3/12/09

Midwinters East Recap

The 2009 Thistle Midwinters EAST Regatta was held on March 1 to March 6 at the St Petersburg Yacht Club, St Petersburg, Florida.  Of the 44 entries, there were 3 teams from the Nockamixon Thistle Fleet who attended the event.  They were NSC Commodore Dan Reasoner, Thistle Class President Craig Smith, and NJ District Governor Jim Trinisewski.  Dan decided to go at the last minute, and was able to put together a team of his daughter, Danielle, and a Thistle Skipper from Chicago, Mike Gillian.  Craig crew was Mike McBride, a Connecticut Thistle skipper, and Kat Mahaney, from NYC.  Jim’s crew was Chris Getschow from Ohio, and Peter Brown.

 

There were 9 races sailed over the 5 days in winds from 5 to 18 knots.  Two races were held on Monday, 3 on Tuesday, 3 on Wednesday, and 1 on Thursday.  There was no wind on Friday, although the fleet went out to the Tampa Bay to attempt a final race.  Although winds were in the 10-18 knot range on Monday (with higher gusts), temperatures were around 60 degrees, which is quite cold for Florida in March.  Dan Reasoner caught a gust on the second reach that capsized his boat.  He did finish the race, but did not sail race 2 due to the cold water and fear of hypothermia.  On his way back to the club, he picked up two other Thistlers who were struggling with their capsized boat.  One of these sailors was Thistle builder, Doug Labor.  They were also in danger of hypothermia, and Dan realized they needed assistance.  Unfortunately, the added crew weight in Dan’s boat caused water to come in the transom flaps, which he opened after his capsize.  Dan ended up beaching his boat to insure the safety of boat and crew.  The race committee found them and assisted in getting all sailors to shore safely.  They were all warm and dry by the time the rest of the fleet hit the docks.  In all, there were about a dozen capsizes on Monday, including several other talented teams.

 

Tuesday brought warmer temperatures and a little less wind, but still 10 to 15 knots.  This allowed the race committee to complete 3 races and still get us on shore by 4PM.  Dan finished in the top 10 in 2 of those races and Craig finished 8th in one.  Wednesday brought similar wonderful condition, and the race committee rattled off 3 more races.  Dan finished 5th in race 7 after being in the top 10 throughout the race.  Craig finished in the top 10 in all 3 races, including a first place finish in race 8.  In that race, he was near the back of the fleet at the windward mark, but was the first boat to jibe to port after the rounding.  Fortunately, he ended up with a favorable shift and more pressure which gave him a nice lead by the time he got to the leeward mark.  He held the lead for the remaining 4 legs, got the ‘’gun” for the win!

 

Thursday’s winds were predicted to be in the 5 to 10 knot range, but with the high pressure system descending on Florida, the winds were likely to drop by the end of the day.  The race committee was able to get one race off in the morning.  Dan Reasoner got a great shift on the left side of the course and ended up first at the windward mark.  He was in the top 5 for the entire race until the very end.  At that point, Craig, who had dug back from 14th at the windward mark, just took him out at the finish.  A second race was started on Thursday, but the wind died during the run and the race was cancelled. 

 

In the end, Craig Smith and crew finished in 5th place for the regatta, with top 10 finishes in 6 of the 9 races.  Dan ended up in a respectable 16th place, especially after his capsize in race 1, and a DNS in race 2.  Jim Trinisewski ended up in 42nd place after being tagged with 3 OCS’s in races 4, 5, and 7.  I guess he has learned how to be aggressive on the starting line! 

 

Greg Fisher won the regatta, followed by Greg Griffin (2nd), Skip Dieball (3rd), and Robby Brown (4th). 

 

 

11/25/08

Congratulations Dan Reasoner – 2008 Thistle Fleet Champion!

The Nockamixon Thistle Fleet crowned Dan Reasoner the 2008 Fleet Champion at the NSC Awards banquet on November 8th.  Craig Smith finished in second place for the series, followed by Paul Prozzillo in third, Tim Theisen in fourth, and Warren Rosen in fifth.  Also at the banquet, Tim Theisen, was awarded the “Fleet Recognition Trophy” for “perfect attendance” by racing in all 24 fleet races in 2008!  Way to go Tim!!  We had a total of 7 skippers who qualified for the fleet championship trophy.  Congratulations to all.

 

The Nockamixon Thistle Fleet held 9 fleet race days this year.  We averaged 7.1 boats on the line each day, and the competition was fierce with 6 different skippers having at least one first place finish.  Fleet 176 also hosted the 2009 New Jersey District Championship. There were 19 competetors including one former Thistle National Champion.  Our fleet had a record of 12 boats competing in the event.

 

Next year promises to be another great one for the Thistle Fleet.  Paul Prozzillo will be leading us, as he was elected the 2009 Fleet Captain at the “Annual Meeting” held in November.  Tim Theisen was elected Fleet Secretary.  We look forward to the direction the new fleet officers will be taking us.  Let’s be sure to give them our support.  We should have at least one new fleet member next year, Fritz Goetz, who will be sailing with his son, Adam, who sailed with us several times this year.  Also, Paul’s boat (#3453) is now for sale since he has recently purchased #3911.  Hopefully, we he can find a buyer who will join us for fleet racing on Lake Nockamixon.

 

Several Fleet Members plan to take the trip to St. Petersburg, Florida, in March for the Thistle Midwinters East Regatta.  A component of that event is the “Coach TCA” program, which is one of the best week long intensive training programs in the country.  If you are on the fence about going, let Craig Smith know.  He can help you make arrangements to get there.  If you can’t attend as a skipper, please consider coming as crew.

 

Speaking of Craig Smith, he will be serving as Thistle Class President in 2009.  This is the second time a Nockamixon Thistle fleet member will have served as Thistle Class President.  Charlie Krafft held that position in 1993, while he was a member of Fleet 176.  Also, fleet member (and Fleet Champion) Dan Reasoner, will continue to serve as Commodore of the Nockamixon Sail Club in 2009.  He has been doing a great job in this position, and should continue to do so next year.  Let’s be sure to support him in that position.

 

 

8/31/08

Prozzillo Takes 5th Place at the Crab Regatta!

The 2008 Crab Regatta was held in Annapolis on Labor Day weekend.  Nockamixon Thistle Fleet member Paul Prozzillo, with his friend Scott as crew, took 5th place out of the 16 boats who competed.  All 4 races occurred on Sunday, because the wind never filled in on Saturday.  Paul consistent speed and conservitive strategy, allowed him to take all top 10 finishes, including 3rd place in race three!  His 5th place finish for the regatta, was one behind 2 time national champion, Brent Barbehenn (who had an OCS and finished 4th).  The regatta was won by past Nockamixon skipper Charlie Krafft, second was Naval Academy alumnus, Dave Parker, and third was local Annapolis hotshot, Peter Hale.  Craig Smith, the other Nockamixon skipper who attended, ended in 10th place (he too had an OCS).  Winds for the racing on Sunday were mostly in the 5 to 10 range with higher gusts and lower lulls.  The everpresent holiday weekend chop, made racing a challenge.  As always, the Crab Feast on Saturday (with pizza on the side) was enjoyed by all, and was followed by the traditional water taxi ride to town, and a trip to the Gelato shop.  This event has usually had a good Nockamixon turnout.  Let’s try to do better with that in 2009.  I bet Paul will come again!

 

August 18, 2008

Reasoner article on Nationals Race 2

Article to be printed in the Thistle Class Bagpipe Magazine

2008 Thistle Nationals
Race 2 Division 2
by Danielle, Ben and Dan Reasoner in "Red" #4000

For the start of Race Two Division Two ("R2-D2"), the wind lightened a little down to 8-10mph, yet the southerly direction remained the same from Race One(s) just previously sailed.  We didn't have a good start near the crowded Committee Boat.  Yet, after ducking a number of starboard tackers, we found ourselves with clear air heading out to the right-hand side of the course along with a handful of other boats all on port tack.  We wanted to protect the right side anyway, so we were happy with our position.  Still as we continued right, we became increasing nervous, due to the majority of the fleet being drawn in the opposite direction toward the left-hand side of the course all on starboard tack.  Likely, this attraction was because the leaders of Race One(s) worked the left-hand side of the course.

However, we wanted to stick to our plan, plus our compass was saying "Good 25" and a respectable sailor, Scott Griffin #3997, was on a parallel course just above us, so we decided to wait for a signal before tacking over toward the left.  After a while, Scott tacked providing the indication we were looking for.  We were just about to follow Scott, when Bruce McCutcheon #3973 tacked to make his move toward the left.  Prior to tacking, Bruce was sailing in front and to leeward of us and we didn't want to tack right on top of Bruce, so we continued another 50 yards or so and tacked just as the compass was indicating a header.

Sure enough, now the compass was saying "Good 10" on starboard tack!  We continued consolidating noticing that Craig Smith #818 was digging back on port tack to the right along with Bruce McCutcheon.  Hmmm… do they know something?  At the time, we were looking good with both Scott Griffin and Dave Hudson #3947 now on starboard tack with us, yet they were quite a ways to leeward and the rest of the fleet way beyond them.

Then, a second lift with more pressure came-in putting us on the layline and having us hopeful that this lift would persist until we get to the weather mark.  In addition, now we could see the entire fleet in the back portion of our mainsail's window!  Except Craig and Bruce who were up on our hip also taking advantage of this lift.  This second lift must have been a result of a thermal effect, because it remained till we rounded the weather mark in first with Craig Smith just on the outside of us.  Soon to follow around the mark, was Bruce, Dave and Scott leaving a bit of a gap between us and the fleet of boats that initially headed toward the left.

During the first reach of the triangle, the wind veered and also lightened, which shifted the reach into more of a run with most of us above the layline.  While approaching the turning mark, we jibed in an attempt to secure an inside position just as the wind went forward a little allowing the boats in our vicinity to immediately gain on us.  As we jibed back to make a final approach for the mark we noticed the R2D1 fleet ahead of us was close reaching with jibs… yikes they had no spinnakers!  So we quickly raised our jib, doused the shoot and had just enough time to attach the seldom used barber hauler to the jib sheet as we were rounding the mark.

Bruce McCutcheon jibed around the mark first ahead of us and then somehow we worked ourselves up and around Bruce to regain the lead.  I figure it must be the barber hauler, right?  Then, the wind increased and we headed straight toward the leeward mark with very good speed.

Behind us, a beautiful thing was happening.  It looked as if the closer to us/higher boats were taking each other up a little and the remaining boats sailed low, with the fleet appearing to form a straight line "Wall" of Thistles all reaching toward the leeward mark.  Also, a considerable gap was expanding between us and this Wall.  After we maneuvered around the leeward mark, we were tempted to, but did not look back at the loud clamoring emanating from the rounding of the Wall at the leeward mark.

During the second beat, the fleet behaved itself mostly keeping to the middle of the course playing the shifts.  We tacked only to cover the fleet, yet with each tack we experienced lifts continuing to increase the lead.  With this race going so well for us, we checked and double checked everything in an attempt to avoid the inevitable catastrophe.  The debacle never occurred, and we sailed to our first ever, 1st place finish that counted toward the Nationals Championship Division standings.  Paul Abdullah #3985 worked his way up to a 2nd place finish, with Scott Griffin finishing 3rd, Dave Hudson remained in 4th and Greg Griffin #3976 rounded out the top five in the 2008 R2-D2 race.

August 12, 2008

…From Nationals – 12 more reasons we are the BEST One Design Class in the country!

By: Craig Smith

1. AWESOME COMPETITION #1 – The National Championship was decided on the last race of the last day, with several lead changes between the 2 contending skippers.

2. AWESOME COMPETITION #2 – Numerous position changes in the top 10 on the last day, just behind the leaders.

3. SPORTSMANSHIP – 59 boats, 14 starts, 70 mark roundings, countless crossing, and not a single “boat on boat” protest was filed to the protest committee!!!  (Who said sailing is no longer a “Corinthian Sport”?)

4. HERITAGE #1 – six wood boats competed at a national level, including Thistle #1

5. HERITAGE #2 – 29 THIRD GENERATION Thistlers attended the event (including the 9th place skipper and crew).

6. WE LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER – numerous Thistlers helped their competitors during Thursday night’s thunderstorm.  They kept boats from blowing around, took down tents, chocked wheels, and even bailed out boats of those who forgot to open bailers (it didn’t look like it was going to rain when we left the club!).

7. WE LIKE EACH OTHER – The PYC staff had to kick us out after the banquet.  We did not want to leave our friends!

8. WE HAVE FUN TOGETHER – How about the “Pool Pentathlon”, and the “Fantasy Regatta”?  Both were “impromptu” activities, initiated by Thistlers.

9. PATRIOTISM – We gave our team of active duty servicemen (3687) a standing ovation at the banquet, even though they did not earn a trophy!

10. WE ARE THE ENVY OF OTHERS – we are attracting the “best and brightest” from other classes.  The “Hard Novice Trophy” (for 1st Thistle Nationals) went to 6th place in the Championship Division.

11. SEAMANSHIP – When the thunderstorm came in on Wednesday (complete with lightning and thunder), we all quickly donned PFD’s and dropped sails (some dropped anchor), and waited it out.  No damage.  No injuries.

12. AND MY FAVORITE…   On the way home, my 8 year old daughter said, “Daddy, can I come to nationals next year, so I can play with all the friends I met this year?”  Now THAT makes it all worth it!

 

August 7, 2008

Nationals Recap –

Two Nockamixon skippers attended Thistle Nationals in Pensacola Florida August 1-6, 2008.  Dan Reasoner (#4000) and Craig Smith (#818) both made the trip.  Seven great races were sailed from Monday to Friday, and both Nockamixon skippers came home with “hardware”.  Dan Reasoner won the “Shock Perpetual Trophy” for WINNING Race 2, Division 2 of the Championship Division, and the “Valla” trophy for the highest finishing all family team (15th place!).  He sailed with his son Ben, and daughter Danielle.  Craig finished 4th in the President’s Division, with fleet member Craig Priniski and Michelle Chung as crew. 

 

The winds all week were terrific, averaging 5 to 15 knots.  There were a few postponments on shore, as the race committee waited for sea breeze to fill in.  Wednesday’s and Thursday’s weather presented a little excitement as thunderstorms hit the fleet while we were on the water.  On Wednesday, the fleet was waiting for the Race Committee to set the race course when thunder, lightning, and rain moved in from the NE.  The entire fleet dropped sails and many dropped anchor to sit out the storm.  Fortunately, no injury or damage.  On Thursday, the storm came in from the west WHILE we were racing.  The Championship division was rounding the leeward mark when the winds came up.  Some headed into the storm to take advantage of the higher winds and the possible shift.  Fortunately, significant winds never made it to the fleet, but is was a little “scary” at times.  The presidents division was at the gybe mark when the winds hit the championship division.  By the time they arrived at the leeward mark, there was a big shift toward the storm, so the second ‘windward’ leg ended up being a ‘one tack beat’ for them.  Again, fortunately, there was no injury or damage, but a few dropped out of the racing due to the possibility of “dangerous conditions”.

 

Greg Fisher ended up winning the the National Championship on the last leg of the last race over last year’s National Champion, Mike Ingham.  They  were tied going into the last race.  Scores are below.

 

Pensacola Yacht Club

2008 Thistle Nationals

August 2-7, 2008

Split # 2, Championship Fleet

Series Summary

Pl Sail Crew 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tot

1 3839 Greg Fisher, Jeff Eiber & Jo Ann Fisher 3 5 2 5 2 3 4 24

2 3969 Mike Ingham, David Hanson & Delia Ingham 15 1 1 1 1 1 8 28

3 3985 Paul Abdullah, Andy Lawrence & Sarah Paisley 2 2 4 3 8 14 2 35

4 4016 Brad Thompson, Matthew Kreuzkamp & Kristen Barnard 9 2 1 8 7 4 10 41

5 3976 Greg Griffin, Mark Reddaway & John Rogers 1 5 3 2 18 11 3 43

6 3579 David Van Cleef, Patrick Wilson & Emily Pulos 1 7 6 6 28 6 1 55

7 3974 Blair Dryden, Bryce Dryden & Amy Thompson 5 12 3 9 11 2 22 64

8 3983 Robby Brown, Dave De Camp & Josh Putnam 7 3 20 4 5 10 16 65

9 3845 Kyle Finerock, Brad Russell & Nicole Shedden 4 15 2 12 10 8 19 70

10 3945 Jack Finefrock, Andy Russell & Kathy Finefrock 10 8 11 13 4 21 5 72

11 3894 John Baker, Joy Martin & Bill Dexter 7 7 15 7 14 7 18 75

12 3860 Lloyd Kitchin, Brian Kitchin & Alexa Gruber 8 11 4 14 12 5 27 81

13 3997 Scott Griffin, Karl Felger & Ryanne Gallagher 3 3 12 20 3 30\DNF 15 86

14 3876 Brad Swett, Caroline Gates & Nick Moreau 5 8 11 16 19 18 11 88

15 4000 Dan Reasoner, Ben Reasoner & Danielle Reasoner 12 1 21 21 6 24 7 92

16 3872 Charlie Kreitler, Alison Kreitler & Brian Swingley 2 12 14 22 17 19 6 92

17 3397 Ben France, Barret Rhodes & Liz LaBorde 14 4 10 26 15 12 12 93

18 4007 Loy Vaughan, Andrew Phillips & Pat Flinn 10 6 13 17 13 20 14 93

19 3799 Chris LaBorde, Tom Lawton & Sam Ingham 6 6 9 15 21 13 25 95

20 3921 Chris Murphy, Jesse Murphy & Scott Lennox 16 10 9 23 9 15 13 95

21 3920 Tim Fitzgerald, Joe McCorkell & Lisa McCorkell 6 10 15 27 26 9 9 102

22 603 Chris Pollak, Jocylyn Pollak & Megan Pollak 18 19 8 10 16 17 17 105

23 4008 Scott McCormack, Bob McCormack & Pete Gregory 11 16 5 11 23 25 20 111

24 3807 Buddy Wainwright, David Smedley & Renee Wainwright 9 16 5 25 22 22 26 125

25 3883 David Reddaway, Michael Reddaway & JD Reddaway 12 21 8 28 25 16 23 133

26 3410 Mike Poltorak, Ceasar Romero & Moni Lampe 8 14 14 19 29 23 28 135

27 3721 Stephen Gruver, Lori Zann & Tom Goddard 21 11 7 30\DNC 20 26 21 136

28 1 Chris Klotz, Antoinette Klotz & Luke Reasoner 16 13 13 18 27 27 24 138

29 3809 Vlastimal Kunc, Bill Bradshaw & Jeff Gamex 17 9 7 24 24 30\DNF 30\DNC 141

 

 

Pensacola Yacht Club

2008 Thistle Nationals

August 2-7, 2008

Split # 2, President's Fleet

Series Summary

Pl Sail Crew 4A 5A 6A 7A Tot

1 3917 Craig Koschalk, Scott Dalin & Lauren O'Hara 5 6 1 3 15

2 3652 Thomas Hubbell, Howard Hill & Sue Hamilton 6 4 2 5 17

3 3859 Fred Bauer, Ben Weible & Charlotte Bauer 8 3 7 2 20

4 818 Craig Smith, Craig Priniski & Michelle Chung 11 5 3 6 25

5 3680 Brian Anderson, Jennifer Lund & Nerissa Griffin 2 13 9 4 28

6 3655 Tyler Andrews, Kayleigh White & Tim O'Brien 12 12 4 1 29

7 1285 Ron Smith, Jim Moyer & Jillian Moritz 14 1 8 7 30

8 3975 Michael Ross, Clayton Dixon & Cammie Russell 7 7 5 16 35

9 3993 Kevin Arrow, Jim Kincaid & Scott Finefrock 9 2 17 14 42

10 1329 Scott Latham, Eileen Fahrmeier & Dougie Kitchin 3 18 12 10 43

11 3687 Dave Parker, Bryden Parker & Trevor Miller 4 17 14 8 43

12 4003 Michael McBride, Kimberly McBride & Greg Kitchin 16 8 11 11 46

13 3741 Gavin McCormack, Robert Gregory & Marie Thompson 19 10 10 12 51

14 3947 David Hudson, John Hudson & Peter Hudson 1 22 18 15 56

15 3144 Will Weible, Evan Graves & Jamie Lansdown 15 16 21 9 61

16 3973 Bruce McCutcheon, Punch Metcalf & Diane France 23 20 6 17 66

17 3732 Sam Brauer, Alex Liggett & Jackie Bouillion 13 26 16 13 68

18 3744 Warren Duckworth, Eddie Duckworth & Kathleen Duckworth 21 15 13 21 70

19 3810 Philip Kneibert, Evan Charles & Kelly Hollowell 18 11 19 26 74

20 3898 Peter Hale, Susan Hale & Jono Roberts 20 9 31\DNF 18 78

21 3888 Chip Stratton, Erin Stratton & Bruce Zurbuchen 17 19 22 23 81

22 3766 Richard Harrison, Brian Harrison & Brooke 10 24 25 24 83

23 3672 Scott Harris, Brian Pickering & Carol Reddaway 31\OCS 21 15 19 86

24 3871 Steve Spackey, John Duckworth & Dianna Hull 22 14 24 28 88

25 3818 Jack Mahaney, Kat Mahaney & Natalie Hill 26 23 20 22 91

26 2177 Elliot Newnham, Dale Newnham & Eleanor Newnham 24 25 27 27 103

27 3585 George Jerman, Roy Ingham & Liz Ingham 27 29 28 20 104

28 1296 Jim Binnings, G. Marcum & Janice Young 25 28 26 25 104

29 3600 Tommy Glenn & B. Davis 28 27 23 29 107

30 3072 Nelson Sharp, M. Papp & Rachael Pemberton 31\DNS 31\DNC 31\DNF 30 123

 

 

 

June, 29, 2008

Thistle Great Lakes – By Dan Reasoner

 

We packed-up the boat and headed north early Friday evening with about a 5 ½ hour drive from here to Geneva, NY.  After staying overnight at my brother’s house nearby, we arrived at the Seneca Yacht Club around 9:00am Saturday morning.  I thought we were early for the 10:30am skipper’s meeting, however we had to park the boat in the back of the parking lot furthest from the boat hoists.  We were located just on the edge of a large field full of tents pitched the night before.  Well, at least we didn’t have to park next to the port-a-johns.

 

Lots of quick “hello”s and “it’s been a while”s, as we were setting-up the boat, registering, then attend the skippers meeting.  Hey, I see Adam and Payton Akers made the trip.  They are relatively new in our Thistle fleet (Thistle #1811) at NSC.  Also, Jim Trinisewski is here and says he’s sailing with Earl McMasters from New Castle, DE.  Also, somewhere in the crowd is Craig Smith who is chartering a boat, which he’ll bring back home as our Fleet’s growth and promotion boat.  Actually, Craig ended-up sailing a newer boat and he appreciated the stiffer boat because the wind and waves were stronger than expected.

 

So there are 63 boats here and the hoist line is moving a little slow.  But that’s okay, because the wind is blowing stink and we don’t want to get out on the water too early and beat ourselves up.  Beth, Ben and I sailed out to the starting area, checked-in with the committee boat and sailed close-hauled a little while.  We sailed up just far enough to realize that we’ll need to keep our weight back so we won’t crash the waves.  Everything looks good and the boat seems to be moving well.

 

We turned downwind, popped the chute, remove the spinnaker twists, stowed it and are now ready for the first race.  Almost immediately, the postponement flag lowers and we’re ready to go.  In a big fleet, I typically start near the committee boat, unless there is a good reason not to.  This way if I don’t get a good start, I can tack on to port and get to clear air a little quicker.  Also, I’m expecting shifts to the right.

 

We had a good start and kept to the right side sailing about 20 minutes upwind, yet still we can barely see the weather mark.  Seneca Lake is a long lake and they set-up one mile plus weather legs.  Wow, all the weather legs were really long.  Yet, it was still pretty tight at the mark roundings.  Each of the three races on Saturday had similar conditions blowing steady about 16 with waves, quite manageable, but a lot of hard work.  Also, each of us realized how out of physical shape we are.  The wind shifts were back and forth a little, but we guessed correctly in the first race and rounded the 1st weather mark near the top 5.  Cool!  This is easy, then promptly tapped another boat’s forestay with my boom and had to do a 720 penalty.  It is amazing how many boats pass on bye while doing circles.  In the second race, again we guessed the right shift correctly and finished 9th, our best finish of the regatta.  We ended up the day in 24th place.

 

Everyone agreed the day was quite invigorating and looked forward to a relaxing evening.  The diner featured a tasty Dinosaur BBQ special with lots of refreshments.  It was Bill Wilson Day, so there was a log of joking going on with my old friend at the center of most teasing.  For some reason the band didn’t get started till a little late.  Meanwhile, a lot of socializing was happening.  Then, a very lively flip-cup game was organized by the Cedar Point Yacht Club “Mafia Thistlers” and this game lasted too late.

 

Upon arrival at the club the next morning it seemed the wind was a little lighter, until we got out to the race course and a puff came in.  That puff didn’t quit until part way up the last weather leg of the day three hours later.  In the two days, we ended up sailing six heavy air races, 50 miles and five days later I’m still sore, but feeling in a little better shape and now ready for the next heavy air racing.  We moved-up a few places after Sunday’s races and finished the regatta in 20th.  Craig ended up 35th and the Akers still experiencing new boat hardware problems, needed to dropout of four races.  Jim’s boat finished 56th.

 

These big regattas are really great.  Indeed, you learn a little more at each event… like this one, I ended up having several good starts near the pin and worked my way out of a few bad starts.  Boat speed is great, but we still need coordination practice on heavy air tacks and spinnaker sets.  We kept clear away from everyone except one encounter, which I hear was great compared to most.  Weeds were a pain, so I need to paint my rudder white and carry a weed stick.  Finally, be sure Marlene gets us out of the flip-cup game a little earlier. 

 

Next is the Thistle Atlantic Coast Regatta on July 19th and 20th at Sayville, NY a great great place to sail… hope to see lots of Thistles at this event.

 

Thistle Great Lakes Results: http://www.thistleclass.com

Thistle Great Lakes Sailing Pictures: http://davidfurber.net

Thistle Great Lakes Party Pictures: http://xrl.us/kco4k

 

 

June 15, 2008

Kitchin Wins NJ District Championship at Lake Nockamixon

 

The New Jersey District Championship was held at Lake Nockamixon, PA on June 14-15, 2008.  There were 19 competitors including a record 12 boats from the host fleet.  In the end however, it was the visitors who dominated the racing.  Lloyd Kitchin III, with son Brian as crew, won the event with 4 first place finishes and 2 seconds.  Second place went to Brent Barbehenn, and third to Chris Murphy.

 

Saturday’s racing saw light southerly winds, but because there is a horsepower limitation on Lake Nockamixon, flat water allowed 3 good races to be completed.  The southerly wind provided for long legs, and a premium was paid to those who could find the puffs as they worked their way up the lake.  At the end of Saturday’s racing, one point separated Lloyd Kitchin and Brent Barbehenn, with Chris Murphy a few points behind.  With 3 races scheduled for Sunday, it could have been anyone’s regatta.

 

Sunday saw a moderate Northwesterly breeze.  Because this wind direction blows across the lake, multiple short legs were the order of the day.  The courses were set up with FOUR windward/leeward laps.  Big puffs, holes, and shifts, placed a huge emphasis on flexibility and crew work.  Given these conditions it is even more impressive that Lloyd and Brian Kitchin, being short handed, racked up three more 1st place finishes.  Brent Barbehenn helped a little however, when he sailed past the finish line in one race (I guess he lost count).

 

In all, the competition was fierce with some wild mark roundings, many lead changes, and very close finishes.  Many thanks to the race committee, and volunteers from the Nockamixon Sail Club.  They helped make an event of this size, on a state park lake with no club house, a great success!

 

Photos:

http://snipurl.com/nj-districts-njd

 

 

 

June 7, 2008

Another Great Fleet Race Day!

Saturday was another great day of fleet racing for the Nockamixon Thistle Fleet.  We had 9 skippers show up for racing, despite the prediction for light winds and 95 degree temperatures.  Yes, it was hot!  The only thing hotter than the temperature, was the competition in the middle of the fleet.  AWESOME RACING!

 

The predicted winds were supposed to be about 5 MPH from the west.  For once, the winds were actually STRONGER that the predicted velocity.  The first of the three races was in mostly light winds, about 5 mph, then it shifted a little to the right and built to near 10 on average with higher gusts.  The two of us with 3 crew (Ernie and Me), were all hiking hard on the rail at times.  The first race saw Dan take an early lead and never look back (well, he did look back at Paul, who was pretty close to him on the first reach).  Dan E Boy (818) got second, followed by Brent and Barbara Benson, then Paul Prozzillo.  The second race ended up with the exact same finishing places, but that was after Dan was OCS and had to go back at the start.  Nice recovery Dan!  The third race had Dan winning again, followed by Craig in 2nd, Paul in 3rd and Tim Theisen in 4th.  Nice Job Tim!  The highlight of the day was the close quarters racing between Clay, Warren, Ernie, and Tim.  There were some great mark roudings and some awesome down wind tactical racing.  Several finishes were seconds apart!  In fact, in the final race, 5 boats finished within a minute of each other.  Exciting!!!

 

Those who showed (and had a great time) were: Dan, Craig, Bensons, Paul, Warren, Tim, Ernie, Clay and Jim T. (9 BOATS!!!).  New members Adam and Peyton Ankers were repairing damage caused by last week’s racing in Long Island.  Erik Grau had a graduation to attend out of town.  Craig P., Joe Raynock,  and Mike Levy had other commitments.    We also saw some “old timers” join us again.  We were happy to see John Walsh at the lake for the first time in a while, and Adam Goetz came up to join Paul P as crew (he is a young old timer – a 3rd GENERATION THISTLER), and my 78 yr old father (Fred) joined me again for racing!  Thanks for coming Dad!

 

Next weekend, the Nockamixon Thistle Fleet will host the NEW JERSEY DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP.  It should be an awesome event with over 20 boats attending!  It is a TWO DAY event.  Skippers, please let me know if you plan to attend.  If you are free, and want to CREW, please let me know.  There may be crew spots available.

 

Craig Smith, Fleet Captain.

 

 

May, 31, 2008

Wow, What a Day!!  (well, sort of)

The first fleet race day for the Nockamixon Thistle Fleet turned out to be “memorable”! 

 

First of all, turnout was Excellent!  We saw 7 Thistles hit the line for racing on what looked like it was going to be an ominous day.  In addition, three other skippers had excused absences.  First, one of our Thistle teams was doing race committee (Bensons), one of our teams was racing Long Island Districts (Ankers), and one’s boat is not ready, so he crewed for the day (Mathias).  The turnout, including “excused absences” proved that this year could be a record turnout for the Nockamixon Thistle fleet.  Those that came to sail were:  Theisen, Korchak, Rosen, Prozillo, Smith, Reasoner, and Trinisewski.  Those with “unexcused absences” were:  Raynock, Grau, and Levy (but maybe you guys made the right decision).

 

Now the ominous part.  Yes, the day started with cloudy skies, but great wind (around 10 mph with some higher gusts).  The RC started the racing right at 11am with 7 thistles.  We had great conditions for about half the race, then, with the presence of the park ranger boat making a trip to the RC, we knew things were soon to go “south”.  After notification that there was some bad weather on the way, a few of the skippers headed right to the dock.  The rest decided to risk it.  The light rain came about the time the leaders rounded the last leeward mark and headed to the finish.  The rain and the wind increased until it was not fun for anyone left on the water.  There were no huge wind gusts, but the increased velocity made it a challenge to get to the dock.  Everyone made it safely off the water and under the tents or in the purple camper for beverages, while the BIG rain hit.  There was a little lightning and thunder a ways off.  Just enough to scare some of the wives back home.  Then, after 30 minutes or so, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and there were beautiful winds on the lake.  The lucky ones were the Flying Scott skippers who still had their boats on the dock.  They decided to head out for another sail.

 

In all, one race was sailed on our first fleet race day.  Dan Reason won, followed by Craig Smith and Paul Prozillo.

 

The next fleet race day is this Saturday, June 7th.  Start working on getting crew NOW!  From preliminary discussions, it should be another great turnout for Thistle Fleet Racing on Lake Nockamixon.  See you then!

 

 

May 3, 2008

Congratulations Dan Reasoner!

Dan Reasoner represented Thistle Fleet 176 and the Nockamixon Sail Club well, by being one of the three skippers on the winning team at the 4th annual Cooper River Yacht Club Team Race Regatta, held on May 3rd in Collingswood, NJ.  There were 6 Teams of six people each, competing in the event.  Each team sailed against all the other teams in the round robin format.  Dan’s crew was Cindy Eberhardt, a past graduate of the Thistle Crew University at Lake Nockamixon.

 

Craig Smith, and Craig Priniski also represented Fleet 176 at the event.  Craig P’s team ended in 4th and Craig S’s team finished in 5th place.

 

The conditions were almost perfect for team racing.  The overcast skies kept it fairly cool, but the easterly winds averaged about 8 knots.  That wind direction allowed the start finish line to be about 20 feet from the dock providing the teams a quick and easy swap in and out of the boats.  The event was sailed in 6 identical Flying Juniors, provided by the CRYC.

 

Maybe next year, we can have more participation by NSC members.

 

Check out pictures at http://gallery.mac.com/craigp

 

March 15, 2008

Thistle Midwinter’s East Recap by Dan Reasoner

For the past 50+ years the Thistle Class Association (TCA) has sponsored the Thistle Midwinters East Regatta in St. Petersburg, FL.  This week long event is held each year around the first of March.  This Year, I attended with Paul Prozzillo and my daughter Beth as crew in Thistle #4000.  Also from NSC, Jim Trinisewski picked up a couple of seasoned crew from the Baltimore area sailing in Thistle #3456.  In addition, Craig Smith crewed in Thistle #4003.

 

Results and photos are available at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club website:  SPYC website

and on the Thistle Class Association Website: http://www.thistleclass.com/library/photos.shtml

 

It started Friday evening Feb 29th, Beth and I with “Red” (Thistle #4000) in tow for an all-night drive to St. Pete.  With just a few highway delays, we arrived at the St. Pete Yacht Club 19 hours later Saturday morning.  Sunny & 80F and plenty of time to set-up the boat and maybe go for a sail.

 

In the afternoon, the winds came up, so we went out for a late afternoon sail with about 15 other Thistles.  All of us working on tuning the rigs and trying to remember how to steer the boat after the 4 month hibernation.  On this day and until Tuesday, Greg Fisher was on the water in a powerboat, following us and other Thistles around, provided guidance for trim, tuning, boat balance, etc.

 

Beth and I slept very well that night.  All of us from NSC stayed at the remarkable “Empress Hotel”.  This is the best ½ star hotel in St. Pete.  Our stay for the week was less than $314 per room.  What a deal!

 

On Sunday, we picked-up Paul at the airport and sailed the afternoon practice race in light winds.  After the race, Paul, Beth and I remained on the water for quite while to get rid of all the cobwebs and give Paul time at the helm.  Early evening was the “Skippers Meeting” followed by a dinner in the Yacht Club.

 

At this event there is a “Coach TCA” training course.  This program is designed to help all skippers improve on sailing/racing skills.  It consists of morning chalk talk sessions mostly discussing wind, weather, tides, current, etc.  Then, after racing, a second session reviews the sailing events of the day with the best sailors telling us about their experiences.  Also, they match-up experienced skipper with others and sail in/out to the race course providing advice.

 

In addition, this year a GPS device was attached to many boats.  After the races data from each boat was downloaded and the group could evaluate the recorded race.  Pretty Cool!  You can see these races on http://www.kattack.com   This is free, just go online, register (create an account), download the player and select which event/race you want to review.

 

There is an attempt to sail 2 races each day Mon-Friday.  On Monday morning with winds around 15mph, the fleet of 53 boats headed out to the race area 1-2 miles out in the middle of Tampa Bay.  We were behind at the start and stayed on the right side of the course for the first weather leg.  Paul and Beth were on top of things and there was some magic in “Red” this race, because we worked our way up the fleet and placed 4th in Race #1.  Finishing right in front of the boat Craig Smith was sailing on.

 

Race #2 followed in lighter winds.  Our start was worse than the first race!  As we got caught-up in a jam at the committee boat.  So, again we headed out to the right for clear air.  We rounded in about 25th and end up finishing 18th, this time two boats behind Craig’s. 

 

So, Paul, Beth and I felt pretty good in 11th place with such a good competitive fleet.  Like many Thistle regattas, the Thistle Midwinters event has a lot of good quality racing during the day, followed by a lot of good quality parties in the evenings.  Monday night at Cha Cha Coconuts with free hot wings and 2 for 1 drinks was no exception!

 

On Tuesday it was blowing stink, so the races were called-off for the day.  So some went to a preseason pro baseball game, across the street from the Sailing Center and later we upheld Craig’s traditional and visited the Forth Street Shrimp Store for diner.  (2 for 1 drinks before 6pm and all you can eat Alaskan Crab Legs special of the night. plus a lot of other great dishes.

 

On Wednesday, in medium air and shifty winds we didn’t get a start off until about 2:00pm.  We came out early, bobbed around with no wind and then fleet was towed in for an early lunch.  With a little breeze kicking up we decided to stay on the water to play around with another Thistle that remained.  The Fleet returned and we raced, ending up in about 15th, a few boats in front of Craig again, yet we learned when we returned to shore that “Red” was OCS (On Course Side) at the start.  Thus, we were DSQ (disqualified) from Race #3.  So that dropped us down to the mid-twenties over all.  Only one race on Wednesday.

 

Still in the evening we had nice celebration at the Yacht Club with belly-dancer entertainment.  I, along with other sailors, were asked to take the stage and show how well we could jingle.  To be sure, another stellar moment of the regatta.

 

Thursday provided light winds and the race was quite interesting.  Current was a big factor and boats kept drifting over the line.  After several recalled starts, we finally had a good start with clear air in the center of the line.  We headed out toward the left with some of the hot shots.  Although it would have been better if we committed even further to the left.  The race was back and fourth due to the light winds.  Paul and Beth kept me the boat moving in tough conditions and we finished 17th.  No more races on Thursday due to light winds.  We certainly gain more experience on being towed around in this week.

 

Feeling a little weary Thursday evening, it was an early night, especially so because heavy air was expected on Friday morning.

 

The race to remember was on Friday.  The wind was indeed strong about 16 mph with a few gusts over 18.  It was expected to build, so we all got out early.  We had a decent start but we gave everyone a head start and finally realizing that our centerboard was ½ way up, duh.  We rounded the first mark in about 18th and picked off a few boats on the run.  On the second weather leg the wind began to build stronger.  I guess around 20 mph some say up to 30 mph.  We rounded the 2nd weather mark around 12th and had the ride of our lives!  A long tight reach in a Thistle in 20+ winds is a hoot!  Paul and Beth handled the boat well and at the jibe mark, we safely tacked around and literally flew to the leeward mark.  In Race #5 we finished in 9th and overall placed 17th.  Craig’s boat finished a very respectable 8th and I think Jim had his best ever major regatta.

 

After an exhilarating ride to the marina, we packed-up the boat.  At least we had a complete boat to pack-up.  6 boats broke their masts in the race due the intense wind and wave action.

 

Next, we headed over to Wet Willies.  After the initial “brain freeze”, the rum filled slushy drinks go down quite smooth.  Indeed, too smooth!  At the Awards Banquet that evening, they tell me I was in “rare form”.  The next morning Beth and I dropped Paul off at the airport and made the drive home in less than 18 hours.

 

We all had a just great time, maybe the others can comment too.  I for one can not wait until next year’s Thistle Midwinters East!

 

January 26, 2008

At least 4 Fleet 176 skippers plan to make the trip to St. Pete, Florida for Thistle Midwinters East the first week in March.  Dan Reasoner and Jim Trinisewski plan to bring their boat and Paul Prozillo and Craig Smith plan to crew.  Thistle Midwinters is a great training regatta for the Thistle Class.  The Coach TCA program is run by some of the best sailors in the country and attendees benefit by learning go fast tips from the “rock stars”.  This year there are plans to attach GPS units to a few boats to review actual performance as a part of the program.  There is still time to attend.  Do you have a desire to wear t-shirts and shorts in March?  I sure do!

 

January 20,2008

SAILING CELEBRITIES TO VISIT NOCKAMIXON SAIL CLUB - Greg Fisher and Allan Terhune of “North Sails One-Design”, will both be making presentations at a seminar sponsored by the Nockamixon Sail Club on February 20, 2008 at the GMAC Mortgage corporate headquarters on Virginia Drive in Fort Washington, PA. They will discuss  sail trim and boat tuning for efficient, safe, and fast, sailing.  They intend to focus on the Catalina 22, Flying Scot, and Thistle, but, of course, the discussion will benefit all sailors of any design of boat.  Both Greg and Allan are recent recipients of US Sailing Awards for their efforts to support One-Design sailing and sailors in the US. Their sail-trim seminars are presented all over the country, and many sailors have benefited from the wisdom that they are willing to share.Both Greg and Allan are past, or current, Champion sailors in Flying Scots, Lightnings, and Thistles -- in National, Regional, and Mid-Winters competitions.  Prior registration for this seminar is required.

 

January 7, 2008

Dan Reasoner, Thistle Fleet 176 Past Champion, was selected as Commodore of the Nockamixon Sail Club for the 2008 Season at the NSC Fall Awards Banquet held on November 10, 2007.  Dan has just finished a 2 year leadership role with Thistle Fleet 176, serving as Fleet Captain, where he oversaw a nice growth in fleet participation.  In addition to Dan, Paul Prozzello will also hold an NSC officer position, serving as Quartermaster for the second year in a row.  A third fleet member Tim Theisen will serve on the NSC admiralty, which is in charge of overseeing the NSC and presenting the slate of officer nominations for 2009.  It is nice to see that our fleet is well represented in the leadership of the Nockamixon Sail Club.  Good luck to Dan, Paul and Tim in your duties for 2008!!

 

November 15, 2007

2007 saw another year of close Thistle Fleet 176 competition with a record 12 skippers campaigning their boats in at least one race of the season’s eight Thistle race days at Lake Nockamixon, with six different skippers pulling off a race victory.  Seven skippers participated in a sufficient number of events to qualify for the Fleet 176 Championship.  At the NSC Awards Banquet, fleet Captain Dan Reasoner presented each of the qualifying skippers a hand-sewn pillow bearing the Thistle emblem (Thanks Marlene!).  The competition for the top slot was intense as expected but there were also a number of tight battles for lower positions.  Craig Smith took the Fleet Championship with an incredible 96.1 out of a possible 100 points (10 bullets plus a second and a third).  Reasoner finished the year with a firm hold on second, with Paul Prozzillo a strong third, followed by Rosen, Raynock, Korchak, and Theisen.  Non-qualifiers were Benson, Ehlinger, Mathias, Levy and Ben Reasoner.  The Achievement Award for 2007 went to Paul Prozzillo in recognition of the high energy level and commitment Paul brought to the fleet.  Paul also took home the coveted JOEkster award for his instigator role in a prank on a fellow Fleet 176 skipper (Warren Rosen) at Thistle AC’s in Toms River.  In Regional Thistle events, Smith, with crew Prozillo and Mathias, won the 2007 Crab Regatta, held Labor Day weekend in Annapolis, MD.  Craig also pulled off a strong 5th place finish over 4 regattas of the East Coast Fall Series.

 

September 9, 2007

Twenty seven thistles competed in the first regatta of the East Coast Fall Series.  The regatta, scheduled to he held at the Rochester Canoe Club, had to be moved to the Seneca Yacht Club due to a low water level on Lake Ontario.  Three races were held on Saturday in mostly light air.  Sunday’s racing was cancelled due to light winds.  Current Thistle National Champion, Mike Ingham won first place, with Jim Glindling in second, and John Baker in third.  Local skipper, Craig Smith, was the only Nockamixon skipper who attended the regatta.  He finished in 10th place.

 

September 2, 2007

Nockamixon Skippers Take Crab Regatta – Craig Smith, with crew Paul Prozillo, and Clay Mathias win the 2007 Crab Regatta, held Labor Day weekend in Annapolis Md.  The three Nockamixon skippers were 2 points behind Kyle Finnefrock, from Ohio, after the three races on Saturday.  The Nockamixon team moved one point onto the lead after finishing 2nd in the first Sunday race in the fleet of 14 boats.  In the final race the wind died completely, and came in from the other direction.  The Smith team got lucky, being close to the wind, and finished with another second place, behind Scott Latham, to win the regatta.

 

August 5, 2007

I just got back from Eugene last night.  Nationals was AWESOME.  There were only 63 boats, mostly because of the long trip.  If I had known how awesome the club was, I would have taken the time to make the trip with my own boat!  Most of the competitors camped in tents at the club, and all the food was provided by the regatta organizers.  The competetors finished the allotted 13 kegs by Wednesday, so they needed to order a second shipment!  The foolish pitched their tents by the keg (or maybe they were the smart ones!).

 

I crewed with Mike McBride on #4003.  We ended up in 23rd place.  Mike Ingham won the regatta with Scott Griffin in 2nd, Terry Lettenmaier 3rd, Greg Fisher 4th, and NJ’s own Lloyd Kitchin in 5th.

 

The first 3 races were sailed on Monday and Tuesday, with north winds from 15 to 20 MPH.  They split the fleet based on the finishes.  Wednesday had 2 more races in the same strong northerly.  Thursday was a little different.  We waited all day for the wind to show, and it finally arrived as the 5:30 pm sea breeze (it takes that long for the wind to get there from the pacific ocean, about 50 miles).  Then we had my first ever evening race at a nationals.  Winds were about 10 MPH and fairly steady.

 

There were 4 videos posted of the event posted on youTube and Google Video, including an “Experts Round Table” (AWESOME).  You can find the links from the regatta web site at www.thistle2007.com.  You can find results there too.

 

Next year, nationals will be in Pensacola FL, August 2 – August 8th.  I hope more of us can make it to that event.  How about we rent a house or two for Nockamixon Boats, and share the cost?  Put in for your vacation time now! It is supposed to be an awesome place, and have a regular sea breeze at about 15 MPH.

 

Craig Smith

Fleet Web Master

 

 

 

July 9, 2007

Five Nockamixon Boats attend AC’s in Toms River.

* Toms River, NJ - 51 boats descended on Toms River Yacht club for the 2007 Thistle Atlantic Coast Championship held on July 7-8. There were 5 good races over 2 days in westerly winds from 10 to 15, with higher gust and lower lulls. Mike Ingham dominated the fleet with 5 first place finishes.Dan Reasoner was the highest finishing Nockamixon boat finishing in 12th place.

 

Thistle Atlantic Coast Championship

Toms River Yacht Club

July 7-8, 2007

PLACE

NAME

BOAT #

RACE 1

RACE 2

RACE 3

RACE 4

RACE 5

TOTAL

1

Michael Ingham

3969

1

1

1

1

1

5

2

Greg Fisher

3839

2

2

4

8

3

19

3

Brad Thompson

1316

6

8

3

2

10

29

4

Lloyd Kitchin

3860

21

4

10

3

2

40

5

David Hansen

616

19

10

7

4

6

46

6

Allan Terhune Jr

383

7

12

6

13

9

47

7

Robert Brown

3983

18

3

9

5

15

50

8

Brian Kitchin

3463

11

16

5

6

14

52

9

Tom Hubbell

3652

16

21

2

10

4

53

10

Marshall Gates

3878

4

6

15

23

13

61

11

Will Demand

1256

9

5

8

9

36

67

12

Dan Reasoner

4000

8

17

20

17

5

67

13

Doug Kaukeinen

3765

3

7

25

15

27

77

14

Joe McCorkell

3994

31

18

12

7

22

90

15

Charlie Kreitler

3872

13

25

18

14

20

90

16

Chip Till

3911

14

9

11

(OCS)52

12

98

17

Brian Swingley

3759

5

29

26

28

17

105

18

Rob Spring

3903

23

11

31

33

7

105

19

Don Stehle

3775

17

15

(DNF)52

12

11

107

20

Chris Pollack

603

10

14

16

(OCS)52

24

116

21

John Deermount

3987

25

41

28

16

8

118

22

Jared Ridder

3602

20

19

33

24

25

121

23

Matthew Kreuzkamp

216

36

33

19

18

16

122

24

Craig Smith

818

37

23

22

27

19

128

25

Anthony Hubbard

3991

12

39

27

21

30

129

26

Bruce McCutcheon

3973

27

28

23

19

34

131

27

Dennis Dunn

2893

45

20

17

35

18

135

28

David Foster

3913

30

26

36

25

21

138

29

Mike McBride

4003

15

43

30

31

23

142

30

John Wallace

3688

41

40

13

22

28

144

31

Tom Lawton

1485

28

13

41

32

32

146

32

Todd Rake

3850

38

42

14

11

(DNF)52

147

33

Charles Krafft

635

33

34

32

20

39

158

34

Kevin Flood

3393

26

30

37

30

37

160

35

Scott Latham

1329

32

24

24

(OCS)52

33

165

36

Earl McMaster

3952

29

34

42

26

40

171

37

Sam Brauer

3732

34

27

(BF)52

38

29

180

38

Peter Hale

3898

44

35

38

29

35

181

39

Gerald Phelan

3768

40

22

40

39

41

182

40

David Fahrmeier

815

43

36

21

40

43

183

41

John Norton

3725

24

31

(BF)52

(DSQ)52

26

185

42

Jesse Gaylord

1900

42

44

44

34

31

195

43

Elmer Richards

3954

35

32

34

(OCS)52

42

195

44

John Power

4002

22

38

(BF)52

(DSQ)52

38

202

45

Warren Rosen

3923

39

45

29

41

49

203

46

Louis Chicoire

3437

48

46

35

37

45

211

47

Paul Prozillo

3453

47

49

45

36

44

221

48

Will Scheck

3816

46

(DNF)52

39

42

(DSQ)52

231

49

Jim Ballintine

934

49

47

(DNF)52

43

47

238

50

Tim Trinisewski

3456

(DNF)52

48

46

45

48

239

51

Venkat Chalasani

613

50

(DNF)52

(DNF)52

44

46

244

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 10, 2007

Districts Recap –

Thirty three boats attended the NJ, Long Island Sound, and New England Districts, that was held June 9-10 in Nyack NY.  Five races were sailed in beautiful conditions over the two days.  There were 5 boats from Nockamixon that competed and Dan Reasoner finished highest among those (9th overall and 2nd in the NJ District)  Congratulations Dan!!!!  See scores posted below.

Nyack Boat Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thistle Multi-Districts (LIS/NE/NJ) & Open Regatta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 9-10, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Points

Saturday

Sunday

Place

Skipper

Club

District

Boat #

Total

RACE 1

RACE 2

RACE 3

RACE 4

RACE 5

1

Mike Ingham

Rochester CC

NF

3969

11

2

 

3

 

4

 

1

 

1

 

2

Chris Murphy

Lk Hopatgong

NJ

3921

16

7

 

1

 

2

 

4

 

2

 

3

Brad Thompson

CPYC

LIS

1316

18

1

 

6

 

1

 

7

 

3

 

4

John Baker

Seneca YC

NF

3894

43

9

 

5

 

12

 

5

 

12

 

5

Erik Goethert

Cottage Pk

NE

3849

46

14

 

7

 

5

 

11

 

9

 

6

Chris Pollack

CPYC

LIS

603

50

4

 

2

 

25

 

15

 

4

 

7

Brian Joyce

CPYC

LIS

1394

50

8

 

8

 

3

 

6

 

25

 

8

Mike McBride

CPYC

LIS

4003

52

5

 

11

 

21

 

9

 

6

 

9

Dan Reasoner

Lk Nokamixon

NJ

4000

53

6

 

12

 

11

 

13

 

11

 

10

Don Dexter

Nyack

LIS

3673

54

11

 

10

 

24

 

2

 

7

 

11

Lloyd Kitchin

Lk Hopatgong

NJ

3860

60

3

 

18

 

15

 

8

 

16

 

12

Dave Foster

Nyack

LIS

3913

62

17

 

4

 

6

 

18

 

17

 

13

Kevin Flood

Lk Hopatgong

NJ

3392

65

22

 

19

 

13

 

3

 

8

 

14

Jared Ridder

Nyack

LIS

3602

67

10

 

9

 

7

 

26

 

15

 

15

Brian Litchin

Lk Hopatgong

NJ

3463

69

13

 

25

 

16

 

10

 

5

 

16

Elmer Richards

Lk Hopatgong

NJ

3954

72

12

 

14

 

8

 

24

 

14

 

17

Brian Swingly

CPYC

LIS

3759

72

21

 

16

 

10

 

12

 

13

 

18

Craig Smith

Lk Nokamixon

NJ

818

79

18

 

13

 

9

 

20

 

19

 

19

John Deermount

Lk Hopatgong

NJ

3987

87

16

 

15

 

23

 

23

 

10

 

20

Jesse Gaylord

CPYC

LIS

1356

103

15

 

22

 

20

 

28

 

18

 

21

Sam Brauer

CPYC

LIS

3732

107

23

 

20

 

27

 

14

 

23

 

22

John Power

Saratoga

NF

4002

108

19

 

23

 

30

 

16

 

20

 

23

Larry Liggett

CPYC

LIS

821

115

25

 

17

 

29

 

22

 

22

 

24

Matt Kreuzkamp

CPYC

LIS

216

123

20

 

29

 

19

 

21

 

34

WD

25

Will Scheck

Nyack

LIS

3816

124

28

 

34

DNF

22

 

19

 

21

 

26

Dan Edwards

Lk Hopatgong

NJ

3784

125

26

 

28

 

18

 

29

 

24

 

27

Tom Lawton

CPYC

LIS

1485

126

29

 

24

 

14

 

25

 

34

DNF

28

Bruce McCutcheon

Lk Hopatgong

NJ

3973

130

24

 

21

 

17

 

34

DNS

34

DNS

29

Warren Rosen

Lk Nokamixon

NJ

3923

144

34

DNS

27

 

26

 

31

 

26

 

30

Paul Prozillo

Lk Nokamixon

NJ

3453

145

27

 

26

 

32

 

32

 

28

 

31

Mike Levy

Nyack

LIS

166

147

34

DNS

34

DNS

28

 

17

 

34

DNS

32

Alycia Sanders

Cottage Pk

NE

613

148

30

 

31

 

33

 

27

 

27

 

33

David Hamm

CPYC

LIS

3874

159

34

DNS

30

 

31

 

30

 

34

WD

 

 

 

May 26, 2007

Another Great Turnout for Fleet Racing!

Nine Thistles showed up for Fleet Racing on Saturday, including  newcomer from Marlton NJ, Mike Levy (166), who sailed with his 5 and 7 year old boys.  The winds were from 2 to 10, with some huge holes on the race course.  Those who were able to avoid them did well today.  The scoring was rather mixed up, but Craig Smith won the day, even after not racing the 3rd race (his 7 year old crew had enough after 2 races).  Warren Rosen won the 3 way tie breaker for second place.  He, Brent Benson, and Paul Prozillo all had 11 points.  See the “results” page for complete scores.  The most fun of the day was to see Joe Raynock jumping up and down on his seat after winning the third race.  Fleet Captain, Dan Reasoner, was unable to join us today because he was in Atlanta Georgia, sailing in the Thistle Class’s “Dixie Regatta”.  Rumor has it that their Saturday Night Disco Party was AMAZING!

 

May 21, 2007

NEW GREG FISHER TUNING VIDEO IS VIEWABLE ON LINE

This is a 22 minute video that Greg Fisher shot and narrated at Thistle Midwinters WEST this year.  The very end is one of the Match Races that was a part of the Larry Klein Memorial.  VIEW THE GREG FISHER VIDEO.

 

May 20, 2007

Reasoner Places Second in Kitchin Regatta

Dan Reasoner, showing off his new Thistle 4000, finished second at the Jeff Kitchin Memorial Regatta, held at Lake Hopatcong on May 19-20.  Dan was joined by his long time friend, Bill Wilson, and Bill’s son Chris as crew.  There were 4 races sailed in winds from 5 to 15 mph.  The Nockamixon Thistle Fleet was well represented with Craig Smith finishing 4th, 4 points behind Dan.  Saturday was overcast and mostly rain free.  Winds were from the northwest between 5 and 10 MPH, but had the 30 degree shifts and huge holes that are characteristic of Lake Hopatcong.  Two races were sailed on Saturday.  Sunday was a beautiful day with bright sunshine and more steady winds.  The westerlies were mostly around 10 mph but had gusts to 15.  The social scene was awesome, with a great dinner on Saturday night and many Thistlers getting caught up with long time friends.  Lake Hopatcong “King”, Lloyd Kitchin, won the regatta with Lloyd’s Son, Brian, in third.

 

May 12, 2007

Another Good Turnout for Fleet Racing. 

Another 8 thistles showed up for fleet racing on the second fleet race day.  We were joined by new fleet skipper, Clay Mathias, fresh home from college at St Mary’s.  A Thistle Crew U class was run by Dan Reasoner, and not everyone who was registered was able to get a ride on a Thistle.  Thanks George for helping out.  Again, we have more interest in sailing thistles, than we do skippers who can take them!  Unfortunately, the winds were not cooperative and repeatedly changed direction 180 degrees.  We were able to squeeze in three races and Brent and Barbara Benson won the day, with Dan Reasoner a close second.  See fleet scoring for complete scores.

 

April 28, 2007

Great Turnout for First Fleet Race Day!  The First fleet race day for 2007 was a great success with 8 thistles showing up to shake off the “rust”.  Craig Smith won the day with 3 firsts in his newly acquired wooden thistle 818.  The winds were excellent for the three races at near 10 MPH.  The racing was tight in the middle of the fleet, but Paul Prozillo rose to the top, and finished the day in second place.  Joe and Patty Raynock decided to test the water, and reports said that it wasn’t too cold.  The skippers that showed were. Smith, Reasoner, Prozillo, Benson, Raynock, Theisen, Rosen and Korchak.

 

March 10, 2007

 

THISTLE FLEET 176 HELPS A NEW THISTLER!  Today, six fleet 176 members traveled to the home of Bill Wentzel (pictured with the white hat, he is the guy with the big smile!), new fleet 176 member, and helped him rig and renovate his new boat.  Bill was a “Crew U” participant two years ago, with his son Andrew (on his back in the photo),.  They were so sucked in by the boat and class, they went and purchased a boat.  It was in need of much of it’s rigging, including vang, all spinnaker hardward, hiking straps, and cunningham.  After 9 hours, a break for awesome chili, and a few brews, it was done!  Now Bill has no excuses but to join us on the line this summer.  From seeing the look on Bill’s (photo), and his two son’s faces they are PSYCHED.  Bill’s wife, Nancy (next to Bill in photo), in addition to cooking the chili, provided moral support for much of the day.  Those who showed up to help were:  Dan Reasoner, Tim Theisen, Craig Smith, Jim Trinisewski, Craig Priniski, and Pam Knight.  We hope to do this again for the other new skippers who join us.  Oh, by the way, Bill had the boat set up in a Gymnasium to work on.  I challenge other new skippers to beat that arrangement for their “work party”!

 

March 4, 2007

 

Three Nockamixon Thistle Skippers made it to the 69 boat, 2007 Thistle Midwinters East Regatta.  Those skippers were Warren Rosen, Craig Smith, and current fleet champion Dan Reasoner, sporting his brand new Thistle 4000.  Two other skippers went as crew.  They were Joe Raynock and Jim Trinisewski.  The week was awesome with racing every day, temperatures in the 80’s and just a little bit of rain on Monday and Tuesday.  There was a tight battle for top Nockamixon honors, between Dan and Craig.  Dan had it “in the bag”, unitl the last down wind leg of the last race.  The winds were above 20 mph and everyone was planing downwind under spinaker.  Dan got stuck in a false jibe and ‘cristened’ Thistle 4000 for real (capsizing).  As a result, Craig ended up in 18th place and Dan in 26th.   Warren Finished the regatta in 51st.

 

On Saturday, before the regatta started, Dan had the spotlight, with the “official” cristening of Thistle 4000.  This was done complete with champaign being cracked over the bow.  The ceremony was caught on camera and can be found in the Saturday MWE Video update.

 

Saturday MWE Video Update

 

Other MWE Video Updates

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

and…

Vince

 

 

February 4, 2007 (Super Bowl Sunday)

 

RED CUPS!!  (video)

 

January 22, 2007

 

The Nockamison Thistle Fleet Participates in Philadelphia “Sail America”. 

 

With the BRAND NEW Thistle #4000 on display, Fleet 176, along with the Newcastle Sailing club, ran a very successful exhibit at the “2007 Sail America” show at the Philadelphia Conventional Center from January 18th – 21st.  Thistle #4000 was recently purchased by our fleet captain, Dan Reasoner, from the winner of the “Thistle #4000” raffle, Frederic Joyce  The raffle was sponsored by fleet 176 last year.  The boat was delivered just weeks before the show, and Dan did a great job getting it rigged and ready by show time.  There were hundreds of interested sailors who visited the display.  Many just wanted to “pet the teak” on Dan’s new boat, or reminise about  past Thistle regattas.  But, there was a significant amount of interest in the local Thistle fleets, the Nockamixon Sail Club, and Fleet 176’s “Thistle Crew U”, which we will run for the 6th season this year.  Many thanks to Dan Reasoner, Jim Trinisewski, and Nancy Peffer for organizing the show, and for all those who volunteered to share their enthusiasm about the Thistle with those who attended.

 

Fleet News Archives