November 2021 Papoose Article

September was a busy month for LMYC members. The annual Commodore’s Cup Regatta was postponed to Monday, Sept. 6^th due to rain on Sunday, but the Commodore’s Cocktail Party went ahead as scheduled at the home of Commodore Gail Miner. Luckily the rain stopped so the crowd spilled over to fill the deck overlooking the Lake as they enjoyed the potlucks. The Reekie family’s sailboat cookies were a big hit!

Labor Day brought in heavy and shifty winds. John Miller and Hank Jelinek served as Race Committee and set a course with a start off Beach 2 and a weather mark in the center of the lake below Manitou Island. Despite the challenging conditions, one Lightning, one Snipe and one Laser sailed out to race. At the start of the first race, Chris Mackey in a Snipe, with dad Tim as crew, made a perfect start at the boat end of the starting line, with Rich Miner in his Lightning, with crew Gail and Bob McNamara, and John Trela in his Laser behind the Mackeys. After a tacking duel on the first beat, Rich rounded the weather mark first and kept the lead with the wind varying between light and strong.

The wind was light at the start of the second race, but quickly changed to very strong, and the sailors struggled to keep their boats upright. There were some capsizes, but all the boats finished the race, in the same order as in the first race. John Miller carefully calculated the results based on the Portsmouth Handicap, which resulted in Rich and Gail Miner and Bob McNamara in 1st, Chris and Tim Mackey 2nd and John Trela 3rd. The tired sailors dried off a bit for this photo, sporting Regatta medals provided by Rich Cramer.

With heavy winds on September 12, Chris and Tim Mackey raced in Sunfish and John Trela raced his Laser. Race Committee Mark Marussich set a course with the start near the Yacht Club and a weather mark north of the Island. Chris easily won the first race, because Tim and John decided to stop and wait for the second race (pictured here) which Chris also won followed by his father and John.

On September 26, the winds were very strong, sometimes hitting 12 mph, and shifting from northwest to west. Race Committee Don Okner and Hank Jelinek set a course starting off Beach 2 and a weather mark off the cove below Manitou Island. The Miner Lightning and Peter Roos, also in a Lightning with his daughter Madeline and John Trela as crew, started the race. The main issue was controlling the boats in the strong and shifty wind, which caused a fair amount of acrobatics for the crews. The Miner boat opened a big lead and the Roos Lightning retired early. The Miner team still worked hard to finish in the strong and shifty winds.

The Haucks & Cramers, our active Social Committee, followed the Outdoor Movie Night on Sept. 24 with an amazing Oktoberfest on Oct. 2, complete with all the traditional foods, and live music on the dock. It was a beautiful day to get together without getting wet. We especially appreciated the guitar and vocal artistry of Alex Fox who treated us to a marvelous medley of Cuban and stateside classics and new favorites.

To join or learn more about sailing, contact us at LakeMohawkSailing@gmail.com or visit our website: www.LakeMohawkSailing.org

Compiled by Commodore Gail Miner