Dead Parrot Society

The skies were sunny for the Pirate Night Duck Dodge and there was mostly decent wind to make things even better. Full Moon crew Art “50 Cent” Teller, Debra “Top of the Game” Ricard, Dave “Spaghetti Sheets” Pulsifer, Judy “Sun-Bather” Tiffany, Daniel “What Parrot?” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Close Call” Mengedoht were set up for a good if relatively conservative starboard tack start near the Committee Boat. Unfortunately, Gift Horse slipped in to windward and just ahead. Even more unfortunately, Gift Horse didn’t have enough speed up to tack in front of other boats coming from behind, leaving Full Moon pinned to leeward for what felt like several minutes until Gift Horse finally tacked away toward the Freeway buoy.

Full Moon full of pirates.

While old-rival Zephyr was behind, even-older-rival Ignitor was ahead and it was time for a Full Moon comeback. A straight shot with good speed to the Freeway buoy and then another to the Aurora buoy helped. A quick launch of the mighty Equalizer spinnaker helped even more, allowing Full Moon to pick off several boats and gain on several more on the long downwind/reach to the AGC buoy.

Art's work is done with the Equalizer flying.

Once around the AGC, Ignitor was left behind, and Full Moon was tasked with holding off a white T-bird just to windward and behind. The lee-bow effect worked well until the T-bird tacked away to make it across the start-finish line to complete the first lap. Full Moon carried on a short distance before tacking as well but then had to dodge a couple of third-start boats, losing a bit of distance in the process.

Zephyr and Mata Hari behind with many more behind them.

By the Freeway buoy, Full Moon had worked up to at least mid-fleet with speedy Scat and the J30 Slingshot not too far ahead. After another nice spinnaker run, it was great to look back and see several J-Boats, at least one T-bird, and even 36’ Mata Hari comfortably behind. All in all, it was a great evening on the water, complete with many well-dressed pirates and even some cannon-fire!

Yet another gorgeous evening on Lake Union.

Jammie Time!

Full Moon crew Michael “Butt Cleat” Medina, Chuck “Noser” Weldy, Kate “Sleeper” Austin, Jeremy “Shorts” Jones, Daniel “Tunes” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Nightshirt” Mengedoht enjoyed a relatively great start for the Pajama Night Duck Dodge, zipping across the line on port tack near the buoy end with the Hotfoot 27 Flashpoint and a couple of J24s. Full Moon held off speedy Flashpoint for most of the first leg to the Freeway buoy and rounded in the top ten boats.

Full Moon is dead center in this shot of the second start.

A delayed tack after the buoy provided a straight shot to the Aurora buoy and then a quick launch of the mighty Equalizer spinnaker. The wind had faded a bit at this point and it took a little time and two jibes to really get going but then the wind filled back in for a nice romp to the AGC buoy. The Equalizer came down fairly smoothly and Full Moon was soon heading back upwind and fending off challenges from T-birds Havoc and then Selchie. Full Moon held on across the line to complete the first lap and then nearly to the Freeway buoy before the T-birds finally got by.

Full Moon is just visible to the right, flying the Equalizer.

The next leg was compromised by the appearance of a big barge and pusher tug heading west. Full Moon had to sail a lower angle than desired to allow room for the barge past Gasworks and then put in two tacks to round the Aurora buoy. Once again, the Equalizer was launched, this time with good breeze onto a beam reach. Unfortunately, the wind went flat in a large zone around the AGC buoy, leaving a giant pile-up of drifting boats. Full Moon’s momentum carried to within 50 yards or so the buoy but some gentle fending off was required to keep the bow of the J30 Slingshot from making contact from behind.

The amazing June weather has continued!

Once around the buoy, the game was on to guess where the wind would fill in and from which direction. Full Moon gambled on heading east, if only to get away from the tight cluster of drifting boats. The wind eventually filled in from the north, though, and the gamble did not pay off. Necessary Evil, a Catalina 30, was further west and got going a bit sooner to pass ahead. Full Moon played the developing shifts and was able to point higher into the wind, though, eventually crossing tacks just ahead and crossing the finish line just ahead of Gift Horse, still ahead of Necessarily Evil and at least one T-bird (Zoe) and a few J-boats.

Duck What?

Full Moon crew Dave “Low Rider” Pulsifer, Judy “Slippery” Tiffany, Kelly “Baba Ganoush” Laleman, Troy “Ready” Charlesworth, Daniel “Skirt” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Prudent” Mengedoht were fresh out of camouflage and fake beards for the Duck Dodgesty Duck Dodge but well stocked with cold beer to enjoy yet another amazing sunny June evening. With a lot of boats out and relatively strong wind, Full Moon attempted a starboard tack start but the line was angled so as to make that very difficult. A well-timed tack to port took care of business, though, and Full Moon was off and zipping along not far back from the leaders. (Third start apparently had a three-boat crash. The Race Committee could do a lot to reduce port-starboard collision potential by setting the start line either square to the wind or favoring starboard tack. Oh, wait, this is the Duck Dodge. Never mind…)

The starting line buoy was a bit different for this race!

A short time and a couple of tacks later, Full Moon was around the Aurora buoy and heading south. However, with a fairly strong breeze and a beginner slated to deal with the foredeck, the skipper elected to keep the oversized nylon monster safely contained in the turtle bag. Gybing out toward the middle of the lake worked out reasonably well, though, and, while the San Juan 28 Zephyr got past under spinnaker, they took a wide slow turn at the AGC buoy, allowing Full Moon room to slip inside and back in front.

Full Moon at the starting line with Tenacious just beyond.

The wind continued to be gusty and shifty for the long leg north to the Freeway buoy. Full Moon was still hanging in there with a couple of J24s and even the J30 Slingshot, though Gift Horse (30’?) eventually managed to get past to windward. The short leg to the Aurora buoy then proved to be a straight shot, though just barely as Full Moon squeaked around with only a foot or two to spare.

Zephyr gets past under spinnaker but Full Moon would return the favor upwind.

Once again, the Equalizer remained tucked away for the southbound leg and once again Zephyr got past under spinnaker, as did our old rival Ignitor. Once around the AGC buoy, though, Ignitor fell behind and the chase was on to catch Zephyr. Full Moon maintained a good line directly to the Freeway buoy while Zephyr faded to the east and had to tack. This put Full Moon back in front for good, though the Catalina 30 Necessary Evil rounded just behind and quickly put their spinnaker to work, passing Full Moon about halfway to the finish line and returning the favor from last week.

Too Cold For Shorts

The weather was gray with scattered showers for the “Mom Jeans and Dad Shorts” Duck Dodge but at least there was a little wind. Michael “Bungie Cord” Medina, Marcelle “First Pack” Van Houten, Erin “Nauti-Mom” Osberg, Troy “GQ” Charlesworth, and skipper John “Leopard Slug” Mengedoht enjoyed a decent start near the middle of the line, though boats closer to the buoy seemed to fare a bit better.

Erin and Michael show off their Dad Shorts.

A couple of tacks were needed to clear both the AGC buoy plus a bit of traffic going around but Full Moon soon took off north on a close reach with the mighty Equalizer spinnaker. The wind clocked further north about three quarters of the way to the Freeway buoy and the Equalizer came down again, though not without a fight as the wind wanted to push it out behind the boat.

Full Moon battles Necessary Evil under spinnaker.

The relatively short leg past Gasworks to the Aurora buoy was uneventful. With the wind angle change, the next leg south was good for a spinnaker but, unfortunately, the Equalizer and pole were not ready for action and Full Moon lost some ground to boats that could fly theirs immediately. Then, a few hundred yards from the AGC buoy, the wind clocked back into the southwest (possibly a velocity header) and Full Moon quickly dropped the spinnaker. Not far behind, the Catalina 30 Necessary Evil kept their spinnaker up and, as the fickle wind swung back to a westerly, were able to slide past to round the buoy just in front of Full Moon.

The Equalizer looking good.

The long leg north was a close reach with enough wind that Full Moon could not catch Necessary Evil. Once around the Freeway buoy, though, it was a different story as Full Moon could sail much closer to the wind. Fifty yards from the Aurora buoy, the boats crossed tacks with Full Moon ahead. This time, the Equalizer was ready for launch at the buoy and Full Moon easily held the lead to the finish line.

Country AND Western

Full Moon is fourth boat from the left during the start.

Full Moon crew Don “Cookie” Caffrey, Kim “Observer” Prestbo, Eric “Stella” Prestbo, Daniel “Screw Top” Mengedoht, and skipper John “Sailing Chaps” Mengedoht did not have much in the way of decorations or paraphernalia but managed a good start near the advantaged “pin” end of the line for the Country Music Duck Dodge. Unfortunately, quite a few other boats had the same idea and it was slow going until the boats spread out a bit.

With a straight shot to the Freeway buoy and nearly a straight shot to the Aurora buoy, Full Moon was more or less holding her own until the long run south. Short on crew to deal with the spinnaker, Full Moon could not keep up with many other boats with just the main and genoa, though the broad reaching angle in light air wasn’t too bad.

The wind stayed very light for most of the evening but Full Moon persevered for the requisite two full laps and then enjoyed a gorgeous sunset under the Aurora Bridge.

We Blame the Committee! :-)

The starting signals for Team Spirit Night were inconsistent – and not by a small amount – we’re talking well over a minute! Add to that a start line massively favoring a port tack/Committee Boat approach and chaos ensued, though perhaps not much more than most evenings. Rather than wait endlessly for the horn while heading for the disadvantaged end of the line, Full Moon crew Michael “Margarita” Medina, Doug “Big Cam” Schoemaker, Allison “Team Gear” Bahe, Neil “Beer” Piispanen, Daniel “Big Coke” Mengedoht, and skipper John “We’re Just Going For It” Mengedoht crossed when we thought the signal should have come and ended up some 30 seconds early compared to the “actual” starting horn. We had plenty of over-early company, though we were clearly the worst offender. Oh, well, a duck sticker was not likely to be in the cards and, hey, it’s just the Duck Dodge!

Some of the second start boats heading for the first mark. Full Moon was already gone!

After a quick close reach to the Freeway buoy and only two tacks to the Aurora buoy, Full Moon was still in the “lead.” The mighty Equalizer was hoisted and all looked well until running into a dead zone halfway down the lake. This allowed several boats to catch up from behind before nearly everyone dropped their spinnakers, including Full Moon. The rest of the leg to the AGC buoy was painful as the wind was light and fickle.

Neil, Allison, John, Doug, and Daniel enjoying the sun.

Heading back north, the Equalizer was hoisted again since the wind had clocked around but the wind died yet again and the Equalizer was brought down about halfway to the finish line. At this point, the Margaritas were brought forth and any “racing” was half-hearted. Full Moon did cross the line to complete one lap and continued around the Freeway and Aurora buoys but then elected to call it an evening. Wind or no wind, it was a gorgeous evening and fun to be on the lake.

Ugly Sweaters!

Dan focuses on jib trim.

Full Moon crew Michael “No It’s Not” Medina, Eileen “Wooder” McHugh, Chad “Trotify” Harnish, Dan “Cindy” Schultz, and skipper John “Yes It Is” Mengedoht had a few beauties for Ugly Sweater Night but mostly kept them covered up with another layer to stay warm. After a decent but very crowded start near the Committee Boat, Full Moon tacked for clear air and played the wind shifts to the AGC buoy. Presetting the spinnaker pole to port necessitated a gybe set but the mighty Equalizer was soon full and pulling nicely. Two gybes later, it came smoothly back down at the Freeway buoy, though it might have been (just barely) possible to keep it up for the reach to the Aurora buoy.

Eileen, Chad, John, and Eileen enjoy the downwind run.

By now, the traffic had thinned out quite a bit and Full Moon was well back from the leaders, though still mixing it up with some J24s. The second lap was fairly uneventful until approaching the Freeway buoy with one last gybe to make. Unfortunately, the wind suddenly freshened with a huge header. Rather than gybe away from the buoy, the Equalizer was quickly brought down. Unfortunately, the pole ended up on top of the jib, preventing a hoist, and it took a while to clear up the mess!

Full Moon approaches the Freeway buoy on the first lap.

Rounding the Aurora buoy, there was still one J24 fairly close behind and the race was on to the finish line. Could the J Boat use its superior upwind speed to get by or would Full Moon’s position ahead provide enough “dirty” air to hold off the J? It was a near thing but a tack at the line gave Full Moon the edge to cross ahead by a boat-length.

Deception shows off their ugly sweater collection on the rail.

Despite the gray skies, it was nice to have a little wind and great fun to be out on the lake. Congratulations to Herb and Lynn on Flashpoint for taking second place!

Flashpoint leads Slingshot to the line to take second place.

Cinco de Febrero

It was a gloomy evening!

The first Duck Dodge of 2015 featured dark grey skies, plenty of rain, and low temperatures, all accompanied by light to nonexistent wind. The good news: forecast thundershowers did not appear!

Full Moon crew Randy “I Can’t Feel My Fingers” Olsen, Art “You Can Do It” Teller, Dave “Soaked Through” Pulsifer, Judy “Cabin Girl” Tiffany, and skipper John “Shiver Me Timbers” Mengedoht enjoyed a decent start in a NE breeze until rolled to windward by some bigger boats. After rounding the Freeway buoy, the wind looked barely strong enough to fly a spinnaker. Full Moon opted to stay with the jib and took a relatively straight line toward the Aurora buoy. Unfortunately boats that jibed further south or hugged the Gasworks shore found a bit more breeze and were able to pass by under spinnaker.

Hopes of flying the mighty Equalizer for the long leg south were dashed as the wind clocked into the SE and faded. Full Moon persevered under jib and main but then watched the wind fill in from behind and toward the middle of the lake, allowing some third start boats to get by… Time for a shot of tequila!

Full Moon eventually worked eastward into a bit of breeze and left the remainder of the fleet behind. One tack at the AGC buoy and it was a straight shot to the finish line. Unfortunately, the Race Committee had called for two laps and stuck with the game plan. Full Moon continued on to the Freeway buoy and then, faced with more light to nonexistent wind, decided to call it a night. We were COLD!

While not spectacular sailing, it was great to get out there to start the series. Warmer weather is coming!

One boat really got into Cinco dy Mayo. Hope they got the Black Duck!

Good Day Sunshine

Randy likes the wind!

A strong north wind and brilliant sunshine greeted the forty boats showing up for the final Goosebump race of 2015. Full Moon crew Randy “Dad” Olsen, Art “Zipper” Teller, Chuck “RV” Weldy, and skipper John “Mae West” Mengedoht hit the starting line a few seconds late but without the drama of Scat, which dropped in from above the line and then started without having yet hoisted their jib.

The first leg to the Freeway buoy was fast with Full Moon heeling quite a bit in the gusts. The second leg to the Aurora buoy proved to be a straight shot without tacks, though just barely as Scat came zooming across in front and then tacked to windward while a J24 tried and failed to “shoot” up and around, becoming hung up on the buoy!

Art enjoys his perch at the mast.

With the wind looking strong and possibly building, Full Moon elected not to fly the spinnaker on the downwind leg to the offset AGC buoy. With initial speeds up over 6 knots, this looked like a good decision but the wind faded a bit halfway down the lake and Zephyr caught up under spinnaker just before rounding the buoy. Zephyr took a relatively wide turn and Full Moon hugged the buoy to take a position to windward before slowly pulling ahead while pointing higher into the wind. Two tacks were still required to round the Freeway buoy but Zephyr was still behind and losing ground.

Once again, it was a straight shot to the Aurora buoy, though care was required to take advantage of every lift to get there without a tack. This time, the mighty Equalizer was hoisted and to good effect. Unfortunately, gybing it resulted in a dreaded “Mae West,” with the spinnaker partly wrapped around the forestay. It was cleared just before another gybe was needed – with another Mae West! This one was cleared just before the AGC buoy, which meant that the jib was hoisted after rounding.

Mae West!

Fortunately, it was a straight shot upwind to the finish where Full Moon managed to place ninth (tenth overall), not bad at all given the first-start competition. Zephyr ended up eleventh (thirteenth overall), which proved significant in the series standings: Full Moon managed to place fifth overall (despite not racing on Superbowl Sunday), squeaking ahead of Zephyr by a single point!

Congratulations to T-birds Selchie and Havoc, which consistently kicked butt, taking second and third place in the series, and to the 505 dinghy Quandary (replacement for Cinc-o-sink) for taking fourth among all those giant boats.

Time Limit Challenge

Erin, Cap'n John, and Marcelle in prestart maneuvers.

The wind was once again extremely light for the start of Goosebumps Race No. 5 and the call for two laps (for first start boats) seemed ambitious with a 2 hour time limit. Full Moon crew Michael “Busy” Medina, Marcelle “Wrong Wrap” van Houten, Erin “Muddy” Osberg, and skipper John “Wrong Place” Mengedoht had a decent start near the middle of the line and quickly popped up the spinnaker to gain some sail area for the reach to the AGC buoy. This paid off in the short term but delays in dropping the nylon monster caused Full Moon to overshoot the buoy, allowing a few boats ample room to cut a tighter turn inside.

Full Moon is dead center heading to the AGC buoy on the first lap.

Meanwhile, the nearly non-existent westerly wind had rotated to a northerly, turning the second leg into a very slow upwind crawl. The position of other boats and the desire to avoid momentum-killing tacks as much as possible conspired to keep Full Moon near the middle of the lake rather than toward the Eastlake shore as desired. As suspected, boats farther east found more wind, though you certainly couldn’t tell it by looking at the water!

Second start boats flying across the starting line.

A late tack to make it around the Freeway buoy allowed another boat or two to get past and then it was time to set the spinnaker to head west to the Aurora buoy (the wind had clocked further around into the NE). With a gybe at the buoy, it was possible to hold a tight reach under spinnaker, though boats under jib challenged any boats trying to get by to windward.

Second start boats attempting to crawl around the AGC buoy.

The gybe left Full Moon with the jib on the wrong side approaching the AGC buoy to start the second lap and efforts to switch it over and bring down the spinnaker took some time, again leaving Full Moon on the outside with the San Juan 28 Zephyr slipping inside. After extending eastward for a while on port tack, Full Moon tacked behind Zephyr to head north, hoping the wind would hold.

Marcelle, Michael, and John on the long, slow, second leg.

By this time, the wind began filling in but with the stronger portion again toward the east. Full Moon had pulled ahead of Zephyr but had to tack to make the Freeway buoy, allowing Zephyr to cross behind and then take the inside position at the buoy. The good news was that Full Moon was then to windward under the spinnaker broad reach to the Aurora buoy, a position that allowed Full Moon to again pull ahead before gybing at the buoy.

Stella Blue takes Zephyr up to windward as Full Moon elects to duck behind and to leeward on the last leg of the first lap.

The final leg was a test to see who could keep a spinnaker flying on a very tight reach. Full Moon held her lead over Zephyr to finish at the back of the first start group but very happy to finish the race with 15 minutes to spare.

Full Moon holds off Zephyr approaching the finish line.

Party Boys

The Full Moon crew elected to skip Goosebump Race No. 4 in favor of pre-Superbowl couch surfing. We'll be out there to enjoy the rain next week.

Junuary

Full Moon sails behind Jedi in pre-start maneuvers.

Bright sunshine with temperatures in the mid-60s felt wonderful for Goosebump Race No. 3. The wind, unfortunately, was extremely light, though better than two weeks ago. Full Moon crew Michael “Moonie” Medina, Marcelle “Amber” van Houten, Allison “Stella” Bahe, and skipper John “Red Menace” Mengedoht hoped the pin end of the line would be less crowded (with better chance of catching the whispers of breeze) but ended up with plenty of company. Meanwhile, the Committee Boat end proved better for Nimble (Aerodyne 43?), Selchie (T-bird), Tipsy Gypsy (Soverel 33), Havoc (another T-bird), and speedy Scat (custom 25).

Nimble pulled into an early lead but apparently misunderstood the position of the “AGC” buoy, traveling several hundred yards past before turning around. Unfortunately, they never did properly round the buoy, earning a disqualification despite sailing much farther than anyone else. Full Moon, meanwhile, stayed away from blue giant Jedi (J145) and slowly pulled ahead of the 505 dinghy Quandary (subbing for the veteran 505 Cinco-O-Sink), and the J24 Fat Chance. The wind fortuitously clocked around to the west, allowing Full Moon to make the buoy without tacking, following not far behind Scat. Once around, Tipsy Gypsy appeared to be parked and Full Moon slowly passed by, a rare moment to be ahead of a very fast boat!

Full Moon (briefly) ahead of Tipsy Gypsy!

By now, the wind had continued shifting around into the north to provide an upwind crawl for the second leg. Full Moon slowly reeled in Havoc and made some gains on Scat. Scat then tacked to the west while Full Moon continued on port tack. Typsy Gypsy finally got moving and eased past to windward before tacking as well. With boats ahead to the northeast slowing down (not that they were ever moving fast), Full Moon elected to tack as well, hoping the center of the lake might provide more wind. Unfortunately, the right side paid off with Havoc, Flash Point (Hotfoot 27), Blue Jeans (C&C 27) and Blue Lullaby all moving ahead before jamming into a tight knot at the Freeway buoy with 41’ Surt, Scat, and tiny Quandary.

Heading slowly toward the finish line with the Equalizer.

Full Moon took a wider turn, rounding right behind Flash Point. In such light air, a spinnaker can be a waste of time but the mighty Equalizer was promptly hoisted and set up like a giant jib for the reach to the finish. Ever so slowly, the nylon monster took shape and Full Moon pulled ahead of Flash Point, Surt, and Scat. Blue Lullaby was next and then Blue Jeans just before the finish, allowing Full Moon to take an excellent eighth place.

Enjoying a cold one in January!

Race Cancelled

The Goosebump Race Committee elected to cancel Race #2 due to high wind warnings. This suited the Full Moon crew just fine since we'd already decided to watch the Seahawks game instead. (Good choice, given the amazing game!) We'll be out there for Race #3.

Slow Ride

Flying along on a broad reach toward the AGC buoy.

Full Moon crew Marcelle “Pole Dancer” Van Houten, “Muddy” Michael Medina, and skipper John “Different Wind” Mengedoht had a good start for the first Goosebump race of 2015 but in nearly non-existent wind. With no other available guide than the Windex atop the mast, Full Moon oozed off the start line on port tack, gaining maybe 30 yards before the second start five minutes later.

Unfortunately, the whispers of wind then shifted from southeast to north and filled in just a tiny bit, providing boats behind with the opportunity to close the gap, especially those closest to the middle of the lake. With a small crew and no spinnaker gear prepared in advance, Full Moon did fairly well with a poled-out genoa, legging out on a big Nordic 40 before jibing (eventually) toward the AGC buoy. The damage was done, though, with Tipsy Gypsy (Soverel 33), Jedi (J145), Surt (C&C 41), Selchie (T-bird), and even Zephyr (San Juan 28) well ahead. 

Still, the wind remained extremely light, fading often to zero, and Full Moon thrives in light air. Full Moon (very) slowly reeled in a number of boats, clawing into the back of the top ten before becoming mostly parked about two thirds of the way up the lake. At this point, it was becoming obvious that Full Moon might not even make the Freeway buoy, let alone complete the course (to the Aurora buoy and south to the finish) before the two hour time limit. Dropping the sails, Full Moon headed back south, just in time to watch Tipsy Gypsy cross the finish line to take first place, the only boat to make it all the way around. I am not sure how the race will be scored but at least Full Moon is in good company, tied with every boat but one for second place (or last place depending on how you want to look at it!).

No Rum Fun

Full Moon was all set for the Rum Run last Saturday but skipper John began feeling poorly Thursday and didn't see any improvement Friday - or Saturday. It was hard to miss this race, which turned out to have light but adequate wind and minimal rain (if any), but the prospect of a full day on the boat with no heat (other than rum) was not looking like any fun. We were there in spirit, though, and hope to be there next year!

Rum Run 2014 start.