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Planned itinerary: 2010 Cruise

Dates:                    Monday’s July 12 to August 2
Time:                     5:15 to 7:30 (followed by light snacks and drinks)
Cost:                      $95   HYC Members        $125 – Non-Members
Registration:      E-mail Cindy Drake to sign up and bring your payment to the first class

In all, six very skilled and courageous sailors competed for the coveted title “Grub Tub 2009 Champion”. The spectators were impressed not only with their small boat handling skills but with they’re swimming and bailing skills as well.

This year the spectators’ crowd grew enormously due to the event’s location (small tidal bay just south of the HYC Club house) and free admission. Two chase boats (Mike & Stacey Lodato & Cliff & Laura George with Susie Soule) shared in several rescue efforts making sure the participants could get out of the water quickly and back in the competition. They also helped with repairs and collecting floating items like bailers and shoes floating through the harbor.

The Race Committee master for this wonderful regatta was the very experienced Chairman Ross Cudlitz. He was the master of ceremonies and ran Olympic type courses for this prestigious event. The only difficulty was the horn system being used. He literally “blew” through the HYC budget! As everyone knows Ross has the experience to handle “world class” competitors. He only acknowledged one compliant (Henry Bliss the “whiner”) at the start of the 3rd race start sequence and called all the boats to return for a restart. It took the last race to determine the ultimate winner.

Grub Tub Worlds 2009 Results
1st Place and World Champion” – Ben Niles
2nd Place – Henry Bliss, also winner of “Most controversial Grub Sailor.
3rd Place Tim Baker “ Tim the winner of the “Best Bailer”.

I am sitting inside the large hanger where they do all the measuring before the regatta. The event organizers set up a long table with ethernet plugs so the internet junkies can get their fix. They have us in postponement this morning because the wind is blowing about 25 kts with gusts to 30+ kts. We had a lot more boatwork to do on our borrowed boat from the Irish than we had expected, so we only had an hour an a half of practice time on the water on Sunday rather than the two days we had hoped for. But it didn’t seem to matter as you can see from the results below. We had a protest in the second race with the French because they blatantly fouled us. The Brittish witnessed it and we had no trouble winning in the protest room at the end of the day.

Weymouth is an interesting town. It seems like a nice quaint Brittish town during the day, but at night all that changes. The other night I was passed by dozens of Brits decked out in their very finest bell bottoms, afro’s and wide lapels on their way from one 70’s party to the next. On the weekends most places are open until 5 or 6am.

The Weymouth venue is fantastic. The US Sailing Team Alphagraphics has secured our own section of a hanger in the lot next door where we will be able to keep our stuff between events, store and work on boats, hang out, debreif, etc. as soon as they finalize construction details. Right now we have an enormous space and a concrete floor with a big table on one wall.

Having lots of fun walking around and seeing competitors from different countries. Everyone has got their different team gear on, plastering sponsorship stickers on hulls and cars and sails, and running back and forth from different vendors to their boats in a rush to get everything perfect before their hit the water for the day. If any of you watch the Tour de France it is getting to be sort of like that, although we don’t quite have the level of sponsorship that they do.

Thats all for now. I will try to send some pictures, but I forgot a cable to plug my camera into the computer. I have no idea when I will be back online, but will try to check in every few days.

This year we hosted over 90 boats over two days of racing. We hope to have more info, photo’s, and results posted in the next few days, so stay tuned. To all that participated, thank you very much! This is what it’s all about.

• Friday, July 24th – Rendezvous @ Quohog Bay – raft up and have drinks and dinner together
• Saturday, July 25th – sail to Chrismas Cove and eat at Coveside Restaurant covesiderestaurant.com
• Sunday, July 26th – sail to Harbor Island – need host boats for cocktails
• Monday, July 27th – Many options such as: keep sailing east; head to the Basin for another overnight; or sail home to HYC

Please contact the HYC Cruise Director, Peter McCracken, to sign up for the cruise or sign up on the bulletin board at the club house.  Feel free to post a reply here on the website so that others will get a sense for who’s going and the fun that this event is sure to provide!

Since 1978, when I bought my first boat (Rhodes 19, Khartoum), I have been keeping a race log for every race or regatta in which I’ve skippered a boat.   Yes, that means I have 30 years of HYC race results and memories recorded in my sometimes-incoherent and abbreviated logs for a variety of races.

This is my log entry from the 1993 Grub Tub Worlds.  This HYC website has pictures of the ’93 Worlds so you can follow along with some of my descriptions.  Please see the “Photosets” that are actually mislabeled “Grub Tub Worlds 1980’s”.  These pictures were taken by my sister, Faith Baker, on September 19, 1993 at the Grub Tub Worlds.

In the late 1980’s and 1990s’s, HYC had a fairly active Grub Tub fleet, especially for the fall classic Grub Tub Worlds.  These were often wild and wooly affairs with offshore NW winds that tested the stamina of skippers and the integrity of the boats.  The 1993 Worlds was a 7 Race, No Throw Out series.  Though I am not positive, I believe Jack and Marilyn Burwell were the Race Committee for that regatta (thanks!), as they were for many years.  Here is my log:

Sunday – Sept 19, 1993 Grub Tub Worlds

Starters:  10

Course:  Start at “aircraft carrier” near docks to Ball heading toward Spar Cove (p) to Ball near Caribou (p) to Finish at Start – all races – (Leeward start- run,run/reach,beat).

Conditions:  Wind was NW 10-20 with gusts probably to 25, puffy, gusty, crazy conditions, especially out near second mark.  Tide coming in strongly.  Sunny and warmish (not too warm).

The Races:  My first start was not good – I was probably middle of the fleet for two legs, but on the beat to finish I passed all by staying right out in steadier wind & strong incoming tide.  Had excellent upwind speed and pointing ability all day.  Finished 1^st in 1^st race – good omen.

Second race I had better start near port end with clear air.  I led for two legs, then got hit with a gust as I was ready to jibe around the mark.  I had to let out main all the way forward and it went around the mast.  The only way for me to gain control of the sail was to do a 360 to unwind it.  I went from 1^st to last there, but on the beat gained a lot back.  I actually got back to 1^st or 2^nd until shortly before the finish when I ran into shifty gusts and lost headway, etc.  Ended up 5^th for worst race.  At this point Henry Bliss and Parker Hadlock looked like the boats to beat, but Parker got killed in races 2 & 3 with (2) eighths due to near swampings.

On the 3rd & 4^th races I had great starts and managed to keep my boat under enough control to move out on everyone.  This was great fun with good downwind speed and awesome upwind speed.  Got 2 1sts in those.  At times on the weather legs I felt like I was in a Laser, hiking out, weight aft, bow up, almost planing on the nearly flat water in 15-20 knots wind.

Toward the end of the series, it turned into a demolition derby/endurance contest.  Boats started swamping, breaking down, and dropping out with various problems.

In the 5^th race I did well all race, actually was in first near the finish but got caught in irons, Ross passed me for a 1^st and Parker got the second.  Charlie Cook swamped in the 5^th race and lost his mast and sail.

In the 6rh race I started oscillating & submarining badly on the second leg and half filled up with water.  After losing the lead to Parker I figured I better just keep sailing it as best I could full of water, ‘cause there was no time to bail and sail at the same time.  The whole weather leg I nursed the waterlogged boat and only was passed by Henry near the finish.  I ended up 3^rd with a boat load of water, barely keeping it up.  Those tanks on the sides worked great!

The seventh race I got another decent start – fairly conservative – several seconds late at port end with basically clear air.  That kept me near the lead at the first mark.  I was right behind Parker on the second leg when Tom Leach lost control, T-boned me, filled with water & almost sank.  I managed to gain control of my boat and held on behind Parker for a 2^nd.

I was worn out by the end of the series.  It really was great fun & good test of boat & sailing abilities.  My design of Tubby Hubby worked very well.  Good speed in all conditions, good pointing ability.  Good design for hiking out from sitting on the tanks.  And the tanks saved me in one race by keeping the boat floating & sailing while full of water.

RESULTS:

1. T Baker 15.25

2. P Hadlock 23.5

3. H Bliss 25.75

4. M Pierce 34

5. H Nichols 41

6. T Leach 42

7. R Cudlitz 43.75

8. C Cook 52

9. J Kimball 63

10. L Hadlock 64

 Tim Baker, submitted May 15, 2009