PRSA Spring Regatta Saturday/Sunday May 23/24.  Our traditional Memorial Day Weekend event. Jim Graham was Regatta Chair.  Eleven Albacores and ten Lightnings sailed the upper course in great southerly winds.  The river flow was slightly below normal for this time of year, at 9,050 CFS (gage height 3.9 ft) and the water temperature was 75 degrees.  High tide was at 8:27 AM;   low tide  at 3:52 PM. 
Results here.

PRSA Spring Series # 6, Sunday, May 17.   Bob Wilbur was PRO.  The AccuWeather forecast (always subject to change) called for cloudy skies with rain in the morning, clearing in the afternoon, a high of 62 degrees, and northerly winds at 21 - 19 MPH, tapering off in the afternoon, and that's what we got.  The river flow was  normal, at 14,500 CFS (gage height 4.4 ft) and the water temperature had warmed to 71 degrees.  Low tide was at 8:58 AM and high tide at 2:52 PM.  Four Lightnings and two Albacores made it to the race course, but the Albacores left during the first race leaving Lightning skippers Nabeel, Rick, Pat, and Red to duke it out in a fast-paced set of five races in chilly northerly winds averaging 17 MPH, with gusts to 25.   We welcomed new crew Jennifer Bergeron, who sailed with Red.  Results are posted.

PRSA Spring Series # 5,  Sunday, May 10.  Bob Astrove was PRO.  RC provided by Lightnings.  The river flow was up, due to rains the past several days, at 45,000 CFS (gage height 6.5 ft), three times the median flow of 16,500.  High tide was at 9:46 AM and low tide at 4:53 PM. We had a sunny day with challenging westerly winds at 16 - 18 MPH with gusts to 25.  Five Lightnings came out along with a handful of Albacores and a Bucc.  Results Here.

Laser/Byte/Sunfish Spring Regatta, Saturday, May 9 --  Jeff Storck was PRO with an all-Lightning RC, racing in strong winds and heavy current in front of the Power Plant.  Congratulations to Rob Bennett, who took first place. Here is a write-up.

PRSA Spring Series # 4 Sunday, May 3 --  Yates Dowell was PRO. Lightnings were at Leesylvania.  One Albacore and one Cat came out in a day with heavy rain and limited visibility and voted to stay ashore.  No racing today.

PRSA Spring Series # 3 Sunday, April 26 --  John Taylor was PRO, with RC provided by the Cats.  The weather forecast good, warm with plenty of sunshine -- high 90 degrees -- with southwesterly winds at 9 - 10 MPH. The river flow was near normal for this time of year, at 20,000 CFS (gage height 4.9 ft).  The water had warmed up to 64 degrees.  High tide was at 9:37 AM and low tide at 5:01 PM.  Actual winds were light, requiring towing of some boats to the racecourse, and delaying the first start until 12:30 PM.  Northerly winds picked up briefly to above 10 during the first race but slowly petered out after that.  Still, RC was able to get off 3 races before calling it a day. Nine Lightnings came out, along with 4 Albacores.   Results Here.

PRSA Spring Series # 2 Sunday, April 19 --   Three Cats, Three Albacores, a Buccaneer, and eleven Lightnings came up to the race course on a day where winds could only be described as weird.   The AccuWeather forecast called for mostly cloudy skies, a high temperature of 72 degrees, and easterly winds at 6 - 9 MPH, with the possibility of rain during the afternoon.   The rain held off, but the winds were calm at 10 AM so RC agreed to tow us up to the racecourse, getting us there at about 11:30.  A light southerly sprang up gave us the opportunity to set spinnakers and practice gybing and dousing, but then it died, and for an entire hour we sat drifting in the current without a hint of breeze.  Then, just before 1 PM, PRO Russ Roberts moved the start line and the windward mark  and raised the course flag -- an Olympic -- and started the Cats.  With that an easterly flow kicked in big time and soon we were sailing in gusts to 20, travelers down, backstays on, hiking hard in heavy puffs, and completing the first race in under 20 minutes. The winds continued, although not quite as gusty, through the next 3 races, and when it was over, no one needed a tow home.   The river flow was normal for this time of year, at 16,000 CFS (gage height 4.5 ft), and the water temperature was 61 degrees. Low tide was at 10:40 AM and high tide at 4:44 PM.  Results are posted. 

PRSA Spring Series # 1 Sunday, April 5 --   Nabeel was PRO, Jeff drove the 19 skiff.  We had mostly sunny skies; a high temperature of 70 degrees, and winds forecasted to be from the WSW at 7 - 8 MPH.  What we actually got were winds light and flaky, except for a brief period during the first race when there was a westerly gust at 14.  We had 90-degree and 180-degree shifts during the first race (and even a 360), and started the second race with the former leeward mark re-designated as the windward mark.  With low tide at 12:04 PM we had issues hitting bottom on the way up to the course, and even on the course.  The river flow was normal for this time of year, at 17,500 CFS (gage height 4.7 ft) and the water temperature was a seasonal 57 degrees.  8 Lightnings came out, along with three Cats and two Albacores, and got in two races before it was time to call it a day. Here is a wind chart.  Results are posted.

PRSA Spring Icebreaker Regatta Saturday, March 28 --  We had weather as forecasted (overcast with light drizzle and mist, with winds from the NE at 7 - 5 MPH, and a high temperature of 51 degrees).  High tide was at 10:03 AM and low tide at 5:17 PM.  The river flow was way down for this time of year, at 4,300 CFS (gage height 3.3 ft), and the water temperature was a seasonal 53 degrees.  PRO Scott Snyder, with ace RC Bill Kleysteuber, Cheryl T, and Dan Miller, set up a windward-leeward course in the cove and got off four races in quick succession in a slowly dying wind.  Georgetown U was hosting a regatta using the Power Plant course, so Scott and the racers decided to set up in the cove, which was fine because the water level was high enough.  Lightning sailors Nabeel Alsalam, sailing with Stefano de Leo and Craig Huzway took first place; Bobby Astrove, sailing with Suzan Humphrey took second; and David Thompson, sailing with Joe Kimak and Joe's nephew Matt took third.  Red Fehrle was out in his Laser;  Mr. Wulf was out in the other Laser; and Ben Tice sailed the Albacore, to complete the competitors' list, except for Keith Strasser, who discovered a broken halyard as he was splashing his boat and didn't make it to the race course until the middle of the third race.  Joe Kimak suggested starting all classes together, which made for a much faster sequence of racing.  Results here.

Capital City Laser Regatta 3/21- 3/22!   Pat McGee was PRO.  Results here.  Here are photos, by Peter Howson.