2006 Rum Bucket

Eleven Penguins sailed what was, for most of us, a new venue for the 2006 Rum Bucket.  Although protected, the sailing at the Gibson Island Boathouse proved unpredictable with a large variety in direction (generally from NE to NW) and speed; very light to moderate with puffs which seemed to come from everywhere, then drop out in a hurry. No sailors dominated the regatta. First and second, as well as third and fourth, were decided by tiebreakers. The regatta left many wondering "what were we thinking?" So I asked the winners what they were thinking and found that, not surprisingly, they focused on pretty much the same thing. 

Bud Dailey, who won the regatta on a tie breaker said, "I thought what was most important was not getting too concerned with where you were at the moment, but where you needed to be in relation to the wind and the competition.  Many times we got bad starts, but focused on where the wind was going to come from next and headed for it."

John Jenkins raced Penguins here a few (actually many few) years ago.  He tied for first and was likely the most experienced sailor in this venue.  He said almost the same thing: "I just tried to sail for the puffs and didn't worry about lifts or headers. It was important to stay in the breeze."

Third place finisher Jonathan Bartlett listed his racing priorities in order: 1. Getting good starts, 2. Sailing for the puffs, 3. Staying in phase, 4. Clear air, 5. Keep head out of your boat, 6. Stay upright. 

Fifth place finisher Chris Mercier was reminded of collegiate venues: "Sailing at GI reminded me of sailing on the Charles River in Boston or on Mystic Lake at Tuffs University -- shift shift shift. Before starting we looked upwind and tried to start so as to catch the first shift or be in the puff."

Four different boats won races, and everyone had some difficult races. The common winning theme was that the successful boats attempted to sail in breeze as much as possible and minimized their mistakes. Bud provided the best example of learning from a mistake when he tried to pick a side in the first race, only to sail from first right into the middle of the fleet. He learned quickly and didn't repeat the error.

It was good to see a positive turnout for this new regatta. Mike Hecky came down from New Jersey with Rachel and tied with Jonathan for third. Scott Williamson returned to singlehand Thunder Chicken and show outstanding speed and skill. Ed Lutz finally got Arianne Dalton to come back for another fun regatta. Read and Read received the short distance award: 18 minutes from his home to the launching site. Finally Amy Krafft brought Janice Ohlesky out of the deep freeze and, unlike her previous skipper, who shall remain unnamed, followed JB's sixth commandment. Come sail again, Janice. It was great to have you back. If you come in the summer when the water is warmer, it's not nearly so scary.

Thanks to Tom Price, Terry May, Walt Mitchell and Carol Boykin for running a great regatta. The breeze really kept them jumping and they did a great job with the course and line which was square at least once during the start sequence, a real accomplishment in the difficult conditions.