PRSA Archives from 2008

-- News is listed most recent first --

PRSA Hangover Regatta Thursday, January 1, 2009!   Doug Savage was PRO.  Skippers meeting was at noon; first gun at 12:40 PM; no race started after 3:40 PM.  Hangovers were optional.  High tide was at 10:51 AM.  The AccuWeather forecast  called for a full day of sunshine, with winds from the NW at 16 - 20 MPH, and a high temperature of 37 degrees.  The river flow was at late-spring levels, at 9,700 CFS (gage height 3.9 ft), and the water temperature was a seasonal 37 degrees. On Wednesday (New Year's Eve) we had wind gusts to 50 MPH and sustained winds of 35 MPH, and at first the forecast for Thursday was for them to die down by 10 AM and flow at 10 MPH for the remainder of the day -- then on Thursday morning the forecast was revised to predict winds of 16 - 20 for the afternoon.  What we got, however, were 10 MPH winds at Noon -  2 PM, that died to a flat calm right after that.  Results here.

PRSA End-of-Season Banquet and Annual General Meeting - Saturday, November 15!  At The Marina Towers.  Catered by the Lebanese Taverna.  65 Skippers, Associates, and guests joined in on the festivities.  We elected a new slate of officers for the 2009 season and handed out 52 awards for the 2008 season.  Congratulations to Pat McGee, our new PRSA Commodore; Mike Heinsdorf, our new Vice Commodore, Eric Johnson, our new Rear Commodore, and Robert Bennett, our new Secretary.  Stories and pictures to be posted soon.  Our sincere thanks to Jim Graham, chair of the party organizing committee, and the Albacore fleet, for planning and setting up for (and cleaning up after) the dinner.

PRSA Fall Finale Regatta Saturday November 8!   Rick Welch was PRO, with RC provided by Lightnings and others.   The AccuWeather forecast for Saturday called for cloudy skies, westerly winds at 8 - 9 MPH, and a high of 65 degrees.  Instead, it was sunny and warm, with almost no wind,  3 Albacores, 2 Buccs, 3 Hobies, 4 Lasers, and 5 Lightnings came out, and sailed one shortened race before the wind went completely calm.  Results here.

PRSA Fall Sunday Series # 8, Sunday November 2 --  Last one of the 2008 Season!   Bobby Astrove was PRO, with RC provided by the Lightnings.  The AccuWeather forecast (always subject to change) called for mostly cloudy skies, a high of 58 degrees, and winds from the ENE at 8 - 9 MPH.  The river flow was  below normal for this time of year, at 2,000 CFS (gage height 2.8 ft) and the water temperature was a chilly 53 degrees.  High tide was at at 10:48 AM and low tide at 4:57 PM. We actually got better winds than forecast, and RC was able to get us 4 races  - one on a triangular course and three on a windward-leeward course - before it was time to come in.  A great way to end the 2008 Fall Sunday Series!  Results.

PRSA Fall Sunday Series # 7, Sunday October 26. Steve Yelland was PRO, with Race Committee provided by the CATS. We had excellent winds under sunny skies, with relatively warm temperatures, making for some great fall Sunday sailing. Five races were sailed.  Results.

PRSA Fall Sunday Series # 6, Sunday October 19 -- We asked for wind -- and got it!  Sunday's AccuWeather forecast called for sunny skies, a high of 60 degrees, and northerly breezes at 15 - 17 MPH.  The river flow was below normal for this time of year, at 1,520 CFS (gage height 2.7 ft), and the water temperature was a seasonal 66 degrees. High tide was at 12:06 PM.  Actual winds gusted to 25 in the morning and it was chilly, which kept some skippers from going out.  But as the day wore on the air temperature came up and the breeze settled down, making for one of the best sailing days this fall.  PRO Jim Graham and the Albacore-provided RC got off 4 races before it was time to come in.  We welcomed Kate Smith-Morris, a new Lighting crew sailing with Russ Roberts.  Results

 PRSA Fall Sunday Series # 5, Sunday October 12 -- Not Another Light Air Day!  We can't take it any more! Steve Kistler was PRO, with RC provided by the Hamptons. The AccuWeather forecast (always subject to change) looked good -- sunny skies with a high of 76 degrees, with afternoon southeasterly winds at 7 - 8 MPH. What we got, however, were northerly winds 3 -5 MPH in the morning, followed by four straight hours of flat calm.  The river flow was below normal for this time of year, at 1,850 CFS (gage height 2.8 ft) and the water temperature was a seasonal 67 degrees. 11 Lightnings came out along with 3 Cats, 3 Buccs, and 3 Albacores, and got in one race before the wind died.   Here are pictures, courtesy of RC member Peter Howson. Results

PRSA Fall Sunday Series # 4, Sunday October 5.  Eric Johnson was PRO, with an ace RC crew provided by the Lightnings. The AccuWeather forecast  called for partly sunny skies with winds from the west at 5 - 7 MPH, but we got much better than that -- northwesterly winds at 9 - 10 MPH, except for a lull during the second race. With beautiful clear skies and bright sunshine and a high of 75 degrees we thoroughly enjoyed racing -- and got in four races before it was time to come in.  Five Albacores joined 4 Buccs and 11 Lightnings for a great fall day on the water. Results.

PRSA Fall Sunday Series # 3, Sunday September 28.  Many Albacores and Lightnings really wanted to sail, and RC was ready to set up a course, but there was no wind.  While the AccuWeather forecast called for northwesterly winds 6 - 8 MPH, we actually had winds 0 - 2 MPH from multiple directions at several readings between 9:30 AM and noon.  At 11:30 the remaining assembled skippers and crew voted to abandon racing for the day.  While a southerly did come up after 1 PM, it was not steady, and it never exceeded 6 MPH, and it was accompanied by a warm rain, heavy at times.  Next week it will be better. Results.

PRSA Fall Sunday Series # 2, Sunday September 21.  A tough day to be on the water if you were interested in sailing fast -- as in racing -- with winds from the north; east; and south, varying between calm and 5 MPH, but the Lightning RC pulled it off and got in two races before giving up on the day.  Results.

SMSA Small Boat Invitational, Solomons, Saturday and Sunday, September 20 - 21. Congratulations to Buccaneer skippers Jeff Neurauter and Bryan Lanier who placed first and second respectively in a 13-boat Bucc fleet.  Martin Howell in his Interlake placed second in the Portsmouth class racing, coming in second behind a local Albacore.  David Thompson placed 8th in the Lightning class.

PRSA Fall Sunday Series # 1, Sunday September 14.  What a delightful day for the first Sunday of our Fall 2008 PRSA Sunday series!  The breezes were actually from the south to SSE, allowing RC to set a nice long windward-leeward course right in the middle of the river, with the windward mark parallel to the end of the airport's Runway 32, and the leeward mark about a mile north of that.  We sailed 3 nice races in 10 MPH breezes before it was time to come in.  Race Committee was provided by the Lightnings, with David Thompson as PRO.  11 Lightnings sailed with 9 Albacores, 3 Cats and 2 Buccs.  Results here.

President's Leukemia Cup 2008 -- September 6 and 7.  The remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna came through the area on Saturday, and we did not race that day.  On Sunday, the winds were from the NW at 9 MPH in the morning, but became light and variable in the afternoon.  3 races were sailed on the upper course, 4 on the lower course.   Our sincere thanks to Jennifer Parrow, chair of the PRSA Regatta Organizing Committee, who worked diligently all spring and summer to keep us in the loop with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while at the same time running PRSA's Regatta Organizing Committee.  Jennifer was also a member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Event Organizing Committee, and served as well on the Fundraising sub-committee.  Thanks so much, Jennifer!   Congratulations are also in order to Jennifer for being PRSA's top fundraiser!  Way to go, Jen!  Here are results.  More scoop to be posted soon.

Leukemia Cup Fundraising tops $170,000!  The 2008 Leukemia Cup fundraisers raised more than $170,000 this year. Way to go, sailors!  Here are details.

Jeanne Ackerman.   It is with sorrow and great sadness that we bring you the news of the passing of Jeanne Ackerman.  She died peacefully in her sleep on the morning of June 16th after a brief illness.  Read more.

PRSA Spring  Series # 8,  Sunday, June 8.  Bill Kleysteuber was PRO, with RC provided by the Buccaneers.  The AccuWeather forecast called for a high of 94 degrees, partly sunny skies, hot and  humid, with winds from the WSW at 8 - 12 MPH.  The river flow was up a bit, after recent rains, at 19,400 CFS (gage height 4.8 ft) and the water temperature was a spa-like 80 degrees.  High tide was at 12:27 PM.

This turned out to be a day of contrasts, making it extremely challenging for Race committee, not to mention the racers.  On the way up to the race course we had a nice southerly breeze, at 8 - 10 MPH, allowing a gentle and leisurely downwind run with chute up to get to the course.  Bill set a nice windward-leeward course of appropriate length, windward mark to the south, and launched the starting sequence promptly at 11:30 AM.  Unfortunately (or possibly fortunately, depending on your viewpoint) there was a General Recall on the Lighting start, and the Lightnings were consigned to the end of the list for the restart.  By that time the wind had started to shift to a westwardly direction, but for almost an hour we had light and variable winds, with the Lightings hanging around the start line waiting for the restart that never happened.

After finishing the Albacores, RC had to reset the course to accommodate the now northwesterly winds, and then got off three more races on a W3 plan in quick succession before it was time to come in.  However, for the entire remainder of the day we had shifty gusts, just like last weekend, sometimes more southerly, sometimes more northerly, keeping all racers on their toes.  The general wind direction itself changed from NNW at 1 PM to SW by 3 PM, generally about 13 MPH.

Once back at the dock we wished we had even more breeze as we sweltered in the 95 degree heat and humidity to pack up and put away our boats.   The good news was we didn't need to go to the club to enjoy a sauna -- we got  it right here at WSM!  Results here.

PRSA Spring  Series # 7,  Sunday, June 1.   Yates Dowell was PRO, with RC provided by the Hobies.  The warmer weather of June was a delightful change from the brisker days of April and May.   We had those wacky westerly winds off the airport, averaging about 10 MPH, but with no-wind lulls and sudden gusts,  coming from unpredictable directions, of up to 20 MPH. The river flow was  normal for this time of year, at 11,100 CFS (gage height 4.1 ft), and the water has warmed up nicely to 74 degrees.  Low tide was at 1:25 PM, and we hit bottom with our board down multiple times on the trip back to the marina, and then had to go ask for a chain extender for the hoist in order to get the boats out at the crane.

Yates set a triangular course with the windward mark and the finish line near the airport's storage shed south of Gravelly Point, and the leeward mark close to the channel off Hains Point.  The start line was a bit north of the leeward mark, all helping to maximize the size of the race course.  Yates got off 4 races in quick succession, using an Olympic course plan, and had time to start a 5th, except that dark clouds to the west suggested that it might be time to head for home.

12 Lightings, 11 Albacores, 2 Buccs, and 2 Hamptons came out and were rewarded with an exciting day of racing on the river.   Results Here.

Were you on the water Saturday afternoon May 31? At around 2 PM?  Probably should not have been....

PRSA Spring Regatta,  Saturday and Sunday, May 24 - 25.   Saturday was a picture-perfect day on the water, with mostly sunny skies, a high temperature of 74 degrees and northerly breezes 9 - 13 MPH, lower that forecast,  with higher gusts -- shifty and puffy, making it interesting, but not overwhelming.  Sunday did not have enough wind for racing.  Results here.

PRSA Spring  Series # 6,  Sunday, May 18.   PRO  Pat McGee and the Lightning Fleet RC took charge of a most interesting race day on Sunday, May 18.  The AccuWeather forecast called for southwesterly winds  at 16 - 19 MPH and the possibility of afternoon thunderstorms.  The river flow was up, due to last weekend's rains, at 39,100 CFS (gage height 6.1 ft).  The potential strong winds and the likelihood of thunderstorms kept some skippers off the water, but for the 5 Lightings, 4 Cats, and one Albacore that came out it was a most interesting day on the water. Winds never got above 16, and sometime after 1 PM they settled down to 8.  Periods of cold rain could have been discouraging, but for skippers and crew dressed for it,  the rain was no distraction. With southwesterly winds RC was able to set up a long windward-leeward course in front of the power plant, with the windward mark near the Robbins-Gioa office in Old Town and the leeward mark well north of the green channel mark north of the Naval Research lab.  True, this put some of the race course into the navigable channel, where we had to dodge the Spirit, the Dandy, a big barge, and other large boats  (David called "Starboard" on the Spirit and was answered by five angry blasts of a horn), but we had great downwind legs with chutes up.  For the final windward leg of the third race RC decided to move the windward mark farther south, placing it in front of the Chart House restaurant -- it seemed like it was almost to the Wilson Bridge.  But,  unfortunately, shortly  after the last Lighting rounded the mark, the wind died, not to pick up again until after the race had been abandoned -- and we had accepted a tow home. Results Here.

PRSA Spring  Series # 5, Sunday, May 11. Robert Bennett was PRO, with Race Committee members provided by the V-15 Fleet.  The AccuWeather forecast called for partly sunny skies, a high of 63 degrees, and southeasterly winds at 11 MPH.  The river flow was about average for this time of year, at 14,200 CFS (gage height 4.4 ft), and the water temperature a seasonal 65 degrees.  Low tide was at 8:10 AM and high tide at 1:46 PM.   There was the threat of an on-coming heavy rain / thunderstorm system that actually arrived after we got off the water, prompting RC to set up and run 3 races in quick succession and to get us back to the dock before 3.  Results here.

 PRSA 2008 Laser and Byte Regatta Saturday May 10. Five Bytes and seven Lasers came out to play on what turned out to be a great day. Jeff Storck was PRO and was ably assisted by Hank Krafft. They got six races for the Lasers and five for the bytes. Results here.

PRSA Spring  Series # 4, Sunday, May 4.   Lightnings were away at Leesylvania, but 5 Albacores and a Bucc had a great day on the water at Hains Point.  PRO Khin Thein and the Albacore fleet RC got off five races in bright sunshine and brisk northerly winds before it was time to come in.  Here are the results.

PRSA Spring  Series # 3, Sunday, April 27   Ben Ackerman was PRO, with Race Committee members provided by the Catamaran Fleet.  It was a gray, chilly Sunday -- overcast and misty, with temperatures in the mid-50s, but we had refreshing northeasterly winds, and got in four races on a Windward-Leeward and then an Olympic course.  Here are the results.

PRSA Spring Series # 2, Sunday, April 20.   The AccuWeather forecast called for cloudy skies, rain, heavy at times, and possible thunderstorms.  AccuWeather got it right!  PRO Daphne Byron evaluated the weather forecast, and with the sparse turnout as of 10 AM, decided to cancel racing for the day.  Good call, Daphne!

PRSA Spring Series # 1, Sunday, April 13.  12 Lightnings, 7 Albacores, 5 Cats, an Interlake, 2 Buccs, and a Laser came out to enjoy the first racing day of the 2008 Spring Season, under cloudy skies with a high temperature of 55 degrees and westerly/northwesterly winds at 10 to 14 MPH.  PRO Jeff Storck set a nice triangular course with the windward and reach marks close to the airport, and got off 4 races in good order.  Here are results. And here are the pictures!

PRSA Spring Icebreaker Saturday, April 5.  The 2008 PRSA Spring Season kicked off this weekend with the traditional Icebreaker on Saturday, sailing in front of the power plant.  Low tide was at 2:01 PM, making for very shallow water for the afternoon.  The AccuWeather forecast called for for mostly cloudy skies, rain off and on all day, with northerly winds at 10 MPH, and a high temperature of 62 degrees.  The AccuWeather forecast was wrong!  While we did have the northerly winds at 12 - 8 MPH (and calm at one point), the day was mostly sunny and pleasant, with not a drop of rain in sight.  3 Lightings came out and were joined by 6 Hobies and 8 Lasers.  Frank Gallagher and crew provided Race Committee.  What a nice start of the season!  Results here.

Thanks much, boat clean-up team!  Sincere thanks to the volunteers -- Jeff Storck, Rick Welch, Chris Bolton, Robert Bennett, Barney Harris and David Thompson -- who accomplished an equipment inventory and a thorough cleaning of the Bayliner on March 15, with much help from Nabeel's power washer.

 2008 Capital City Laser Regatta  March 15 - 16.   Bob Bear was the PRO, with an able race committee that included Barney Harris, Chris Bolton, Steve Parsons, and Kevin Cowley.  Saturday saw beautiful sailing conditions early, with northerly winds at 14 MPH at noon; 8 MPH at 1 PM; 3 MPH at 2 PM; and calm after that, with mostly sunny skies and a high temperature of 61 degrees.  Sunday's winds averaging 20 MPH, gusts to 32, made up for the light winds on Saturday, but with much cooler temperatures.  Results here.

Read  2007 reports