else, consistent!

Location, Location, Location!

Gaining on Surt with the big red spinnaker. Objects in the camera are closer than they appear...
Randy Olsen photo.

The wind completely died just before the start of Goosebump Race No. 2, leaving boats in a wide variety of positions and distances to the start line. Full Moon crew Art “Red Lobster” Teller, Randy “Sea Ray” Olsen, Chuck “Big Lips” Weldy, Daniel “Cryogenics” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Are We There Yet?” Mengedoht did their best with what tiny and unpredictable puffs of wind appeared, “tacking” several times before settling in with an all but imperceptible southerly to ooze across the line.

Quite a number of fast boats were behind Full Moon at this point but, unfortunately, quite a number of others had been a little closer to the starting line and had drifted a bit farther down the course. Finally, the wind began to fill in toward the Westlake Shore and all the bows pointed west. The first boats to catch the wind would have a huge advantage. The end result was Full Moon about mid-fleet and mixing it up with 41’ Surt, which was fun but short-lived.

After a quick reach to the “Cove” buoy, Full Moon launched the mighty Equalizer and nearly caught up to speedy Runner and, surprisingly, Surt, but could not manage to get by anyone. The nylon monster came down cleanly at the “Freeway” buoy but Surt had some issues and Full Moon swapped positions once again. At the “Aurora” buoy, Surt came roaring back and soon zipped by for good and the race was then on for Full Moon to hold off a big Columbia 40 and a Catalina 36, both determined not to lose to the little guy in front. Try as they might, though, Full Moon remained ahead at the line to finish 12th. Starts are always crucial, this one much more than most, but it was all a lot of fun and good racing once the wind appeared.

Thrice Around!

Yes, that is Shoot the Moon behind, though not for long! Michael Medina photo.

Full Moon crew Debra “Escape Artist” Ricard, Marcelle “Bleeder” Lynde, Michael “Hangman” Medina, and skipper John “Crazy Ivan” Mengedoht enjoyed a good start at the favored end of the line for Goosebump Race No. 1. Relative giant (40 foot) Shoot the Moon soon came roaring up from behind in very breezy conditions but Full Moon was still in an excellent fifth place midway through the first lap.

Flying the ancient standard spinnaker rather than the oversized Equalizer proved the smart choice as Full Moon fairly flew downwind. Rival Runner was a bit faster, though, and the well-sailed Tuesday faster yet, both boats getting by near the end of the spinnaker run. Upwind was another story. Full Moon easily kept pace with Runner and Tuesday, succumbing only to two much larger 36 to 45 foot boats, bigger nearly always being better in strong wind.

The second lap was similar to the first with Full Moon remaining within striking distance of Runner and Tuesday. On the long upwind leg, Full Moon actually got past Runner and closed to right on Tuesday’s transom but it wasn’t quite enough to get by. On the final downwind run (yes, there were three laps), Full Moon elected to forego the spinnaker with the wind rising into the low 20 knot range. Tuesday consolidated her lead and Runner surged ahead, though working hard to manage their spinnaker.

On the final leg to the finish, Full Moon stayed within 20-30 yards of Runner but couldn’t close the gap, finishing an excellent ninth out of some twenty boats. Amazingly, the threatened rain never appeared and the sun even broke out near the end.

Two Drink Minimum

Michael caught documenting the evidence.

Randy, Tammy, and Galina, ready for cocktails!

It just gets dark too early these days!

The final Duck Dodge is always Martini Night on Full Moon and crew Randy “Vanilla Vodka” Olsen, Galina “Viable” Gordeeva, Tammy “No Cheese” Cross, Michael “Cut the Cheese” Medina, Debra “Stinky Cheese” Ricard, and skipper John “Three Olives” Mengedoht came prepared with a variety of Vodka-based concoctions as well as some very nice (and alcohol-absorbent?) food. With the essentials squared away, Full Moon had a decent but conservative start. Apparently a lot of boats did better, though, as Michael announced from the bow that seventeen boats were ahead – including old rivals Fortis and Shogun!

Time to go fast. Full Moon rolled a San Juan 28 and held a good line to the Freeway buoy, picking off Shogun, a J24 and several others while staying ahead of speedy Scat and Katrinka Finkelsplat. Full Moon passed Fortis soon after rounding the buoy but Scat and, yes, Shogun eventually got by while Full Moon again pinched off the San Juan 28 threatening from behind.

Rounding the Aurora buoy, the mighty Equalizer was instantly deployed to good advantage. After crossing (non-verbal) jibes with Shogun, Full Moon pulled ahead for good and passed yet another boat or two, though 36’ Mata Hari got by in the fairly strong breeze.

At the AGC buoy, Full Moon was up to twelfth with only the final leg to go. A red Santana 20 tacked and crossed behind. Eleventh! True Blue (Ranger 22) tacked and crossed ahead but just barely. Full Moon was then lifted almost to the Committee Boat. A final two quick tacks and Full Moon finished an excellent tenth, not far behind Scat and still ahead of Katrinka Finkelsplat for a great comeback in a short, one-lap race.

As always, it was a fun summer of racing and sad to see it all end. Full Moon will return for the Goosebumps in January and will hopefully have a few adventures in between. Stay tuned!

This is August?

Randy and Galina on the high side.

Sara has a good time.

Cap'n John enjoys the wind and, yes, it is way too dark!

On the final evening of August, the string of sunny Tuesdays came to an abrupt end with dark low clouds and a boisterous southerly breeze. Full Moon crew Randy “Buoy-Finder” Olsen, Galina “Little Bit” Gordeeva, Sara “Grinder” Skinner, and skipper John “Fat Lady” Mengedoht hunkered down in the gusts and were set for a good start until an errant jib sheet made hash of the final tack for the line.
Overpowered upwind with full main and genoa, Full Moon fought to avoid rounding up but made steady progress to the AGC buoy, crossing tacks with old rival Shogun. Once around the buoy, Shogun and a white T-bird threatened but Full Moon held them off with good speed in the fast reach to the Challenger buoy.

With the wind holding strong Full Moon elected not to fly a spinnaker, though it would have helped on the long downwind run to the Aurora buoy. Fortis flew one and extended their lead to become uncatchable. The white T-bird hoisted theirs after waiting a bit while Shogun slogged on with the genoa. Shogun rode a gust to pass Full Moon and took the opportunity to gloat at finally beating Full Moon for the first time all summer – but were quickly reminded that the race was not yet over!

Once around the Aurora buoy, Full Moon was able to point much higher than Shogun upwind and to also get by the white T-bird. The T-bird made a race of it all the way to the finish but couldn’t quite catch up, even with Full Moon caught in round-up right at the line, and Shogun skipped the line altogether, perhaps embarrassed at losing to Full Moon once again! In the end, Full Moon was about eighth in a reduced fleet – a solid finish given the conditions.

Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory

Chuck and Bethany working hard...

Caroline smiles for the camera while Cap'n John scans the sails.

Art does another self-portrait with his friend, the Jib.

Bethany carefully observes the spinnaker handling.

Whatever it all means, Daniel is having fun!

Full Moon gambled on a port tack-pin end start for Duck Dodge No. 14 and, while it was necessary to duck two boats, it paid off with full speed, a clear lane, and a straight shot to the Freeway buoy. Crew Art “Legs” Teller, Caroline “Layers” Sneed, Chuck “Three Bags” Weldy, Bethany “Passenger” Madsen, Daniel “Got To Go” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Lost Buoy” Mengedoht got rolled by a J24 but managed to hold off the big Buchan 37 Distance to round the buoy in 7th.

A quick tack onto starboard at the buoy set Full Moon below the line of most of the boats in hopes of a clear lane toward the Aurora buoy but the breeze was actually a bit better closer to Gasworks and a few boats crept ahead, including Distance. Then the Fremont Bridge opened wide to reveal a large gravel barge heading toward the fleet! With a lake full of sailboats coming, the barge tug was wisely moving very slowly and Full Moon was able to round the buoy at a safe distance but many boats behind had a tough time.

The mighty Equalizer spinnaker was soon deployed after the buoy and Full Moon worked slowly up to the blue T-Bird Selchie while keeping pace with Distance and holding off a quick red Santana 20. This was all working rather well until skipper John lost track of the AGC buoy and overshot! Despite the valiant crew quickly lowering the nylon monster, several boats got past, dropping Full Moon from a potential top ten finish.

In the end, Full Moon was a still-decent 12th or so and the ice-cold beer tasted great. The Duck Dodge has enjoyed a seemingly endless string of sunny evenings with decent northerlies and the city glowing in the setting sun is a view that never gets old. If only the sun wasn’t setting quite so early!

Doubly Nuts!

Michael looks back at the competition.

Steve looks forward at the competition.

Tammy enjoys the golden glow of later summer sun.

Collapsing spinnakers near the AGC buoy.

Is is supposed to look like that?

Darkness falls all too soon these days.

Full Moon crew Michael “SISI” Medina, Don “Beer Time” Caffrey, Tammy “Cupcake” Cross, Steve “Commando” Pfeifer, Daniel “Jet Drive” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Boom Boom” Mengedoht got pinned briefly by a San Juan 28 to windward but still got a good start with a clear lane for Duck Dodge No. 13. With a straight shot to the Freeway buoy, things got a bit dicey with a crowded rounding. Rather than bash into Shogun’s transom, Full Moon pulled into a slightly late inside overlap. Shogun’s skipper wasn’t happy but still (barely) allowed Full Moon room rather than play bumper boats. (Thanks, Rick, I owe you one!)

The second leg to the Aurora buoy was relatively uneventful, though as the wind got soft and shifty, Full Moon overstood the lay line and the blue Thunderbird Selchie snuck ahead. This was rectified soon after once the mighty Equalizer spinnaker was launched. Next up was the J24 Cobalt with a large crew in full birthday party mode.

The wind began to die approaching the AGC buoy, where a number of boats were clustered and barely moving. Full Moon kept a little momentum and took a wide smooth turn around the mark but Cobalt was right behind. Between the fading light and dying wind, this looked like a battle to the finish unless the race committee stayed with plans for two laps. The wind filled in a little and the boats seesawed back and forth until Full Moon finally broke free with 20 feet between the boats. Falling off to a tight reach to cross the line next to the committee boat, though, Cobalt climbed back into an overlap. Full Moon crossed ahead (yeah!) but the committee signaled to keep going (are they nuts?!?) and Cobalt was finally able to roll Full Moon to windward.

At this point Cobalt and Full Moon were nearly match racing as there were no boats within reach ahead and only Selchie a somewhat distant threat from behind. Rounding the Aurora buoy, Full Moon was poised to pounce with the Equalizer when, alas, the mighty spinnaker was hoisted sideways! After a few moments pondering the ability to keep it flying that way, it was quickly brought down and relaunched, though not quick enough to prevent Cobalt from escaping ahead.

With running lights aglow, this time the wind had really faded out at the south end of the lake. Full Moon kept the Equalizer going as long as possible, then struggled to keep moving with the jib. Finally rounding the AGC buoy, Cobalt was out of reach but Selchie was not far behind and another white and green T-bird was not far ahead. Full Moon played the tiny shifts and mini-puffs to perfection, crossed tacks ahead of the white/green T-bird and remained ahead of both Birds to an excellent 7th place finish.

Marvelous Margaritas

The infamous "island" prepares to dispense beer to passing racers.

Bimi shows off some tropical sails.

Galina enjoys the sunshine.

Randy says "Why are you taking my picture?"

An Artful self-portrait.

Michael and John sport tropical shirts while Daniel makes do with Bermuda shorts.

The floating “island” was out dispensing (almost) cold beer as usual for the Tropical Night Duck Dodge. Full Moon crew Art “Salsa” Teller, Michael “Parrothead” Medina, Randy “Sensei” Olsen, Galina “Grasshopper” Gordeeva, Daniel “Super Soaker” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Big Cup” Mengedoht went for a port tack start and managed to find a clear lane and fairly straight shot to the Freeway buoy.

The rounding was crowded and Full Moon had to work hard not to rear-end the T-bird Zoe while holding off a group of boats charging up from behind. The second leg to the AGC buoy was a very tight reach and Full Moon elected to stick with the jib rather than try to keep a spinnaker flying on the ragged edge of control. This was probably wise as the boats under spinnaker (of similar size) were no faster.

The second lap was fairly uneventful except for constant trading places with assorted T-birds. The wind angle was slightly lower for the reaching leg so the mighty Equalizer was deployed to good advantage, though the spinnaker pole still spent the whole time right on the forestay. In the end, Full Moon was a very respectable 8th. Caroline “Coconuts” Sneed beckoned Full Moon to join the post-race raft up but it was time to pour some cold margaritas and enjoy sailing around for yet another spectacular evening.

A Star is Born

Suzan and Caroline with a cold post-race beer.

Chuck and Tammy.

"Mr. Gibbs" provides a head massage.

The setting sun melts the Aurora Bridge.

The Race Committee set an exceptionally wide starting line for Duck Dodge No. 11 but, as is so often the case, it was nearly impossible to cross on the favored starboard tack with the wind out of the northwest. Full Moon crew Tammy “Gusher” Cross, Chuck “Butt End” Weldy, Caroline “Fabulous Foredeck” Sneed, Suzan “Pinwheels” Schneider, Daniel “Mr. Gibbs” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Head Massage” Mengedoht went for the middle of the line, hoping for a clear shot to tack onto port at the gun but first were blanketed by the giant Distance, killing precious speed, and then were overlapped by a red Santana 20. This delayed the critical tack and turned a potential great start into a mediocre one.

Cruising upwind to the Freeway buoy, Full Moon struggled to find consistent speed in the shifty and gusty breeze. A tack onto starboard near the buoy forced several oncoming boats to duck behind, though, and an excellent tack right at the buoy (with inside rights) held off two J24s and a Thunderbird so at least the tactics were working!

The next leg to the Aurora buoy was also upwind and the game was on to catch old rival Fortis. This was managed successfully but, given Caroline’s first try on the foredeck, the Equalizer was replaced by the much smaller (and ancient) standard spinnaker. Could Full Moon stay ahead without the Equalizer? A jibe at the Aurora buoy was followed by the spinnaker hoist. Full Moon headed out toward the middle of the lake for stronger breeze while Fortis elected to stay on port jibe nearer the Westlake shore. Full Moon did a clean jibe onto port and the strategy paid off. Full Moon had the inside line to the AGC buoy and rounded ahead into 14th place. Great job, Caroline!
Heading upwind to start the second lap, the wind picked up and Full Moon left Fortis well behind while closing on the Ranger 22 True North and moving into possible striking distance of the Pearson 30 Tenacious, which has had a string of second place finishes this summer. Full Moon caught True North before the Aurora buoy, held them off under spinnaker and then pulled farther ahead upwind to take “lucky” 13th at the finish. Tenacious was nearly caught when they made a blunder under spinnaker but were still just a bit faster than Full Moon and finished 12th.

It was yet another great evening with both sunshine and decent wind, though the sun sets way too early these days!