July 21
Exceptionally fresh breezes and several competitors made for a lively race
tonight. The race finish was especially exciting with so many boats
fighting to cross the finish line in such a short interval. The Race
Committee was very busy. With the lake level finally dropping, the crews
felt comfortable enough to remain on the docks for a while after the race
and enjoy the camaraderie that only comes with weekly and friendly racing.
Tonight's winners were Marino Garci and Bill Coffman (tie) in the Cruising Fleet,
Screaming Eagle in the Racing Fleet, and Larry Greenwood in the Multihull Fleet.
July 14
What a great night for a race. Winds were 15+ and clear skies. Thank Goodness we were racing in the evening as the humidity was pretty high. Tonight's winners are Patrick Adams in the Cruising Fleet and Screaming Eagle (barely) in the Racing Fleet. Congrats to all.
July 7
Tonight was the final race of the Spring Series. In contrast to the rest of the week, it turned out to a beautiful night with light winds and fair skies. With the end of the Spring Series, it is now time to announce the winners of the series:
Cruising Fleet: Alan Loehr - 1st place, Marino Garci - 2nd place, and a tie for 3rd between Patrick Adams and Frank CouchRacing Fleet: Screaming Eagle - 1st place, Kevin Findley - 2nd place, and MOBY - 3rd place
Multihull Fleet: Larry Greenwood - 1st place
Congratulations to all. Next week starts the beginning of the fall series. Come out and enjoy the fun!A note of explanation regarding the Colossus Cup: Since it's schedule has changed from what KBRS members approved at our meeting, it will not be included in the KBRS standings.
July 4
Hurricane Alex did the Colossus Cup racers, and with them the KBRS racers, no favors today as constant rains and potential threatening weather canceled the long race. The Colossus Cup is the oldest sailing cup in Kansas but yet was no match for the remnants of the hurricane that came up from the gulf. Oh well, better luck next year. One more KBRS race left in the Spring Series. Check out the stats on the website for the scores.
June 30
Mother nature couldn't have provided a better evening for a sailboat race. Blue skies, mild temperatures, and a 13 mph breeze gave the eleven boats a fantastic opportunity to break up their week with a sundown on the lake. Tonight's winners were Alan Loehr in the Cruising Fleet, Kevin Findley in the Racing Fleet, and Larry Greenwood in the Multihull Fleet. Congratulations to all.
June 23
Three shots early tonight signaled a race cancellation by the Race Committee due to high winds. With this cancellation, the 2010 Spring Series has been reduced to the best of 4 races and quite a few more teams are now on the scoreboard. To date, here are the top 3 finishers in each fleet with qualifying teams:
Cruising - 1) Alan Loehr, 2) Marino Garci, 3) Frank Couch
Racing - 1) Screaming Eagle, 2) Moby, 3) Ron Kinnane
There are only a few more races left in the spring series, so there are a lot of opportunities for the scores to change. Good luck to all.
June 16
The weather broke just enough this week to allow the weekly Wednesday night
race to occur. A total of 14 boats participated tonight and they were
rewarded with good winds and fair skies. The Race Committee set up a
rarely-used F course providing both a lap with a jibe mark and a
windward/leeward lap. In the end, the winners were Kevin Findley in the
Racing Fleet, Alan Loehr in the Cruising Fleet, and Larry Greenwood in the
Multihull Fleet. What a great evening on the lake... let's do it again next
week.
June 9
After number of cancellations early in this race series and two days of
storms and rain, the KBRS fleet was blessed with steady wind, warm temps,
and clear skies. Twelve boats came out to enjoy an evening of racing
around the marks and afterward an extended social hour provided by the long
days of June. Tonight's race winners were: Larry Greenwood in the Multihull
Fleet, Alan Loehr in the Cruising Fleet, and Screaming Eagle in the Racing
Fleet. Congratulations to all the winning skippers and crews. See you on
the lake next week.
June 2
Beautiful bottoms! The good winds tonight during the weekly KBRS race
provided a dozen crews an opportunity to show off their new bottom paint.
They really shimmered in the water and afternoon sun as they cruised by.
The course remained fairly steady during the entire race and delivered a
fantastic night of racing around the marks. In the end, the Cruising Fleet
was won by Marino Garci, and the Racing Fleet was won by Screaming Eagle.
Congrats to the winners and all racers as it was a real treat to be on the
lake tonight. See you next week.
May 26
This spring is really stacking up to be a challenge to schedule Wednesday night sailboat races. Today makes three weeks in a row that the race was cancelled - this time due to lack of wind. But all was not lost as it was also the first cookout so the racers met at the Afterdeck and enjoyed burgers, dogs, and refreshments. Hopefully next week the weather will cooperate and we can enjoy a race. Hope to see you there.
May 19
The score at this point is Mother Nature - 3... KBRS Racers - 2. Once again
thunderstorms forced a cancellation of the weekly Wednesday night race. But
fear not, fair skies will soon be the norm and we can all resume having
fun. Next week is the first KBRS cookout of the season, so bring the
goodies and enjoy the camaraderie with your fellow sailors, burgers and
dogs will be provided. See you next week.
May 12
The early call to cancel the race a few hours before the scheduled start
was a good one, it kept KBRS racers off the lake and the roads. As wave
after wave of storms rolled through the area, it was good to know that the
crews were not enticed to be on the lake. Although the Race Committee is
responsible to facilitate the race, it is ultimately the skipper that is
required to protect crew and craft. Although I miss all the fun of the
Wednesday night race, I sure didn't miss being on the lake during the
storms. See you next week.
May 5
Ah - the sounds of spring. Birds chirping, mowers humming, and Marilyn
screaming when the boats get too close (it was hilarious). It was a
beautiful night for evening sailing on Cheney Lake. Although the breeze may
have been a little light, it was steady and stayed with us throughout the
race. The course posed some challenges for the skippers and crews... which
is really the favored side of the course(?), will the wind shift and leave
us stranded if we try to catch the wind coming out of the cove(?), what the
hell is that "30" doing behind the committee boat on the leeward mark
rounding(?). In the end, the winners were About Time in the Cruising Fleet and
Screaming Eagle in the Racing Fleet. We all have to be thankful for days on
the lake like this. See you next week.
April 28
What a bummer. 40+ knot winds kept the KBRS sailors off the lake tonight, but it wasn't a total loss. A handful of those typically found on Cheney on Wednesday nights in the summer convened at Players to enjoy each others company. As usual they had some laughs, a few refreshments, and dinner then departed. A good time was had by all. Oh well, there's always hope for next week. See you there.
April 21
What a great day for the first race. Overcast skies kept the temperatures mild and seven boats responded by coming our for the initial race of the season. Shortly after the end of the race the rain started pouring down scattering the crews to their cars and homeward. The first place finishers tonight were Marino Garci in the Cruising Fleet and Screaming Eagle in the Racing Fleet. Congrats to all, and I already look forward to the race next week.
April 11
KBRS meeting was held. The 2010 schedule was approved. It was suggested that we create a "standard" by which the race committee could cancel a race due to low wind velocity. The motion was to give the race committee the latitude to cancel the race due to low wind velocity if the wind was less than 3 mph as measured by the weather station. The motion failed to carry.
Standard starts vs. reverse handicap starts were discussed. Race committee will have the option to have a standard (all boats start at the gun) start, or a reverse handicap start. Race committee is asked to indicate which type race they will conduct at the time they sign up for race committee.
We will get a banner or flag to indicate from the committee boat when a standard race is being conducted.
Trophies for the 2009 Fall series were awarded as follows:
Cruising Fleet First Place
Bob and Sheryl Born Booty Hunter
Cruising Fleet Second Place
Tie Patrick Adams
Cruising Fleet Second Place
Tie Allen Archer Joyride
Racing Fleet First Place
Screaming Eagle Douthit/Olsen
Racing Fleet Second Place
Ron Kinnane Traveler
Racing Fleet Third Place
Kevin Findley Fascination
MultiHull Fleet First Place
Larry Greenwood Ninnescah Flyer
Alan Loehr
aloehr@aloehr.com 316-648-8188