Fleet 1 News

Post date: October 29, 2024 3:00PM - KKB

Fall #1 - October 26, 2024

I wasn't able to make this race - working, unfortunately. After a series of not getting any commitments, we finally had Paul, Jim & Stephen out racing for what has become Fall #1. I didn't get any report, just results, and have posted them HERE although in doing so, realize I never got around to putting the two Spring races up so need to see if I can dig up results for those as well. 

We'll shoot for a Fall #2 in two weeks, November 9th ... and likely try to start at 11:30am as it'll be back to standard time by then. At our last meeting, I also offered up Sagebark Lodge (aka, my house) as a venue for the Christmas Party on Sunday December 8 if there's interest. More details to follow.

Post date: April 11, 2024 6:55PM - KKB

Spring #3 - April 6, 2024

I wasn't able to make this race (vacationing in Hawaii - sorry ... not sorry!) so am posting a race report from Christian.

You all missed a fun time Saturday… not sure what @Jack Caldwell was doing, but we were in his backyard and he wasn’t there despite voting for this location!

If you didn’t go, you missed out… We actually had really good weather, more wind than expected and very little rain. I took a newbie out who’d never sailed before and he is hooked now, not just on sailing, but loved the racing too. Course was a lot of reach\reach due to the southerly winds so not a lot of Spinnaker work for Stephen or I. We did however have some issues with the leeward mark going on a walkabout during the 2nd race, and then during the 3rd race the start\finish marks decided they had to get in on the action also. In a moment of serendipity, Mizu (897) didn’t notice they were moving around, so we sailed right through them. After we sailed through we noticed we were in a different position than we started from and realized what was happening… Paul stated well, you get a first since you sailed through! Stephen is arguing the point, but I’m going with the fact that Mizu got 3 bullets over Stephen on Saturday, and Paul got 3 for working sails… That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Thanks Christian - and his email included a reminder/call-to-arms for our first Road Warrior event on Saturday, April 20th up in Everett. It's the annual Milltown Spring Regatta and we're really hoping to get 5 boats to give us our own start. As Stephen mentions, "The standard PHRF rating for the San Juan 21 All Sails class is 252.  I became a member of PHRF NW and applied for a rating in the Spinnaker class, Main, working Jib, and Spinnaker.  The certificate I got had the insane rating of 270.  Non-Flying Sails (working sails) adds 18 seconds so 288.  With this rating, a San Juan 21 can easily win the whole regatta!" So hey - let's get a bunch of boats out there and take the whole thing!

Post date: April 11, 2024 6:50PM - KKB

Spring #2 - Slightly Wet, Light Winds, Good Racing!

Finally a good day to sail! Spring #2 was at Magnusson Park on Lake Washington on March 23rd and despite the light rain as we rigged, we got 3 boats in the water and light but workable wind. The best part? We each took a first with close finishes in each of the 3 races as well as remembering how deep the mark sets are in that part of the lake! We'll wrap up the first half of the Spring season in 2 weeks in West Seattle.

Post date: March 12, 2024 11:20AM - KKB

Spring #1 - This Time, a Legitimate Weather Cancellation!

We actually had enough boats to race on Saturday the 9th ... then the weather got in the way and it was a good thing we cancelled. Not sure how high the winds got down at Coulon, but out in Puget Sound there were gusts over 50kts resulting in some reports of a rather exciting CYC race especially early to mid afternoon right when we'd have been out. (I was actually working Saturday - we had our demo day at Signature Yachts and one of the demo sails at about 2pm was quite interesting.)

Next up is our fleet meeting this Thursday (3/14) followed by Spring #2 on Saturday March 23rd tentatively planned for Magnuson Park. Watch for the meeting email tomorrow ...

Post date: February 6, 2024 9:47PM - KKB

2024 Sailing Is Just Around the Corner

There have been a number of discussions about getting ready for the 2024 season. Our fleet meeting this month is Thursday, February 8th - keep an eye out for the invite. We'll run thru some thoughts on the schedule and, hopefully, get at least the Spring season planned out.

Post date: November 7, 2023 3:45PM - KKB

End of the Fall (non)Season

It was a rough start, a rough end, and a whole lot of non-participation in between. Alas, 2023 will go down as the Fall Season that wasn't. I'd hoped we might sneak our last one in this past Saturday (11/4) but this time, it was as much the weather as it was peoples' availability. 

We'll wrap up the year with:

• Our monthly fleet meeting on Thursday November 9th - details via email

• Our annual Christmas Party on Sunday December 10th - Evite will be sent out soon

The Christmas Party also includes an normally very informal meeting - but I'd like to ask that people be thinking between now and then about ways we can start rebuilding fleet participation. I've heard several suggestions including more participation in non-fleet-only events to get our name out there a bit more, going back to moving around a bit to try to generate more interest, etc. One worry I have is that we have actually added a few new members over the last couple of years - but really haven't been able to offer them a consistent way to participate in the fleet. Let's plan on some serious discussions at the beginning of the year as we build out the calendar and get ready for Spring racing!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone - I look forward to seeing everyone at the Christmas Party in December.

Post date: September 19, 2023 8:30PM - KKB

Fall Update

Well, it's been kind of a rough start to the Fall Season. We didn't have anyone willing to get to Brownsville for Fall #1 and with Chris gone, we've had to postpone The Gene, scheduled for this weekend. So here's the tentative plan as determined by an impromptu fleet meeting on 9/19:

• Saturday September 23 - NO RACE

• Saturday October 7th - First Fall Fleet Race, noon start at Coulon

• Saturday/Sunday October 21/22 - "The Gene" at Chris' place on Treasure Island (Reach island) just north of Grapeview in Case Inlet, pending Chris' approval

• Saturday November 4 - Last Fall Fleet Race, noon start at Coulon

• Sunday December 10 - Fleet Christmas Party, 3pm-7pm, Sagebark Lodge (details to follow)

This is certainly a drastically reduced schedule for the fall ... I hope we can drum up enough racers to at least get a few in this fall and discuss what we can do to get better turnout in the spring.

Post date: May 10, 2023 10:15PM - KKB

Spring #5 - Coulon

It was mostly sunny with light winds, especially races 3 and 4. Dave was the one who seem to have a knack for finding the right spot to be in nearly all day pretty much dominating with 3 bullets. Still struggling to get boats out although nearly EVERYONE said they'd be there for the final race of the Spring on May 20th.

Our monthly fleet meeting is Thursday May 11th at 7pm. Note that the meeting link will change this month (I no longer have my company Zoom account) so watch your email for an update with the new link. Also, registration information for Nationals in Coos Bay in late July is now up - check it out ... and get yourself registered for a great event!

Website seems to be OK ... as long as you use www.sj21fleet1.org - still and issue leaving off the www. part, but at least it's mostly working.

Post date: Apr 23, 2023 1:55PM - KKB

Spring #4 - Lake Union!

OK, those who weren't there missed a really fun day! A few early sprinkles then just clouds leading to SUNSHINE by mid-afternoon. What a day! Warmer temps, nice winds (5-10kts) ... a perfect day for sailing albeit with just 4 boats.

We set the start/finish line mid-lake and our marks in the SE and NW but figured we'd use either those or the red & green nuns (SW and NE) depending on what the wind was doing. We ended up using the nuns all day which worked out great. Stephen & Mark launched at 14th NW in Ballard, Christian from Sunnyside (Northlake), and Paul from Magnuson and came in thru the cut. Good close racing all day meant we got a solid 5 in. We're back to Coulon in 2 weeks - and it's looking like the weather may finally be turning, so let's all try to get out there for the last 2 races this season!

Website seems to be OK ... as long as you use www.sj21fleet1.org - still and issue leaving off the www. part, but at least it's mostly working.

Post date: Apr 14, 2023 2:40PM - KKB

Spring #3

Still struggling to get the turnout up. Spring #3 was a little wet (although not that bad) and had the best winds of the season thus far. 3 boats again - but this time, Paul & Stephen were joined by Christian for the first time this season! We also had a meeting Thursday this week and chatted a bit about who can make it to the remaining races this spring ... there are still 3 left starting with Spring #4 on Lake Union (for a change). Small steps - let's see if we can get at least 4 or 5 boats on the water on April 22nd.

Check out the updated Racing Instructions! Stephen has laminated cards - if you don't have one, check w/ him before the 1st race.

Website seems to be OK ... as long as you use www.sj21fleet1.org - still and issue leaving off the www. part, but at least it's mostly working.

Post date: Mar 27, 2023 1:30PM - KKB

Spring #1 & #2

Very light turnout for the first two spring races this year - just two boats for Spring #1 (Stephen and Paul) and only three for Spring #2 (Mark, Paul, Stephen). Too bad - the weather both days was pretty nice and although we didn't quite have enough wind to do an "around the island" justice, it was still a really fun day of sailing.  Based on who I've heard from recently, if everyone showed up, we'd have 9 boats (you know who you are! :- ) ... and wouldn't that be something!

Thought I finally had the website issues resolved - it was working for a bit and I did manage to get the domains transferred - but now it's something else. I'm still working on it ... sigh.

Post date: Mar 9, 2023 8:15PM - KKB

2023 - A New Season!

Greetings and welcome to the 2023 San Juan 21 Fleet 1 Season! We bailed on our first Road Warrior event - the weather was just a bit too cold for the Kirkland Freshwater on Feb 25th.

But our 1st Fleet event is Saturday 3/11 at Coulon, 1st start at noon. We had our monthly fleet meeting on 3/9 and there are a few boats committed but if you are so inclined, please join us ... the weather looks pretty good as I'm writing this. And remember, we wrapped up last year with TONS of optimism about new and returning boats for the 2023 season so let's get on it!

Finally, I realize thee are big issues with the fleet 1 website at the moment - I'm working on getting domains transferred and routing properly so pleas be patient. Thanks :-)

Post date: Nov 22, 2022 2:15PM - KKB

2022 Season Wrap-up

Well - we second guessed ourselves again and with predicted crazy conditions canceled Fall #4 ... only to have it be a beautiful day with much lighter winds than forecast. I guess we'll learn our lesson one of these days. 

I finally got all the results calculated for the entire season (I hope) so check them out HERE. To summarize, Paul was once again dominant taking Spring, Fall, Road Warrior, and Season (all events) titles. Stephen came out on top in the Spring, but Chris took Fall, RW, and Season titles.  Full details available on the linked spreadsheet.

The best news for the fleet was seeing some new and returning members after having several "down" years of light participation. Andy, Scott, and Christian returned to participate in a number of events this year and the fleet welcomed our two newest members, Dave and Mark. And it was great to have Kirsten representing east of the mountains as well. Bottom line - it does seem like getting a fleet race with 10 or 11 boats out isn't at all out the question for 2023!

Well, that's a wrap for this year except our final fleet event, the annual Christmas Party on Sunday December 11 at Kris/Ann's place in Normandy Park. Fleet members should have gotten an evite - if you didn't, let me know. And please do RSVP (including letting me know what you are going to bring) as soon as possible so we know how many to plan for. Even if you haven't sailed much recently, you are always welcome to come party with us!

Post date: Oct 24, 2022 2:30PM - KKB

Fall #3 - Yeah, It Was Rather Wet!

Been a bit remiss in posting lately so figured it'd be good to catch up a bit. Fall #1 (WAY back in August) was canceled due to lack of participation, then came Chelan and The Gene, and finally Fall #2 at Coulon. Fall #3 was this past weekend and yes, it was the return of our most often normal wet weather. And at times, it was epically wet including a huge downpour with hail just about the time a few of us were launching. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad most of the day although watching the systems come thru wondering how much we'd get dumped on added to the excitement.

We ended up with 4 boats - thought we might have a couple more but a few skippers had other commitments - just Paul in working sails, and 3 of us (Chris, Andy, and Scott) in spinnaker. (And despite what would seem a conflict of interest :-), I sailed with Chris as Stephen was out with continued leg issues.) 

Yes, the weather was mostly wet although not all that cold which helped. Winds were a bit light although a bit better than what was predicted. We got in 4 races - the last of which pretty much died on the final upwind leg. Winds were shifting all day making pin placement a bit odd at times, but generally OK most of the time. Starts were VERY competitive and other than that last race where Chris and I picked up the leeward mark being nearly the entire last leg behind after hitting a hole, the finishes were close as well.

Next up is Fall #4 on November 5th - last race of the Fall season so let's see if we can finish strong with a good turnout.  We'll have a fleet meeting in November (Thurs the 10th), then our Christmas Party at Sagebark Lodge on Sunday, Dec 12th from 3pm-7pm ... stay tuned for more details on that!

Current race results/standings are always available at RESULTS  ... check it out!

Post date: May 23, 2022 2:00PM - KKB

Spring #5 - It's A Wrap!

After bailing on Spring #4, we had 4 boats (including Mizu with Christian and family!) show up for a fantastic day on the water for Spring #5, our last race of the spring. We had stunningly beautiful weather - warm and sunny with temps in the mid 60s. After a bit of a late start (traffic was horrendous so a few boats didn't arrive until after 11 to get set up), we got 4 races in. The first 2 were course #1 (windward/leeward/finish), then races 3 & 4 course #3 (windward/gate/windward/leeward/finish). Winds were 7-10kts out of the north/north-west and quite steady all day. 

This wraps up the Spring Series - congratulations to Paul (working sails) and Stephen (spinnaker), Spring champs. The next event on the calendar is nationals down in Huntington Lake, CA. Our first Fall Season event is at the end of August over in Brownsville - and keep an eye out for a possible fleet picnic sometime in July.

Current race results/standings are always available at RESULTS  ... check it out!

Post date: Apr 24, 2022 9:15AM - KKB

Spring #3

Oh you missed a good one! Four boats sailed in the sunshine, temps in the 60s, and winds variable but in the 5-10kt range most of the day. We ran 5 races - the first three using course #1 (windward/leeward/finish), the last two course #3 (windward/gate/windward/leeward/finish). Sneaky Paul took 3 of 5, with not quite as sneaky Stephen taking the other 2. Starts were all tight leading to a day of very close racing and even closer finishes. It was great to see our fearless leader Chris out there for the first time this season, and Jim continued working with Mark who sure looks like he's about ready to bring his own boat down later this year. 

Next up is Spring #4 on May 7th - it's been a long time since we've seen Andy, Christian, Mike, Doug, and others ... hope to see a few more of you out sailing with us in 2 weeks!

Current race results/standings are always available at RESULTS  ... check it out!

Post date: Mar 26, 2022 9PM - KKB

Spring #2

Spring #2 is in the books as many of you missed another fun day of racing! Winds were light at first - we ran a standard windward/leeward course in race #1, then a windward/gate/windward/finish 2nd race waiting for the winds to pick up. They finally did and we had some nice, moderate breezes for races 3 and 4. For those worried about weather, we did get some very light sprinkles for 20 mins or so but otherwise, fairly light cloud cover with spots of blue sky poking thru. There was a bass tournament on the lake today and we did witness the mad rush to get in at 3pm, just as we were heading upwind to the finish of the 4th race. We took our time picking up marks after that and most of the fishing boats were in by the time we returned to the dock. Heard from several of you saying you are close - our next race is in 2 weeks. April 9th, for Spring #3 at Coulon. Hope some of those close can get ready by then.

Current race results/standings are always available at RESULTS  ... check it out!

Post date: Feb 18, 2022 3:45PM - KKB

The 2022 Season Is Here!

It's time - our first fleet event is Saturday 2/26 and this year is a Road Warrior, the Kirkland Freshwater Race hosted by Sloop Tavern Yacht Club. Details on the event can be found at https://slooptavernyachtclub.wildapricot.org/Fresh-Water-Race along with links to the NOR and the virtual skippers meeting on Friday at 7pm. It'd be great to get a few of our boats out there to show off a bit! Entries must be received by midnight on Wednesday 2/23 so they can get starts organized and posted by the skippers meeting on Friday. (Late entries are also allowed.)

The 2022 Season includes a total of 9 fleet races, 4 Road Warrior races, and the Western Nationals:

• 5 fleet races in the Spring (March - May)
• The Kirkland Freshwater and annual Center for Wooden Boats regattas in February and April
• The Western Nationals scheduled for July 7-10 in Huntington Lake, CA***
• The annual Chelan and Gene regattas in September
• 4 fleet races in the Fall (August - November)
• The annual Christmas Party in December

All events have been posted to the fleet calendar. Lots going on all year - let's get more boats out there!