SSA Fall SeriesOverall Results: http://www.severnsailing.org/results/2006/917505.shtml#505This year the 505 SSA Fall Series was two consecutive Saturdays. One day on each of two weekends was thought to be easier for people to sail than two days on the same weekend. Overall, this worked, as we had 9 505 teams (8 from SSA) over the two weekends, with five boats racing the 9th, and six racing the 16th, giving us the total of nine teams over the two days.
Sterg Papadakis/Mike Renda went 2,1 to win the first Saturday, but missed the second Saturday as they went to New England for the New England Championship. Keith Davids/John Torgeson went 1,1,2 to win the second day, but could not make the first day. Chris Legg/Howie Baetjer raced both Saturdays with solid positions to take second overall, while the combined team of Mike Coe/Ali Meller (on the 9th) and high school rockstar Harry Scott/Ali Meller (on the 16th) went 3,1 and OCS, 2,1 over the two days to take the SSA Fall Series. Despite sailing only one of the two days, Keith Davids/John Torgeson finished 3rd overall. Other notables included Rob Almeida crewing for Brendan Connell and newcomer Anthony Johnston crewing for rookie (as a driver) Jesse Falsone.
Saturday 16th ReportThey key issue was, how breezy is it? Harry and I were raked big time and spilling so it felt windy (upwind) to us, but when we turned the corner and hoisted the kite, it did not feel quite like wire running conditions in the first race. And no one tried it, so it was probably under 12 knots. Keith/John controlled the pin and led of the line, rookie driver Jesse Falsone, with newcomer Anthony Johnston were looking strong, but worked the right and faded. A number of teams were close up the first beat, but bad tacks, capsizes and shifts took their toll. At the first weather mark it was Keith/John, Harry/Ali and Jesse/Anthony. Chris/Howie continued to threaten Jesse/Anthony, while Keith/John and Harry/Ali fought a private two boat duel at the front, though Keith/John were always in control.
It was reasonably close at the finish, but it turned out that Harry/Ali were OCS, moving Jesse/Anthony up to the second.
The breeze was a little softer for race two, though still raked, overpowered and flat out wiring for Harry/Ali. Keith/John controlled the start again. The fleet was bunched again, but Jesse/Anthony fell back when Anthony missed the trapeze hook up and went for a swim, while Jesse sailed back to pick him up. It was close for awhile, but once again at the finish line it was Keith/John, then Harry/Ali and Jesse/Anthony.
Race three started in similar fashion. Jesse/Anthony tacked to the right early and were looking strong angle wise, maybe not pressure wise. Keith/John were controlling on the left, with Harry/Ali following. Both teams tacked short of the layline, and waited to see if Jesse/Anthony would make the right work. They came back in less pressure and despite the great angle could not get across. When the three lead teams converged, Keith/John went left with Jesse/Anthony, while Harry/Ali worked further right and found some pressure or angle to put themselves slightly in front. Jesse/Anthony and then Keith/John crossed close behind on port and went all the way to the layline, while Harry/Ali, just short of the layline and feeling good kept going on starboard. A little puff later and they had a nice little lead at the weather mark. They gybe set, while Keith/John and Jesse/Anthony went for bear aways and then gybed. The three lead teams closed up on the run, and Keith/John were able to sail up and through Harry/Ali to lead narrowly at the leeward mark, with Harry/Ali inside Jesse/Anthony… All three teams ended up on starboard very shortly after rounding, with Jesse/Anthony the first squeezed out and forced right. Harry/Ali did not have the height Keith/John did, but were able to punch forward even as Keith/John gained height on them. But he (or they) who laugh last, laugh loudest, and Harry sailed Harry/Ali into the left corner into a knock that put them over the layline but ahead of Keith/John. This shift put Jesse/Anthony a little further behind. Working their way through a nearly-parked Daysailer, the two leading teams close reached into the windward mark, rounding overlapped, with Keith/John able to pin Harry/Ali and prevent them gybe setting, while Keith/John rolled through the bear away into a gybe, closely followed by Jesse/Anthony. Harry/Ali eventually gybed and thought they were able to sail lower than the other two teams, but when Keith/John gybed back to converged, they were very slightly ahead. Ali was wondering if they could cross behind Keith/John and get inside at the leeward mark, but Harry assessed the situation better and called for a gybe on Keith/John’s air… the gybe stuck and despite Keith/John luffing a little, Harry/Ali rolled over the top and broke the overlap just outside two boatlengths. The two teams rounded nose to tail with one of the RC boats signaling a course change. Harry/Ali’s rushed douse resulted in the sheet and guy going under the bow. Keith/John rounded and tacked, while Harry/Ali rolled into a tack to cover. Ali was desperate to get the sheet and guy out from under the bow (the sound of the lines dragging through the water was driving him crazy) but before jumping off the wire to fix this, he noticed that Harry/Ali were going faster and if they hung tough, they could roll over the top of Keith/John, which they did. Keith/John tacked to clear, with Harry/Ali going right on them. Keith/John tacked back, but Harry/Ali had figured out where the new windward mark was and realized they were just short of the layline, so kept going. Keith/John went 20 boatlengths and tacked and the two teams drag raced to the line on port. It was close, with each lift favoring Keith/John and each knock favoring Harry/Ali. Ali was all for tacking over to cover in a knock, but Harry was cool and kept going. Harry/Ali came in below the port layline for the finish, calmly concluded the RC boat end was favored, and tacked just short of the RC boat to cross, while Keith/John reached into the pin. Jesse/Anthony were 3rd. The race went to Harry/Ali, but the day went to Keith/John.
ScratchlistHarry Scott/Alexander Meller 8776
Martin Hermida/Bob Patterson 7068
Chris Legg/Howie Baetjer 7150
Keith Davids/John Torgerson 8851
Jesse Falsone/Anthony Johnson 8629
Brendan Connell/Rob Almeida 7606
your name here/a crew 7080
J.R. Maxwell/Evan Aras?? 7200??
Boats available: 7200
Interested People: Paul Murphy, Evan Aras, J.R. Maxwell
Cannot make it: Sterg Papadakis/Mike Renda, J Bergquist, Chris Gildea, Tom Sitzmann, Andy Cole, Dustin Romey
