Cupsaw Race #2

We were able to get two races in on the nice day.  A storm threatened around 13:00, but it quickly moved out and left some decent winds behind.

The first race saw a new competitor join the fun.  The wind held and we had a nice quick race down the lake and back.  The fleet spread out a bit, but everyone was finished in short order. 

We agreed to race again and the wind was a little lighter.  Everyone finished once more and we went back to the beach area for a cold beer and some small talk.

Today was a good reminder not to use the forecast for determining the weather at the moment.  Some sailors thought the storm at 13:00 would mean no race.  The storms were fast moving and cleared out well ahead of the scheduled start.  We will race unless there is lightning overhead or zero wind.  It is that simple.  Foul weather on its own is not going to stop the race from being held, though it may hurt attendance.

We have one more race scheduled for September and that will conclude the first racing season on the lake that I have been a part of. 

I am thinking of holding a race day in October, but I will need a few definite racers before making that attempt.

Cupsaw Festival

We had our first Cupsaw regatta on 8/7/2011.  This was a two race regatta.  The conditions were fair with light, but consistent wind.  We held two races and had a great turnout of 7 boats.  Afterwords, we spoke about ways to improve the program for next year.  The biggest obstacle this summer has been the lack of consistent wind, but the three race days scheduled so far have had enough wind to race.

The next race will be this Sunday, 8/21/2011 at 2PM.  You can visit the Cupsaw Sailing site to learn more.

Challenge of the Lakes

Four Cupsaw Lake sailors went up to Erskine Lakes for the Challenge of the Lakes Regatta.  There was enough wind for four races to be held.  The winds were shifty on the course, but it was otherwise a great day for sailing.

The competition was tight all day.  The top boats from Erskine and Cupsaw were constantly changing positions as the wind gave certain parts of the lake an advantage.  Overall, the average score of the four Cupsaw boats was better than the average for the six Erskine boats, so Cupsaw was declared the winner. 

Erskine Lake Sailing Club was a great host and we look forward to hosting them next year.

Cupsaw Race #1

The first Cupsaw Sailing race in a number of years was held on 7/10/11.  Five boats showed up to race and four boats finished in challenging conditions.  The wind was very light and the temperature was near 90. 

After almost 90 minutes of racing, two boats finished within seconds of each other with a slight puff carrying one ahead of the other.  Everyone got together after the races and shared stories of the day and discussed the different breezes out there.  We sailed upwind to go south and then upwind again to get back north. 

One improvement that I will make is to move the turning mark in from the dam.  The wind can get particularly fluky around the dam and we all agreed that moving it in would make for a better race.  If extra distance is required, we can use the rock buoy for an extra lap.

Our next race will be up on Erskine at the end of the month.  This is always a fun challenge between the two lakes.  After that is a Cupsaw Festival race and then the next race in the Cupsaw season on 8/21/11.