Birmingham Sailing Club
Sailing on Lake Logan Martin
December 2007 Hornblower posted now in PDF format
BIRMINGHAM
SAILING CLUB
The Hornblower
December 2007
COMMODORE'S COMMENTS
By Commodore Jim Sisson
Another great year of sailing on Lake Logan Martin is coming to a close. It has been a good year for the club w ith lots of new faces and higher levels of participation. It is a great feeling to come out for a Sunday race and see 12 or 13 boats on the starting line. It is also great to see the enthusiasm that the new sailors bring to the club. You can see the future of the club in their faces. Membership has reached 155. This is as high as it has been in the seven years I have been on the board.The facilities are also in good shape. The board has put a lot of effort and resources into maintaining the facilities. The south launch dock has been refurbished. The Committee Boat has had a major face lift and a 17' Boston Whaler has been purchased to replace the oldest crash boat (just in time I might add). This has been done without breaking the bank.
It has been a great honor for me to lead the club this year. We all know that the club is run by volunteers but as commodore I see firsthand all the hard work that many members have donated over the last year. Much of the work comes from the board but it doesn't stop there. We have many generous members who jump in whenever they are asked or if they see something that just needs to be done. The overhaul of the Committee Boat is just one example. Over several weekends (with temps in the 100s) I counted at least 10 different members sharing their time, their expertise and their opinions. That is what makes this club the success that it is.
“We have many generous members who jump in whenever they are asked or if they see something that just needs to be done. “I am looking forward to returning to "civilian life". It has been a very rewarding experience for me. I enjoyed working with a great group of members who share a love of sailing and a commitment to the club. But it is time to turn the keys over to a new group of leaders. I know they will do a great job and the future of BSC will be brighter than ever. See you on the starting line.
Jim Sisson, Commodore
SNIPE REPORT
by Michael Papp
November 2007 is the 75th Anniversary of the Snipe Class. The first design for the Snipe was published in July 1931 in Rudder Magazine by Bill Crosby. The boat was designed to be 15’6” long to conform to 16” planks, and was designed to be built at home. The first boat was completed in September by 14 year old Jimmy Brown in Pass Christian, MS. By May 1932, 150 boats had been built, and by November, the Snipe Class Association was formed. By the end of 1932, 250 boats had been built. By 1933, fleets started appearing in Europe, and by 1934 there were World Championships.The Snipe has evolved quite a bit since those first boats built with 16 foot wooden planks, but it is still a class that promotes Serious Sailing and Serious Fun. October 27th and 28th was the annual Halloween Regatta in Atlanta, with 5 fleets of Snipes starting, totaling 43 boats, as well as a Junior Snipe regatta with 7 boats.
We currently have 2 Snipes for sail and sale at BSC. Contact Michael Papp or Pauline Neilson if you are interested in trying a Snipe.
If you need help rigging and learning to sail your Snipe, please contact me at 205-744-2566 or webmaster@birminghamsailingclub.org for assistance. I will go out sailing with you on your boat, and I have some DVDs on Snipe sailing that I can loan to you.
You can also find numerous Snipe tuning guides and articles at http://www.snipeus.org/news/experts.asp.
Snipe Halloween Regatta Atlanta Yacht Club
The Annual Halloween Regatta was hosted by AYC Snipe Fleet 330 the weekend of October 27-28. Though the water was low, the race committee managed the fleet of 43 Snipes by breaking the fleet apart into separate starts (there wasn’t enough room on the lake for a starting line for 43 boats). Scott Ford, who took the adult learn to sail class this past September, was brave enough to crew for me in the goblin fleet. Winds on Saturday were blowing a steady 12 with gusts well over 20, and it made for some exciting planning on reaches and downwind both during and between the races, as well as some challenging upwind sailing. We were well ahead in the first race beating the finish, when Scott learned all about capsizing. Fortunately, we were able to get the boat back up in less than a minute and hold onto our lead. The second race was just as exciting, and we managed to stay out of the water. All in all, 9 boats went over the first day, including one on the leeward mark (which made for some interesting mark roundings) and one on the finish line. We managed to finish first in the second race, and then we were ready to sail in for some hot spiced rum.
All in all, we had a great time, and I encourage our snipe fleet members to travel to the regatta next year.
FLYING SCOT REPORT
by Sid Browning, Flying Scot Fleet 118 Captain
Fourteen Scots lined up at the start line for the 2007 Great Scot Regatta. I can’t recall the last time I saw that many Flying Scots in the water at the same time. We followed the format developed last year again for 2007 by placing experienced sailors as crew with inexperienced Scot owners. It was a well-received format in 2006 and requested by several again. A benefit is that the less-experienced sailors get a better handle on boat speed and tactics which produces better racing for the club. A second benefit of this is that we have tighter sailing which is a lot more fun and challenging. One finish had approximately 7 boats crossing the line within just a few seconds.The weather on Saturday could not have been improved upon for racing. We began with a non-scored “fun-race” to give everyone a chance to dust the cobwebs out of the sails and also enabled the experienced crew members to get used to their inexperienced skippers. Thanks goes to Fred Smith, PRO, for giving us four scored races on Saturday. Courses were well laid and appropriate length for conditions. It was interesting to compare the various tactics of 14 boats on a course with a “B” mark.It was interesting to examine the scores on Saturday evening as there were multiple ties and all the scores were in a small range. Everyone, even those in the back of the pack, could dramatically alter the race results with a slightly better race the next day.
We enjoyed a Mexican-themed dinner after racing on Saturday evening thanks to the efforts of Thalia Baker, Michelle Browning and Macy Browning who were on shore decorating, cooking and preparing while the rest of us sailed. Dinner was followed by a few door prizes. I had asked Mountain High Outfitters for some trinkets to give away, but they actually came through with some really nice prizes.
I don’t think the wind realized we had scheduled a 2-day regatta because it did not return for us on Sunday morning as forecast. The first race began with a light, but steady, breeze which allowed the top three boats to cross the finish line before turning into a 2 to 3 knot drift. Wind is hard to predict, and it was a difficult decision, but we did not want to start a second race in windless conditions. Even so, we still had a total of five good, scored, races for the regatta.
At any one time during a race it was difficult to predict finish order and this carried into the results. Overall, the finish order was very close with some places decided by only one point. The Great Scot this year was a successful Regatta that everyone enjoyed and I want to thank everyone who participated. Counting the race committee volunteers, we had 45 people who participated in some way. That is a good turnoutThanks should also be extended to all the experienced sailors who agreed to crew with those of us who needed help. Many people donated time and energy to this event to make it successful and it is appreciated. I believe Mike Nielson crewed on three different boats during the regatta and one of those had an inflatable party monkey tied to the mast. Here are the final results of the 2007 Great Scot Regatta. Congratulations to everyone. The racing was actually very close and I’ve included not only the place, but the scores to demonstrate that.
JUNIOR SAILING
by Kathaleen Rogers
The Junior Sailing program raised nearly $3600 this fall through event proceeds and the generosity of club members in fund raisers. We are very grateful to all who contributed. We used some of these funds to purchase a new 8 HP outboard for Nana, the junior coach boat. You will see these dollars at work next time you see Nana herding a pack of Optis. Other needs we plan to address include new travel covers, an Opti dolly, and new 420 sails. Thanks again for your support of BSC Junior Sailing!A new family with two Opti sailors has joined BSC. Welcome to Steve, Sue, Mitch, and Cricket Powell. Mitch (10) has been sailing for about three years and has competed with BSCs junior sailors on the Southeastern Opti circuit. Cricket (6) is just beginning to learn and plans to join us for Sailing Camp next summer.
Van and Nate Rogers and Mitch Powell competed at the Southeastern Optimist Championships at Lake Lanier Sailing Club in late September. Mitch and Nate sailed in Green Fleet, benefiting from excellent coaching by Opti Guru Tom Coleman. Van raced in the Championship fleet with sailors from all over the country. This fleet had 73 boats, all in one start! Van finished 38th overall and 21th in Blue fleet. His best finish was an 18th.
The next event that our sailors will compete in is Optimist Midwinters at Southern Yacht Club on Lake Pontchartrain in mid-November. This can be a very challenging event. Check out http://www.t2p.tv/guide/optimwc06.php for some exciting footage of last year’s racing.
2007 was a great year for BSC Junior Sailing and we look forward to more fun in 2008. We would like to see more older kids sailing in the 420s, so if you have or know kids who are too big for an opti and are interested in sailing, please email juniorsailing@birminghamsailingclub.org or call Kathaleen Rogers at 979-1831.
CLUB NOTES
Website
By Michael Papp
We have had a lot of positive feedback on the website. There is a ton of information available, and it may be hard to find what you are looking for. To help folks figure out the site, I'd like to talk a bit about a different section each month.This month we'll cover the "About the Club" section. If you click on "About the Club" on our homepage, you will see links to several pages, including Tour the Club, Honors, Club Rules, Club Bylaws, and Club Membership.The "About the Club" page has a brief history of BSC, as written by Sam Caldwell. There are also several pictures of the club as it was and as it is now. The "Tour the Club" page has basic information about the club and its facilities. There is also a link to a Google map to find the club location on this page.
The "Honors" page covers recipients of past club awards and a list of past commodores.
The "Club Rules" page contains the rules pertaining to the use of club grounds and equipment.
The "Club Bylaws" page includes the current bylaws the govern the operation of the club. Finally, the "Club Membership" page has information on joining the club, as well as a list of the current applicants for club members to review and comment on.
For more information or to submit articles, contact:Amy Sides (205.663.3312 [h]) or hornblower@birminghamsailingclub.org
Hornblower Archives
The Hornblower is our semi monthly club news letter. Following are archived PDF versions of the Hornblower. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the following files.
Download the current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader here.
2007 - February - March - April - May 2007 - June 2007 - September 2007 - December 2007
2006 - February - March - May - November
2005 - February - March - April - June - November