Year: 2025

2025 Enduro

The Enduro marks the official end of Minuteman Model Yacht Club’s 2025 sailing season.  This 4-hour long endurance race has no holds for boats or breaks for skippers.  Skippers must sail continuously to accumulate as many laps as possible.  Except for Wheelers and the Large J boats, there are no limits as to what class are sailed, and all boats are started and sailed at the same time.  However, for scoring we group them into boats that are over 40” long and boats that are under 40” long.

The reality is that hull length alone does not always determine the winner.  There are many variables that can affect outcomes over the course of 4 hours and today proved to be challenging.  There were a couple of boats that found some weeds/leaves; a couple of boats had to be rescued, and three boats had either electrical or mechanical problems; all of which had to be resolved while the rest of the fleet sailing and accumulating laps; and then there was the wind. 

As it turns out, I had the first problem of the day.  I was prepared to sail my Canterbury J, but when I was launching it, I found I had no rudder control.  The rudder was working fine the day before and when I set it up at the pond.  I could hear the servo, but the rudder did not move.  It seems like sometime between when I set the boat up and the beginning of the race, gremlins got in and broke the rudder control arm.  Go Figure!  As luck would have it, I had brought a loaner DF95 and ended up sailing it.

Now, let’s talk about the wind.  It started out very light, but steady.  The little boats were happy, the big boats, not so much.  Then the wind would pick up, and the big boats would make up ground (or should I say water) and overtake the smaller boats.  Then the wind would slack off, and the little boats would overtake the bigger boats.  This shifting pattern went on for a good portion of the race.  However, during the final hour, winds became a little more prevalent and the bigger boats ultimately stayed at the front of the pack.

My congratulations to Herb Dreher, who won in the over 40” group, and Alain Jousse, who won in the under 40” group.

I want to thank the skippers who came out to sail with us; our scorekeeper Sue Martin, who had to sit and count laps for 4 hours; and the guys who helped move and recover the marks.  Thanks Everyone!

Cliff Martin, Commodore

Unscheduled 11/1/25

The day was predicted to be windy with gusts, and we were supposed to sail Stars, US1M’s or DF95’s.  Realistically, not everybody has “B or C” rigs, so I prompted skippers to maybe also bring a more wind friendly boat and decide what to sail when they got to the pond.

Eleven skippers showed up with Stars (with and without “B” rigs), a VM (no “B” rig), an IOM (with “A and B” rigs), a US1M (with “A and B” rig), some DF95’s (all “A” rigs), and an RG65 (I think the whole boat is a “B” rig).

The actual winds went from way too little to way too much depending on where you were on the course, what boat you were sailing, and what time of day it was.  The race was often kind of a David vs Goliath situation due to the wind variability and vastly different sizes of boats being raced.  The winds sometimes favored the larger boats, and the winds sometimes favored the smaller hulls.  I must admit to occasionally rooting for the DF95 that was ahead of a larger boat when both were heading to the finish line.  The scores only tell the story if you compare similar boats.

It was a fun day, and everybody is now looking forward to the 4-hour Enduro that will take place next Sunday.

See you there!

Cliff Martin,

Commodore

Unscheduled 10/25/25

Skippers,

Today we had an unscheduled race where skippers could bring a US1M, S1M or DF95 and sail together.

Nine skippers showed up but some skippers came late, some skippers left early, and some skippers changed boats.  Ultimately, there were 4-DF95’s and 5-US1M’s on the pond at one time or another.  The scoring is a bit crazy because of the changes but it was an interesting, and fun day.  

One of the above skippers was Dennis Uyenoyama.  Dennis has sailed big boats, but he is new to model yacht sailing, so I loaned him my DF95 (412a) and I sailed my US1M (17).  When Dennis had to leave early, I retired my US1M and continued sailing the DF95.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I probably should have just stuck with the US1M as changing boats kinda’ messed up scoring.  It took a while, but I got it straight.  Oh well!

The wind was unpredictably variable, light to heavy.  It kept us on our toes, but it was wind, so we were happy.

Thanks to Steve White for keeping score for us.  In the end, Herb Dreher was the lead US1M and Paul Mercer took top DF95 honors.

Cliff Martin,

Commodore

Saturday unscheduled sailing

Skippers,

This coming Saturday (10/25/25) there is an opportunity to do some sailing that is not on the schedule.

I propose that we race US1M’s starting at 11:00am.  I also suggest that we allow sailing of DF95’s and Solings at the same time.  I will score everybody on the water.  Maybe we should think of this as practice for the Enduro.

We will pull the marks in a couple more weeks and I would like to give everybody a chance to sail before the weather gets too cold and/or the water gets too hard.

Please let me know by noon on Friday if you will be able to sail this coming Saturday and what boat you would like to race.

Also, as I was leaving the pond last Sunday I was approached by a bystander who was interested in learning to sail model yachts.  If he is able to come on Saturday I will bring a boat for him and he can meet the gang and get his first lesson.

Thanks,

Cliff Martin

I would like to do the same thing next Saturday.

Racing 10/19/25

Today, seven skippers showed up to race.  Five brought DF95’s, one brough a S1M, and one brought a US1M.  

The forecast was for a clear, cool Fall day with some gusty breezes, and the day did not disappoint.  Some of us were in Nashua, NH the day before trying to sail EC-12’s in extremely light conditions, so we were happy to see the winds.  

That said, none of us really had the right sails to match the wind conditions.  Being hearty men of the (sea in our minds), we persevered with what we had.  The result was a somewhat high attrition rate.  We had a broken jib swivel, a broken rudder servo, and at least one skipper had a bout of good sense and dropped out before something broke.  The remaining three boats were not going to admit defeat or surrender to conditions.

It is worth mentioning that the high winds didn’t necessarily sweep uniformly across the pond.  I remember at least one race in which the fleet was tacking towards the windward mark when one skipper who was slightly above and behind the fleet, caught the edge of a gust that no one else had and literally screamed past everyone to reach the mark first.  I’m sure we were all very happy about his good fortune. (No! It wasn’t me!)

Such was the day.

I should also mention that the US1M skipper was remodeling his house and could not get to his S1M.  He raced with us but was not scored so he isn’t in the results.  However, as expected he did well, and we are glad he came to sail with us.

Cliff Martin,

Commodore

Vintage Nationals 2025

2025 Vintage Nationals-10/4/25

Skippers, you may or may not have known, but I was away last weekend sailing in the Vintage Nationals Regatta on the upper end of Tom’s River in New Jersey.  I know some of you like to hear about how things went, so here is my brief report on my outcomes.

Tom’s River is a brackish water river with very little tide in the area in which we were sailing.  Last weekend the winds were very light and slightly shifty, with some surprising gusts.  Another variable that often affected our sailing was the passing power boat traffic.  I sailed in three classes: 50” Schooner’s, Vintage Highflyer Marblehead’s, and Vintage 36’s.

The Schooner was my greatest unknown in terms of performance.  I built it from a pile of parts with no plans to go by.  I have attempted to sail it in the Vintage National’s 2 previous times.  The first time the sail plan proved unworkable, and I could not get the boat to turn through the wind and had to retire without sailing a lap.  The second time I lost my sail winch while tacking around before the race began and I had to retire.  This time I was hoping to just finish a lap.  To make a long story short, I found the Schooner more difficult to sail than I imagined, but I was able to finish in 5th place out of 11 boats.

The next day, there were 30 Vintage Marblehead’s in three different Classes that started and sailed together.  They werefaced with the occasional gust, but mostly very calm winds and rolling waves/boat wake.  I had a lot of trouble keeping wind in my sails as my boat bobbed along, I felt that some of the heavier hulls seemed to handle the conditions a little better, but it might have just been my imagination.  I did note that I was not alone in my struggles.  In the end, I placed Second in the rather small Vintage Highflyer Division.  I can’t tell how I did relative to the other Vintage Marblehead’s because they didn’t give all the scores.  But I’ll take the Second Place.

On the last day of the Regatta the Vintage 36 Class boats were sailed with 16 competitors.  The wind conditions were even lighter than the day before, but fortunately the smaller 36’s handled things a little better.  In the morning, everyone struggled with the very light wind and boat wakes.  Fortunately, towards noon, the breeze picked up a little and it was somewhat easier to keep the sails full of air.  

In the afternoon, racing continued with light shifty breezes.  There was a lot of jockeying for space around marks, and after boats rounded, they headed in all directions to find the wind and clear air.  I was able to get clear in most instances and stay on the wind.  In the end, I took First Place in Vintage 36’s.  My Riptide 36 also won the Craftmanship award.  Yay!

Cliff Martin

Racing 9/14/25

Sunday 9-14-2 Writeup

I have come up with many theories to explain things in life that I don’t understand.  In one such theory I noticed that as I got older my hair got grayer and remembering things became harder.  This led me to theorize that each hair was actually attached to a brain cell and when a brain cell died, the attached hair turned gray.  I felt I was on to something and that this clearly needed more study.  But alas!  Too many people seemed to also lose their indicator (hair) as they age, making comprehensive study impossible.

What does this have to do with sailing you ask?  Well, I need to try to explain things I don’t understand, and today’s sailing got me to thinking.  I have noticed that the winds have beenincredibly light for many regattas this year, and the weeds have also been miraculously light.  I have also noticed that when we have good wind, we also seem to have a lot of weeds.  So, I’m thinking that in sailing venues there is a close association between weeds and wind; too close.  When there is wind, there are weeds, to make sailing more difficult.  When there are no weeds, there is no wind, which makes sailing more difficult.  This is just a coincidence you say.  This is too incredible you say.  Maybe not!

Today, Rosemay was sunny, with mild temperatures and just a hint of a breeze.  In keeping with the above theory, there were also minimal weeds.  The breezes were steady enough that the boats didn’t sit in too many doldrums very often or for very long.  The racing was slow but the group was in good spirits so the racing (such as it was) was fun.  The light winds really favored the DF’s.  When the race was over, Cliff Martin took first overall and first in the DF95 class.  Greg LaPlante took first in the Soling One Meter class.

My thanks to Rick Gates who helped keep score.

Cliff Martin

Commodore

Footy’s and …..

Footy Regatta 8/16/25 and Soling/DF95 Regatta 8/17/25

This was one of the better weekends for sailing in my humble opinion; Mild temperatures, no rain, no weeds, and our usual unpredictable/fluky winds.

Saturday’s Footy Regatta was contested by eight skippers sailing Pool Sharks, Rangers, Cobra’s and 3D printed Footy’s.  While these boats are fun, they are not easy to sail and require a lot of focus on the part of the skipper.  Wind shifts and gusts can quickly change the sailing dynamics of any boat, and each boat design has a little different reaction to the changing conditions.  Because they are small, they are built very light, but they carry a lot of sail.  As a result, these boats seem to suffer a little more attrition than other classes.  When sailing was over, we had lost four boats to attrition.

Please see the Saturday scoresheet for results.  My thanks to John Lamport who helped keep score when his boat gave up the ghost.

Sunday’s Soling/DF95 Regatta had a little better wind conditions than Saturday and eight skippers showed up to race.  As luck would have it, Herb Dreher, who is always well prepared, showed up with his Soling, ready to sail.  But between home and the pond his rudder servo stopped working…actually he could get right rudder but not left rudder.  Hmmmm!   He ended up sailing DF95 412.  

Then Paul Mercer’s (who is also always well prepared) rudder decided that it could no longer find and return to center.  The servo would just continue moving, with no transmitter input, until it found its own happy place to stop.   There was not another spare boat Paul to sail, so the race was contested with just six skippers.  

Please see the Sunday scoresheet for results.  My thanks to Paul Mercer who helped me call the line and keep score.

Thanks to everybody who came to the pond to enjoy the weekend with us. 

Cliff Martin,

Commodore

Sue & Jim Linville Memorial 8/10/25

The Linville’s were members of the Minuteman Model Yacht Club long before I joined.  Jim was my first contact with the Club, but I remember both very well.  They had gregarious personalities, they were avid builders and skippers, and they were very quick to help any newcomers to the hobby.  Sue passed a year or two after I joined the Club and Jim continued, passing only last year.  Their participation at the regional and national level left a lasting impression on the Club and on the hobby of model yachting.

This year was the second Jim and Sue Linville Memorial Regatta. 7 skippers showed up to compete for the traditional 1st, 2nd and 3rd place” Ducky Trophies” and the newer “Ducky Perpetual” Trophy.  

The weather was beautiful at the pond.  Happily, the weeds were very minimal, but unfortunately so was the wind.  The forecast was for 1-3 mph winds with gusts up to 5 mph…except there weren’t too many gusts.  Since nobody ever said you had to sail very fast or maneuver very much to call yourself a sailor, we sailored on.

As a bit of irony, before racing started our friend John Lamport showed up with his giant motorized ducky to demonstrate how fast we could be going if we actually had wind.  Certainly, afterwards nobody went as fast, except for maybe my motorized RC rescue boat.

It goes without saying that the race was challenging but there were few complaints since we were there to have fun.  It also goes without saying that because of the light wind, there was not always a lot of separation of the boats going around the marks, so mark rounding’s were very exciting.

When racing was over John Martin had proved he could find wind even when others struggled.  He was followed closely by Rick Laird in second and Chris O’Brien in third.

My thanks to all of the skippers who showed up to help remember Jim and Sue, and my thanks to Steve White for helping to keep score.

Cliff Martin,
Commodore

Regatta. 8/3/25

8-03-25 Regatta

The sun was shining, and the humidity was very low as we stood by the pond and looked at the reflection of the trees on the glassy surface of the pond.  It was a great setting to contemplate nature and the meaning of life, but it was not so good if you were planning to have a sailing regatta.

Anyway, we watched as sailors mistakenly launched their boats during the “Fun Sailing” time and then struggle to get them back in the light winds.  Being the optimistic kinda’ guys we are, we patiently waited for regatta time to roll around and hoped the wind would fill in.  The good news is that it did, off and on.

8 Skippers showed up to race with 4 DF95’s and 4 S1M’s. Unfortunately, a couple of the skippers had to drop out before the race due to electronics problems.  That left us with 3 DF’s and 3 S1M’s to compete.  I brought the club’s new RC Rescue boat to continue with its sea trials.

The racing was challenging because of the light shifty winds, and unfortunately the weeds were also in play today.  It seems that theweeds can be “not bad” or “really bad” depending on which way the wind blows.  Today, the weeds were somewhere in between and seemed to get better as the day went on.

I think today’s uber-light winds tended to slightly favor the very light DF’s, although the Soling’s were always in the fight.  You can see that the Soling’s scores are very close together and not far behind the DF’s.  

We got in 11 races today, and when the scores were added up Cliff Martin took first overall, and first in the DF class.  Paul Mercer hasn’t had a chance to sail with us much this year, but he came ready to race and took second overall with his DF.  Herb Dreher took fourth overall and was first in the Soling One Meter class.

Good going everyone!

The RC Rescue boat was able to rescue 4 boats (1 with electronics issues, a couple of boats caught on weeds, and one boat with a keel caught on a mark anchor line).  I thought itperformed pretty good but it’s still a learning process to drive what amounts to a swamp buggy, using just the right stick on Spectrum transmitter.

Many thanks to Steve White who showed up to call the line and help us keep score.

My thanks to all the skippers who came to sail with us.

Until next time.

Cliff Martin, Commodore

July 20th Racing

7-20-25 Regatta

We had another Sunday of great weather, with no rain forecast until the evening.  

7 Skippers showed up with 5 DF95’s and 2 S1M’s.  In addition, for fun time, I brought my Schooner to get in some sailingpractice in preparation for the Vintage Nationals.  I also brought my newly constructed RC rescue boat to test.  As it turns out, both still could use some work.    

We got a late start because of a last-minute pre-race rescue. A DF65 had snagged some weed, and it was up to the new “RC Rescue Boat” to save the day.  Either that or inflate the pontoon boat.  The RC Rescue Boat performed as designed, however, I was not very good at driving it.  During the rescue there was shouting and hollering from the other skippers, which I optimistically took for encouragement.  Note to self: next time practice when there is no crowd. 

The racing was interesting, as always, because of the shifty winds, but the weeds were also in play today.  The weeds weren’t horrible, but they were always a threat.  I like to think that I selflessly captured a few weeds during racing so that other skippers could sail on unimpeded.  It was a thankless job.  

The fluky winds and occasional small weeds kept the racing very close as was evidenced by the 3-way tie for 3rd and the 2-way tie for 6th.  The A-Fleet scoring software was able to sort them out by how they placed in the various heats.

We got in 12 races, and when the race was done Cliff Martin took first overall, and in the DF class, and Herb Dreher took second overall and first in the Soling One Meter class.

Good going everyone!

I want to mention that Glenn Chalder, Region I Director, visited our club today to get feedback for the AMYA.  He talked to everybody before, during and after racing.  It was a pleasure meeting him and he fit right in with our pondside banter.  Weenjoyed his company, and he even called the line and helped Steve White keep score.  Hopefully he will come back and sail with us in the future.

My thanks to all the skippers who came to sail with us.

Until next time.

Cliff Martin, Commodore

Scott Spacie Regatta

Skippers,

The Scott Spacie Footy Regatta was held on a beautiful Saturday.  Eight skippers showed up to enjoy the day and have some fun.  There was Pool Sharks, some 3D Printed Hagerup designs and a Hagerup Ranger II.  Alain Jousse even brought his schooner rigged footy to demonstrate.

The initial winds were fluky, as usual, which made the sailing a little more challenging for these little yachts with their big sails.  Unfortunately, weeds were also an unexpected factor.  

By necessity, the course was rather large for footies, so heats were long, and it seemed like every race we had to wait for somebody to drag a weed to shore.  The rescue pole got a good workout, but we didn’t have to get in the rescue boat.

As racing progressed, the wind became a little lighter and the racing a little slower.  As you can imagine, during heats the lead changed often, and you never knew who was going to win until the end.  On at least two heats I managed to stall my boat and give up the lead to skippers who had better control.

In the 2-1/2 hours we raced we managed to get in 8 heats, and when the scores were added up Alain Jousse won the day with his Pool Shark.

Many thanks to Sue Martin for keeping score for us.

Cliff Martin,

Commodore

Scott Spacie Regatta

Skippers,

This coming Saturday (7/12/25) the annual Scott Spacey Footy Regatta will be held at Rosemary Lake in Needham, MA.

A couple of weeks ago we had concerns about weeds and were afraid we might have to move the venue, but last weekend the racing was weed free.  So, we are staying at Rosemary.

The weather is somewhat threatening, so I will keep watch.  I will send out a final go/no-go Saturday morning before 7:00am.  Watch your emails.

Please let me know if you plan to attend.  Racing will begin promptly at 12:00 noon.

 Cliff Martin,

Commodore

Old Timers Regatta

Skippers,

This coming Sunday (7/13/25) is the Old Timer’s Regatta.  For 26 years this has been an annual event for Club members who are over 65 years of age.  It is run and scored much like other regattas, but when all the racing has ended we reduce the skippers final scores using a factor that is based on the skipper’s age.  The older the skipper, the larger the deduction.  You don’t know who won until the final score is calculated.

Traditionally, the racing fleet has been limited to just US1M’s, but I think it’s time to bend to changing times and give individuals without a US1M a chance to participate.  

Going forward, DF95’s will be allowed to race as well.  Both fleets will be sailed together, but they will be scored separately.

This year, the traditional “Old Timer’s” cane will be awarded to the winner in the traditional US1M fleet.  The winner in the DF95 fleet will receive a certificate.  If the response is good in the DF fleet, I will get a cane for next year’s DF95 fleet winner.  The name of both winners will appear in the trophy room.

Please let me know if you plan to attend and in what fleet you plan to sail.

No rain is predicted for Sunday so we should have a good day.

 Cliff Martin,

Commodore

7/6/25 Regatta

7-06-25 Regatta

After literally months of trying to outguess the weather and failing, we finally had a day with sun, wind, no rain, and hallelujah, no weeds… really… no weeds.

9 skippers showed up; 5 had a DF95 and 4 had a S1M.  

We got a late start because of a last-minute pre-race rescue.  While that was going on, I discovered that my trusty receiver wouldn’t hold bind, so I had to borrow a spare. (To quote Blanche DuBois from “A Streetcar Named Desire: “….  I have always depended on the kindness of strangers”; in this case it was the kindness of a fellow competitor)

I got that working, then during the second race my Spectrum transmitter started warning me of an eminent battery failure.  That’s after having it on charge overnight.  I’m not a superstitious person, but I was getting the distinct impression that if I continued trying to sail it would end up in a rescue.  So, I pulled the boat in and helped keep score.

Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet was enjoying the wind and competition.  The lead changed often during any given race, and it was hard to tell who would win until they crossed the finish line.  It was fun to watch, and I also got to visit with our good friend Collin Mosgrove, who dropped by for a visit.

When it was over John Whalen took first place overall with his DF95 and Paul Mercer took second place overall with his S1M.  John and Paul were first in their respective classes.  Good going guys!

Many thanks to Steve White for keeping score.

Also, thanks to all who came to sail with us.

Until next time.

Cliff Martin, Commodore

Racing 6/22/25

6-22-25 Regatta

The weather fooled us once again.  As of Saturday evening it was supposed to stop raining before 6am Sunday morning, but the forecast changed overnight.  On Sunday morning the rain was forecast to continue until around 10am.  Therefore, on Sunday morning I made the decision to cancel the Fun Sail but still hold the regatta at 12noon.

I think the rain and heat forecast were a little discouraging as not as many skippers showed up as expected.  We were also in schedule conflict with a Vintage Marblehead regatta at Redd’s Pond and I expected a couple of skippers to sail at Marblehead instead of Rosemary.

We got a late start because we didn’t have the Fun Race time to recover an errant mark. But we did get to enjoy watching Greg LaPlante row around in our little recovery pontoon boat to recover an errant mark and adjust our start line.  

At race time we had 4 skippers on the water, with their DF95’s.  Steve White and Herb Dreher were there but kept score and rooted us on from the sidelines.

The racing was fun, but marred, by the return of dreaded weeds.  We were also plagued by very light and shifty winds.  By race 6 we decided that the heat, the lack of wind and the presence of weeds had bested our normally boundless sailing spirit, and we adjourned to the clubhouse for the day.

At the end of the day Greg LaPlante had the low score.  Way to go Greg.

Thanks to all who came to sail with us.

Until next time.

Cliff Martin, Commodore

6/8/25 Regatta

We had a relatively nice day with cool gusty winds.  It was slightly cloudy but there was no rain.  9 skippers came out to sail, bringing 3 Soling 1 Meter’s and 6 DF95’s.

Due to the heavy rain, one of our regular marks managed to float to a new location that was a little further out and towards the center of the pond.  While I pondered returning the wayward mark to its original location, somebody suggested changing the starting line to run parallel to the shoreline and using the wayward mark as part of a new course.  Considering the wind was coming directly from the opposite side of the pond, it made sense.  It would be a true windward start. We knew that some skippers might have to squint a bit more to ensure a clean rounding, but the skippers decided to give it a go.

The longer distance to the windward mark made for some great tacking duels that were fun to watch.  I expected more separation between the individual boats, and certainly more separation between the fleets, but the shifty, gusty winds made for some interesting challenges during the windward tacks. Sometimes the winds seem to favor Soling’s and sometimes the DF95’s, but neither for very long.  The result was tight racing,with the leads changing often.

When it was over, John Whalen was the #1 DF95, by 1 point and Rick Gates was the #1 Soling.

For the first time this year, we were pleased to be joined by our old friends Ron Casciato and Harold Cohen.  Welcome back.

Finally, thank you to all the skippers for joining us to sail.

Until next time.

Cliff Martin, Commodore

May 18th Regatta

5-18-25 Regatta

It was good to have some sunshine and wind, and no rain, all at once.  A rare occurrence these days.  On top of that, 13 skippers showed up to sail; 4 brought their Soling’s and 9 brought their DF95’s.  It’s worth noting that we had participation of skippers from the Model Yacht Club at Pine Hills, the Greater Worcester Model Yacht Club and the Nashua Model Yacht Club.  Thank you, guys, for supporting our club.

Of course, the weather challenge for the day was that the winds were very “swirly” and gusty, and there was a decided hole-in-the-wind right in the center of the course.

The gusty winds and large fleet led to some interesting mark rounding’s and frequent changes in lead boats.  It was not unusual for boats at the back of the pack to catch a gust and surge to the front; or for boats in the front to hit the wind hole and sit helplessly while boats in the back caught up just in time for the wind to also pick up.  This would then lead to a scrum of boats at the next mark.

It would be fair to say that there was probably some frustration during the race, but few harsh words were said, and we got in 12 races before it started to rain.  Sadly, a couple of skippers had to leave early due to other commitments.  Also, John Whalen had to drop out of the last race because he was sailing with a FM crystal radio and one of the other 2.4mH radios was on his frequency and controlling his sails…..strange.

At the end, Drew Carlson was leading the DF95 fleet and Greg LaPlante led the Soling fleet.

Finally, thank you to all the skippers for joining us to sail.

Until next time.

Cliff Martin, Commodore

May 4 Regatta

Despite the two previous weather-related false starts, 11 skippers showed up to race: 6 DF95’s and 5 Soling’s.  It was good to see the response, and thanks to those who showed up.

It was slightly overcast, and the winds were light, but it wasn’t raining.  All-in-all, the mood was upbeat because it looked like a good day for sailing.

However, on the pond the winds became spottier, and sailing was a little more challenging.  The first race was somewhat slow, but it became worrisome that the wind might not hold through the morning.  Racing was also slowed due to some necessary rescues.  As we sailed on the winds continued to decline until by race 4 the fleet was drifting from “catspaw” to “catspaw”, when there was one.  At the end of race 4 the skippers unanimously felt that the glassy lake surface was beautiful, but not really good for racing, so we adjourned to the club house (Dunkin’s) to discuss why the weather didn’t like us to sail.

At the end, Greg LaPlante was leading the DF95 fleet and Alain Jousse was leading the Soling fleet.  I have to say, I was impressed at how well the two fleets sailed against each other.

Until next time.

Cliff Martin, Commodore

April 27th

Sunday 4/27/25

There’s no way I was going to try and second guess this Sunday’s weather like the last Sunday we tried to sail (4/6/25).  I checked 3 weather apps on Friday, Saturday, and then one last time early Sunday morning.  No rain was forecast after midnight Saturday.  Nothing!  I then sent out an email to tell everyone we had good weather in which to sail.  It was going to be windy, but it wouldn’t rain.

Halfway to the pond the rain began.  Not hard but steady.  When I got to the pond, one person was already there, sitting in his car, out of the rain.  Withing minutes more skippers showed up and it was like Déjà vu all over again, to quote the great Yogi Berra.  We all wondered how long the rain that wasn’t supposed to be,would last.

Fortunately, it did stop about ½ hour before official race time, and we were able to get in a regatta.  The winds started out very light but then lived up to the forecast of gusty to 30 mph.  

Luckily, both DF95’s and Soling’s can handle heavy winds, but some more than others.  Our day ended with a run-a-way Soling requiring a massive recovery effort in the heavy winds.  When it was all over, we decided to adjourn to the club house (Dunkin’s) and muse about the day.

Greg LaPlante’s Soling took first overall and was first in Soling Class.  Cliff Martin’s DF95 was Second overall and took first in the DF95 Class.  I was pleased that the two classes sailed well and were competitive against each other.  We will learn more as we sail more regattas.

Cliff Martin, Commodore

Racing on April 27

Skippers,Minuteman Model Yacht Club has a scheduled regatta coming up this Sunday, 4-27-25.  

There will be “fun sailing” from 10:00am until Noon.  During this time you can bring/sail/tune any class boat you want.  Starting at NoonDF95 and Soling1Meter racing will begin and last until 2:30pm, or until 12 heats are completed, whichever comes first.  These two classes will race together but will be scored separately.
Please let me know by Saturday noon if you will be able to join us on Sunday, and please include what class boat you will be racing.  If there is not enough interest or if the weather won’t cooperate I will cancel the fun sailing and regatta.  

If you read my report from our last rained-out regatta, I didn’t do a very good job of interpreting the weather forecasts.  I will try and do a better job this time. 
Also, in order to add an element of security, I will be sending these emails to club members by blind copy.  The club member names will no longer be displayed in the recipients box.  When I send out notice that we will be sailing, I will let you know how many will be coming and what they will be sailing.
Thanks, in advance, for your participation.
Cliff Martin, Commodore

April 6 Sailing

Sunday-Apr 6, 2025

This was the first scheduled race after the Icebreaker and skippers seemed ready to start the season.  

The evening before, the weather predicted a short, light rain shower stopping at 6 am on race morning.  I notified everybody that we were racing.  Fun sailing was at 10:00am and the race started at 12 noon.  I went to bed.  

The next morning, the prediction was that there would be an additional 30% chance of a short, light shower around 11 am,stopping before noon.  Not ideal, but I had told everybody we were racing, it was low risk, and we could still race at noon……. Silly Me!

The light rain that wasn’t supposed to be, started as I left my house just after 9:00a.  When I got to the pond just before 10am, people were already there, sitting in their cars trying to keep dry.  The rain was light, so we got out and chatted and looked at the darkening sky. 

A couple of still-hopeful skippers had boats they wanted to tune before racing started so they put them in the water between raindrops.  It would have worked except there was also no wind.

The highlights of the day were a couple of spectator cars that drove up to watch us standing in the rain, looking at boats that were floating becalmed on the pond.

As the clock approached the hour when the rain was supposed to stop, the clouds got darker, and the rain got heavier.

At that point we unsuccessfully tried to huddle under the one umbrella that Greg LaPlante brought and decided that even hardy men of the sea, such as us, could not fight mother nature and we should adjourn to the club house (Dunkin’ Donuts) to get dry and warm.  I waited until noon in case someone else showed up and then joined the other skippers at Dunkin’s. 

Cliff Martin, Commodore

2025 Ice Breaker

The Ice Breaker – 2025

Minuteman Model Yacht Clubs opening regatta of the 2025 season was held on Sunday, March 30, under overcast skies.  Did I mention that it was also 38 degrees and windy.  I don’t know what the wind chill was, but I had on a shirt, a vest, a sweatshirt and a coat, and I was not as warm as I would have liked.

For those who don’t know, the Ice Breaker regatta is open so any boat can sail, but the Ice Bucket trophy is awarded only to the DF95 fleet winner or the Soling 1 Meter fleet winner, onalternating years.  This year it was the DF95 fleet.

Nine skippers braved the cold to sail in this annual event.  Seven skippers brought DF95’s, one skipper brought a Soling 1 Meter, and one skipper brought a US 1 Meter.  It was evident from the first heat that some skippers came ready to race and had lost little competitive edge over the winter.  Greg LaPlante anddefending champion Paul Mercer took first place in 4 of the 7 races with their DF95’s, while John Lamport got 2 wins with his US 1 Meter.  I managed to sneak around everyone in the last race for a first place.  

As often happens early in the season, two skippers had problems and ended up not finishing.

After heat 7, the cold was weighing on almost everyone, so the skippers voted to stop racing.

In the awards ceremony, defending champ Paul Mercer presented the Ice Bucket trophy to this year’s winner, Greg LaPlante.

It was good to see everyone after the winter hiatus.  I wish the weather could have been warmer, but hey, this is New England. 

I want to thank everyone who came out to sail with us and I especially want to thank my wife, Sue, who sat in the cold, under many blankets, for keeping score for us. 

Cliff Martin
Commodore

March 23 Zoom Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 1:00 pm.  13 Club members were present.

– Officer elections were held.  Cliff Martin was elected Commodore and Greg LaPlante was elected Vice Commodore.  The position of Secretary/Treasurer was not filled but will be temporarily staffed by John Lamport.

– The Commodore then appointed Herb Dreher as Harbor Master.  The position of Web Master was not filled but will be temporarily staffed by Paul Mercer.

– The Open Regatta schedule will be:

Ice Breaker – Mar 30; RD-Cliff Martin; DF95 is the trophy fleet

Scott Spacey Footy – July 12; RD-Rick Gates

Old Timers – July 13; RD-Chris O-Brien; US1M is the trophy fleet

Jim and Sue Linville Memorial – Aug 10; RD-Steve White; Soling is the trophy fleet

Enduro – Alain Jousse – Nov 2.

– The Scott Spacey Footy regatta is the only open regatta without a “keeper” trophy so it was decided that Cliff Martin would make a Footy keeper trophy.

– It was decided that Cliff Martin would make certificates for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in the open regattas.

– It was decided that the Club dues for 2025 would be $20.00.

– It was decided that marks would be put in at Rosemary Lake on Thursday March 27, 2025, at 10:00 am.  Greg, Rick, Cliff and Herb will be present.

– It was decided that other classes could be scheduled/sailed on open days.  The interested skippers will contact each other to set up saiing.  

– It was decided that there would be another Club Zoom meeting on April 27 at 7:00pm to review the success of the new schedule.

Al Fearn

Skippers and Friends,

Sadly, this morning I received from Sam Morgan the following notice of Al Fearn’s passing.

From Sam:

I have sad news for all of us.  Yesterday, Al Fearn, our wonderful friend and founder of the Greater Worcester Model Yacht Club and the Regatta Point Sailing Program on Lake Quinsigamond passed away.  I visited him at the Hospital on Saturday and he was scheduled for a heart operation yesterday (Tuesday) but he passed before the operation.

Al was not only a great friend to all of us, but tirelessly committed to promoting sailing both large and small boats to people of all ages his entire life.  As soon as I learn anything about services, I will pass it along to all of you via email.

Best,

Sam

From Me:

Al was a Minuteman Model Yacht Club member when I joined, and I quickly learned that he was the person to go to for all things sailing.  He was an accomplished sailor, a great teacher/mentor, and he was always our best resource when it came to the interpretation of sailing rules.  More importantly, he was always a wonderful friend to the Club, even more so after starting his own Club, the Greater Worcester Model Yacht Club.

His kind and supportive demeanor will be missed by all who knew him.  

I will forward any further information as it comes to me.

Sadly,

Cliff Martin, Commodore
Minuteman Model Yacht Club

Winter Meeting 1/19

Skippers,

Minuteman Model Yacht Club has its first 2025 Indoor Meeting coming up next weekend, that’s Sunday 1/19/2025.  An invitation will be sent out later this week.

We will postpone officer elections until meeting #2 in order to give the Club a chance to discuss past challenges we have faced and possible future challenges.  Among these challenges have been:

  • Poor weather everywhere
  • Weeds at Rosemary
  • Closures at other sailing sites due to unforeseen circumstances
  • How do we move forward

I am also asking for members to think about stepping up and assuming some of the leadership/support positions within the club.  Web Master, Fleet Captain, Harbor Master, etc.  A very small number of individuals have been supporting these activities for years and new volunteers are needed.

Please make time on your calendars to attend, so we can discuss these issues.  We need your input.

Cliff Martin, Commodore