Dear Fleet V Members.

Three things to bring you up to speed on:

1. Spring Invitational

By all manner of measuring boat races the Spring Invitational had to be considered unique. It was the first day of Daylight Savings time, the weather was warm and clear, the turnout of six boats (five raced) was better than any other fleet and the wind was flukey until almost the end. One Time, Quiet Woman, Tiburon, Nemesis and Jane's Addiction were out and competing in the second High Point Race of the year.  Manana Iguana entered but didn't make it to the starting line.

Tiburon won the start by coming in behind everyone and nailing the favored position right next to the committee boat.  One Time reeled them in on the first leg and rounded the weather mark in first place, followed closely by Tiburon and Quiet Woman.  The downwind leg saw no changes and One Time rounded in first place.  Tiburon and Quiet Woman were sticking close with Jane's behind them.  That's when it went nutso.  One Time stayed on the beach for a short run and sailed into a hole.  The others saw what was happening and quickly tacked to the wall.  One Time tacked to cover but the hole stayed with them. While this was going on Jane's seemed to be in her own wind channel.  She accelerated all the way to the wall and held the lead until the end.

Tiburon and Quiet Woman engaged in a spirited race until the finish with Tiburon doggedly holding on for second place.  Quite Woman was third and One Time closed quickly but alas ran out of race course and had to settle for a fourth place finish.  Congratulations to Jane's for the win.  However the day's highlight was the speed that Tiburon displayed and their spirited duel with the excellently sailed Quiet Woman.  It looks as though it could be an interesting summer.

2. I am saddened to report that the Newport Fleet has met its demise, hopefully only temporarily.  A recent meeting with Newport's Don Albrecht disclosed that there are only two Cal 25s racing in that area.  Not enough to sustain a fleet.  However, Don was optimistic that he could recruit additional members and dedicated himself to that endeavor.  In the interim he was invited to participate more regularly in all of our events.  Hopefully his efforts at rebuilding the Fleet will be successful.  Until that occurs the Newport Fleets link to the Cal 25 website will be removed.

3. In hopes of building the fleet we are embarking on a venture that I hope can lead us to success.  There's a lot of Cal 25s in the harbor however only a small percentage are actively racing.  Many people feel that it's because of the difficulty factor in successfully flying the chute.  We've all seen the pictures of the Detroit Fleet with upwards of twenty boats on the line.  That's where we want to be.  I've discussed at length with them the reasons for their success.  Their response was that they built the fleet by encouraging non-spinnaker races.  If it worked for them perhaps it can work for us.  This summer's Pop Top Series at Seal Beach Yacht Club (Thursday nights) will feature a Cal 25 start wherein only mainsails and jib will be allowed.  We'll put Flyers on every boat in the bay and keep our fingers crossed that we'll get some response. 

PS.  No more racing until Wet Wednesdays, May 2nd.  Our next fleet meeting will be the Rules Seminar at LBYC on Wednesday April 25th. 

Important: The Cal 25 Fleet is scheduled to do the PRO work for the June Catalina Island Series race-over and back.  I need an experienced power boater who is capable of running the Loynes.  If you know how to do it then please consider volunteering your time.  If not a LBYC member then you'll have to be checked out by the Quartermaster.  This is due to insurance purposes as well as club policy.