The first race on Sunday will be set for 10:00 am and no race starts after 4:00pm so that everyone can make it back to Anchorage at a reasonable time after putting boats away. When you arrive on Saturday please check in with Race Committee to register your boat for the regatta. Please be ready for the potluck to happen at any time when there is no wind so that we can sail when there is wind. It might end up being an earlier potluck so we can catch the regular evening Big Lake breeze, so maybe plan on something easy for the potluck.
We look forward to seeing all you amazing sailors on the race course, and please check out the ASC 2024 Sailing Instructions before the race.
The Firecracker Regatta is coming up this weekend, with races planned on both Saturday and Sunday. We’ll also have our usual regatta potluck on Saturday evening, so bring food to share and come hungry. We’ll have a skipper’s meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, with racing to follow as the wind allows. The potluck will start whenever we wrap up racing. (Likely sometime between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.)
Our goal will be to run a minimum of five races over the two days with two fleet: a competitive one-design fleet for Bucc 18 races, and a more relaxed Portsmouth-rated fleet open to all boats. (Bucc sailors who would prefer more casual racing are welcome to join the Portsmouth fleet.) Our, and speaking of Buccaneers, the Tony Chapman will be joining us for the Fireweed Regatta this year. Tony is the treasurer of the Buccaneer 18 national class association.
Race Vice Commodore Brie Busey will post more detailed race instructions as we get closer to the event.
Intermediate Sailing class recap
We had a fabulous weekend with our Intermediate Sailing class. Friday and Saturday were warm, with the “standard” Big Lake wind pattern: light winds during the day, and a lovely 5–8 knot evening breeze starting at around 5:00 p.m. The class was packed with info, including work on the Ensign and some pretty impressive first-time spinnaker sailing. Oh, and our “follow the leader” drill looked so good that I think our class could make a bid for an Olympic synchronized sailing event. :-)
As an added treat, three brand-new members showed up over the weekend. Welcome, Jonathan, Joe, and Carmen! Jonathan and Carmen are both long-time sailors, and our instructors took them through the check-out process on the club Lasers. Joe is new to sailing, and his son will be joining us for the youth sailing class this season.
Grounds cleanup
A huge thanks go out to our Intermediate Sailing class, most of whom stayed several hours after class on Sunday to help clean up to the grounds and move boats back to their usual location. The club looks fantastic right now!
Note that the mower is now located outside by the shed near the clubhouse. Mowing is done on a volunteer basis, so if you’re looking for any easy way to help out while you’re at the club, take a 1/2 hour or so and mow some club grounds. We also encourage boat owners to mow the areas until your trailer whenever you move it to launch your boat.
Dock work
We’ve lost the mooring attachment at the far end of “B” dock. Dave Verbrugge was worked on an updated mooring and attachment design, and we have a crew working to set everything up on Thursday and Friday. That includes “The Daves” (Verbrugge and Johnson) and Matt Flickenger on Thursday. I’ll be joining them on Friday. You are welcome to cheer us on while you’re out there!
Coming classes
We’ll run our two Intro to Sailing classes on the two weekends following the Firecracker Regatta, so things should continue to be busy at the club this July.
Congratulations to Darren & Gabe Black, Tom Harrison, Will Merriman, Dave Verbrugge, Addy, Geoff & Oliver Wright for passing the three-day US Sailing certificated sailing instructor course at The Alaska Sailing Club.
It is not too late to register for our Intermediate Sailing class, which begins on 6/28. We still have fourteen spots, and two are still open. If you think you may be better suited for the Intermediate Sailing class and are registered for for the Introduction to Sailing class, please reach out to the Education Committee. (You can do this using the ASC Contact Form. Just select “Class or clinic question” in response to the How can we help you? question.)
The grounds are looking good. Our hydro-seeded grass has filled in nicely. If you can, consider making a trip to mow the grounds this summer. This can be done at your convenience. Contact the site committee to verify the need unless you were already planning a club visit. We will be moving boats back to trailered boat parking this week.
Well-mannered dogs are welcome off-leash! Pet clean-up bags are located on the west side of the clubhouse. Please remember to be respectful of neighboring property and keep pets from trespassing.
Remember that the hoist is only to be pivoted 180 degrees on the water side, not 360. This is to avoid pinching cords and causing damage.
The sky is mostly overcast, but we has a nice, clear view of Denali, and tomorrow we have some boats planning dust off the cobwebs for a few quick races. Oh, and Nancy Black has volunteered to run race committee, so we won’t need to do rabbit starts.
I’m hoping we can get some of our 2024 class folks out for sunset sailing on the Ensign. We have several instructors hanging out this weekend, so this is a great chance to get a informal jump on your sailing skills before the classes.
Parking is definitely still curtailed while the new grass grows in, but there’s plenty of space by the public boat launch. And the RV spaces are ready for use, as is the tenting area.
This doesn’t directly impact the ASC (we already have safety ladders, and we don’t receive money from the SOA harbor facility grant fund), but it’s good news after a year of several high-profile drownings in harbors.
It’s always important to remember that time on the dock is more risky than time sailing on the lake. (That assumes that you always wear your lifejacket while sailing, which is required when using ASC club boats or participating in our regattas.) The best way to mitigate this risk is to put on your lifejacket before heading out to your boat rather than waiting until you’re in the boat.
Here’s the link to the article from the Alaska Beacon:
Alaska Sailing Club 