WindWizards.org

The Grandaddy of the Annual American Landyacht Racing Circuit

2010-04-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

Well, another America's Cup Regatta is in the bag. It was an unmitigated success. There was plenty of wind to go around after it finally found us. Most race days saw winds at the upper end of things. We did have one light race day, and it was a good chance to sharpen those "light air" skills. Otherwise it was serious wind and lots of muscle was applied to the sheet lines. The lighter boats often had difficulty keeping all three wheels on the ground and the boat pointed in the right direction. The big boats ran smoothly as ever, although the wind variability caused some safety concerns at the finish line. Not to worry, the race committee kept the line adjusted to maintain room for the very competitive finishes.

John Eisenlohr's ST49 boats drew a lot of interest. They are an all-wood boat with a 49 SF wing. There is a wingboat discussion group at: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/wingboats/ John has plans and templates available to help you build your own. There were 3 or 4 of the ST49s competing in NALSA Open Class 5 and I am sure more would be welcome. John says he put in about 180 hours and a material cost of about 1700 or 1800 dollars. Most everything is available at a good hardware/lumber yard store and on-line sailing suppliers. The cockpit is constructed of 3/4" birch plywood for the mast connection box. The remainder of the cockpit is constructed of solid stringers overlain with 1/4" plywood. The mast is built like a model airplane wing with 1/4" ribs every 12 vertical inches. The hound mount is a solid block and the whole thing is overlain with more plywood (1/8", I think). The result is a great little boat that can transition from dirt to ice and back. Expect big things out of this design. Although it is not a "beginners" boat, it would be a good step-up after you have conquered a Manta.

The Daily First parties went over well. Th Montana M.O.O.S.E. bunch set a high mark on Monday with Elk meat burritos. "Chicken" was also available, although some thought it was probably more like pheasant! Tuesday saw the traditional S.A.S.A.S.S. alcohol event which featured Tequila Tasting. Everyone took home a SASSASS shot glass as a momento. I missed the whole affair as it was my night for shopping. The Wind Wizards received a huge assist from Carl and Sheila Eberly. They donated 100 hot dogs, buns, and chili. Not to be outdone, Duncan Harrison produced his fabled Bacon Dogs, buns, and cans of sprayable cheese. Duncan claims the salsa and "cheese" topping makes it a Mexican dinner staple. I don't know about the Mexicans, but there were plenty of Gringos wolfing them down! Our night was rounded out with chips, dips, cheeses, and a pretty good selection of beers, including New Moon, High Sierra Pale Ale, Corona, and good ol' Budweiser. Thursday was "feed yourself and a new friend" night. Good Eats!!!

I took on a new role this year, under the outstanding guidance of none other than the legendary Kent Hatch. Kent has been overseeing many facets of the A/C Regatta in the past, but is well known for his expertise in coordinating the toilet services. Bob Dill and I got quite an education in the finer aspects of portable toilet management. We learned things you don't even want to know about! I have now been certified as a journeyman "pot stirrer" and hope to provide our organization with many years of Toity management in the future. Needless to say, I will be shopping for some seriously good rubber gloves, a pump sprayer, and a good shovel this year so that I will be ready for A/C 2011.

I can't remember all of the outstanding performers this year, but I will give it a shot. The easy one was Dennis Bassano in US8. He took the FISLY (European) Class 2 trophy home. Alan Wirtanen, Phil Rothrock, and William Dale marched in lock step for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in BOTH the NALSA Class 3 and Class 4.

NALSA Class 5 was swept by the new ST49s with the Eisenlohr father and son team leading Laurie McKenzie across the line. In the European FISLY Class 5 Dave Gluek aced Frank Marsh and Art Lange to capture his trophy. The Sportsman Class was small this year with Carl Rozmarek, leading mother and son, Mary and Sam Robertson. In the Minnie Class Terry Fulbright beat out Burton Grover for the top seat.

Over-all there were more than 50 pilots sailing more than 70 boats in the event, 54 of which came from the Manta Products stables. An impressive number considering that the Mantas were not designed for racing.
That, however, is the beauty of a "One Design" class. All the difference between competitors is the skill of the pilot.

Terry Fullbright and Mark Harris did a fantastic job on the trophies. The lower places received framed photos and the "Win, Place, Show" crowd took home beautiful metal sculptures mounted on driftwood. Mary Bassano headed the Race Committee, without whom there would be no reliable score keeping and therefore no regatta. Thanks to Mary and her crew of volunteers who spent day after day in the dust and wind counting boats, laps, and time. Lester Robertson is also due a note of thanks for storing and prepping the Committee trailer. It got a new coat of paint and a bit of "freshening" thanks to Lester's Millworks company.

The A/C cup race is an annual event and brings out the country's best pilots. This year Hans and his wife visited from Germany. Hans was provided two boats to race and thoroughly enjoyed himself on the course. He may have enjoyed himself more at the Sunday night catered dinner, however. SASSASS, being the way they are, found a Marylin Monroe impersonator to come sing Happy Birthday and muss up his hair. I don't know too many 50 year olds that get that kind of attention from a well-built, breathy blonde with the full approval of his wife. It was quite a show and everyone had a great time, especially "Hansy". Marylin stuck around for a few photo opportunities. I would share some from my cell phone, but you know about Vegas... what goes on there, stays there. ; )

Lisa put together "Swag Bags" for all race entrants as the contribution from Wind Wizards. The bags went faster than the beer and were greatly appreciated by all. The wind was variable, but most race days it was toward the higher end of the spectrum. Plenty of tire wear (and tire sales!!!). A couple of Manta masts broke or bent badly enough to need replacement. Luckily I had some spares (more Yippees!!).

On the down side my RV took a header and I had to leave it in Las Vegas. Hopefully they will be able to effect repairs without too much delay. Bill Robertson was extremely generous and not only ran over to the pick me up at the dealer, but also toted my box trailer home. Now THAT is what friends do, thanks Bill!

El Mirage is now showing most of it's surface as dry. Leo Ast reports mud is visible only in the center of the lake. If we don't get anymore rain we could be sailing by mid-April. However if the drought-ender keeps on giving it might be June before it sees our wheels.

Keep rubber side down and I hope to see you all soon.

Michael

PS: BLM anticipates opening the lake on Saturday, 4/1/10

Two Soups and a Shoe

2009-06-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

What a Weekend (Korn Fest)

2009-05-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Duncan Harrison just sent me some pics from his BoatCam check it out.

Parade of Lights

2008-06-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

Father's Day Weekend at El Mirage

More than 50 landyachts participated in the June 15th and 16th Annual Father's day event. It was quite a showing and the weather could not have been better. We had a bit of a boost courtesy of Mike Blanchard from the Edwards AFB, Outdoor Recreation unit. ODR sponsored two batches of "newbies" with their fleet and they proved to be an amiable bunch.

Other newcomers included Ron, Lisa, and Gabriel from Littlerock, and their guest... the AAA tow truck driver. Apparently Ron's Little White Jeep took offense at the desert dust and refused to start. The tow truck driver was a real trooper and located Ron on the lakebed like a bee to a flower. We hope to see them all again, but without AAA.

Wayne Maulden put in another appearance, this time with his sister, Lilly, and her husband, Ed Swanson. The Swansons are long-time personal friends, whom we have not seen for quite some time. Unfortunately they left before Wayne realized we had arrived. Oh well. When Wayne did find me on Sunday morning I was a bit pre-occupied with an ash problem. More on that later.

The Saturday sailing started with light air, and gave many of the newcomers an opportunity to gain some confidence. As the day progressed the wind filled in nicely and they were soon handling the boats with ease. The motorized traffic was light, so there was little interference on the lake. As the sun dropped into the western sky the barbecues came out and dinners were started. In Camp Anthonio that means Dutch Oven time. Harvey mixed up a carrot cake in one oven and some sort of apple spice cake in the other. After lining the pots with foil they were placed into an old wash tub. In the bottom of the tub were 8 briquettes. On to top of each Dutch Oven were 16 more. The two Dutch Ovens were stacked on top of one another. If you have never seen this kind of cooking, it is pretty impressive.

Mike Blanchard donned his chef's hat and spent some time slaving over his propane-fired burner. Wielding tools that any Food Network star would envy, Mike produced a mouth-watering version of barbecued chicken that put smiles on all the faces at Camp Anthonio. Mike has obviously been doing the outdoor cooking thing for some time.

The festivities for the Parade of Lights got underway and the wind was sufficient to actually sail until well after dark. Leo's Christmas tree was probably the Best of Show, with Harvey's Skeletor taking Most Original use of materials. Looking like something out of an abstract animation film, the Skeletor brought much laughter and many gasps of surprise. Lots of fun was had and another successful Parade of Lights was brought to an end as the last of the wind died out.

With Harvey's cakes consumed, and Lisa trundled off to Apple Korn slumber. My "neighbors" for the evening were some of the EAFB newbies, Adam and Hanna, and Robbie and Vanessa. I spent a bit of time getting to know them, and learning about their work, and what brought them to our little part of the world. Sammie, Hannah's beagle, even enjoyed the fun. Finally it was time to turn in and I climbed into my RV for some welcome rest. There is something incredibly restorative about a night in the desert air... as long as you are not sleeping on the hard ground.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... As most of our members know, we lost a dear friend this year. Steve Brown suffered a fatal heart attack while standing in line at the WaMu bank in Hawthorne. Unfortunately none of his friends or family were aware of this and Steve nearly ended up in the County's Pauper's field. Thanks to Bill Robertson, his family was notified just in time for them to claim the body and avoid burial as an unknown. Due to wet weather conditions in December, and scheduling conflicts with Steve's Mom, we had to spread his ashes at the 2nd best spot we could find. While this made things work for the moment, it just didn't set right for everyone else. So...

A few days after the spreading ceremony I visited the site. Steve was still there, spread in a semi-circle of "ash". I just couldn't help myself. Knowing that Steve would really have wanted to be closer to "home", I swept him up and placed him in a plastic baggie. After a dry-run sometime Saturday night, courtesy of Sammy the Wonder Beagle, Steve was gathered up, once again, and this time Harvey did the official honors. Steve is now where he should be, close at hand, amongst his friends.

I awoke to the usual sounds of morning at El Mirage... gyrocopters, motorcyles, and ultralight aircraft. A generous breakfast was prepared by Robbie and shared with his EAFB buddies and yours truly. As the breeze started up Mike Blanchard gave his safety briefing to the next batch of EAFB newbies and another day of sailing got off to a good start.

Thanks to all who came out, and we hope you come back soon.

Michael
US 777

Wet Sailors learn to do it Dry!

2008-06-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

June 7th - Hosting the San Fernando Yacht Club

Today provided a several of the SFYC members a look at the drier side of sailing. Pictured at the left with their "Coach", Duncan Harrison, are eight happy, but tired Landsailing converts. The wind was remarkably cooperative. The morning and early afternoon saw typical "sucker" wind, which gave everyone time to learn the ropes. Of course, this always makes everyone nervous, since the off-shore condition makes wind reliability uncertain. Not to worry, this gave the SFYC members time to fire up the barbie and present a meal of roasted corn, beans, and barbcued beef for everyone.

Late in the afternoon the wind filled in and the "wet" sailors got full measure. Young and old alike, they took ride-after-ride through Sailor's Bay, around the windsock, and out onto the lake. Remembering their morning training, they were careful not to sail out farther than they wanted to walk back. As sundown approached they packed up their barbie, helped take down the boats, and headed off into the sunset with large smiles on their faces.

Another first for the day came from Ron, Liz, and Gabriel, new members from Littlerock who finally hooked up with the club for the first time today. They are sailing a beautiful older Manta with gold anodized parts and a Rainbow sail panel. You sharp-eyed sailers know that they have a real classic Manta. How cool is that? They hope to be back for the Parade of Lights.

Many thanks to those Wind Wizards who graciously gave up their boats for the SFYC members to use; Charley, Duncan, and Lynn.

I think we will be seeing our converts again, before too long.

Speaking of which... The Father's Day weekend event is just around the corner. On June 14 and 15 we will hold our annual event with the Parade of Lights taking place on Saturday evening.

Michael
US 777

Hot Off The Press... 2008 Nationals

2008-06-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Under the Heading of, "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water..." I submit this completely truthful and unbiased report of the 32nd Annual Running of the Bull, otherwise known as The Nationals.

For those not in attendance some of the references may need interpretation. Photos would be good, but it is harder to protect the guilty that way. Lisa Robertson has already published a couple of her shots, demonstrating the incendiary nature of mankind as well as a "line-up" photo of possible suspects.

The Nationals has been the evolutionary work product of Nord Embroden and friends for many years. My own participation, a mere half-dozen or so, has revealed a strongly family-oriented flight of fantasy aimed at having a good time while recovering from the day's racing activities with a BBQ, a "communal" tent environment, mystery, intrigue, valuable cash prizes, and freedom from international tax tariffs.

This year topped the mark. Although that seems impossible, given some of the past events. How could Nord create anything more surprising than the memorable Murder Mystery Theater, complete with a visit from the coroner? Or what about the "Night of the Coconuts" and the exotic dancing provided by your truly? Well, sometimes people are the most creative when left to themselves... which is exactly what happened.

In an outing straight out of Dante's Inferno, the Embroden family suffered wind, rain, hail, a visit from the Exxon Valdiz (right in their own driveway!), a flat tire, and a runaway cruise control that threatened to send the "new" motorhome into hyper-drive. The end result was that the band members showed up well before any sign of Nord and the Nordettes. Any mortal man would have called it quits and stayed home, but not the Nordster. Oh no, he LOVES punishment!!

Meanwhile, back at the lake... The wind was too light for much of a regatta. The Mantas running 17" aircraft tires at 120 psi did well, but those of us running stock boats were left behind.

In the absence of steady wind the intrepid landsailers were left to their own devices. Out came the alternative toys, you know, the RC stuff. First the aircraft made their debut. All went well until an in-flight catastrophic wing failure grounded (HARD) one plane. An unwitting control-selection doomed the second ship to craterville. Both were later offered up to the gods of wind and sun as token appeasement. I have seen incense burning before, but this was a new twist.

The RC cars were next. They were thought to be safe, since the don't usually leave the ground. Skilled driving was demonstrated by Bo and Bill. An unnamed novice also tried his hand, but seemed to have some 3-D issues. He kept running into the pylon cone.

Everyone else just sort of piddled along. At least until the band started arriving. With the band came enough wind to start giving them a demo of why it is that we come all the way out into the desert. ...to be far from medical aid, apparently. With the wind filling in at a good 15 to 20 mph the landyachts were busy zipping hither and yon. ...or maybe it was hither and "yawn", as in not paying enough attention to what your student pilot is doing.

Startled from my reverie by the fast approach of another boat, all I could manage was to cry out, "turn right. turn right!!!" It almost worked. Oh well, some of my ribs were almost healed from February's car crash. What's a few more ribs, anyway? Fortunately the injuries were limited, as was my breathing for a bit, but now everything is mending nicely.

Dorita showed up about that time (it is ALWAYS nice to have a Nurse around) and proclaimed my injuries as probably survivable. Then she set to work completing the BBQ banquet and waiting expectantly for her husband and children to arrive.

As the Sunday sun settled slowly into the western sky and the clock was just seconds from marking 8 PM (and nearly separating a bettor from his winnings) Nord stepped from his mobile domicile and the Nationals officially began. On Sunday???

Yes, it's true, this was the 1st annual Nord-less Nationals. Celebrated by me, Bandage-beak Bill Robertson, Limping Lisa Robertson, Bo, Mike, and others personally impacted by the weekend as the "Crashionals."

The celebration culminated in BBQ chicken, beef, baked potatoes, etc. all devoured just in time for the Educators to strike up the music and treat everyone to their 20th annual rendition of such hits as The Cat Came Back.

I would personally like to thank Nord and Dorita for the Herculean effort that they put out every year. This year was no different. Equipment failures aside, there was no less work to this event than for any in the past. Unfortunately their efforts were completely overshadowed by circumstance. Thanks, anyway!!! I would also like to thank all those who helped me re-wire my motorhome (twice!). Larry (and his father's advice) was absolutely essential to the repairs. The packing assistance the next morning is the only thing that stood between me and abandonment. Were it not for Harvey, Larry, Peter, Mike, Bo and the rest, Midnight would have been nothing but another aim-point for China Lake's Top Gun fighter-bombers on Tuesday morning.

Thanks for the many emails and phone calls checking on my welfare. It hurts a bit now and again, but not as much as it would if I didn't have all of you for friends.

Did anyone find the missing worm?

See you on the lakebed.

Michael
US 777

Burning Plane at 2008 Nationals

2008-05-28T20:44:00.001-07:00

Harvey, Nice Job!

2008-03-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

This Blog is working well.

How Do I Post?

2008-03-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Click on the Sign On button at the very top of this frame.
Enter your user name.
Enter your password.

Once you login you will land at a window called the Dashboard.
Click on View Blog and you are in!

If you do not have a user name, you will have to create one. Follow the prompts, write down your User Name and Password. Save it someplace for easy reference. I can never remember mine, so I have to call Harvey, now and again. It really isn't hard. Lisa figured out how to post photos, so be expressive, have fun.

The management retains the right to edit or eliminate any posting not in the best interest of the club or sport.