This is a big month. May 8, we have the sail past - see last months "Winks" for your position in the parade. Then we wait around just a bit, until the race starts, and then we dash over to Burrard Bridge Marina for the festivities there - the Commodore's Reception.

A Couple of weeks later, May 22-24, we have the Valhalla Cup Challenge. Gibson's is the place, which means that if you haven't, done so already, you had better get your reservations in for moorage at Gibsons for that long weekend. (604-886-8686).

COMING RACES AND EVENTS

May 6       Start of FCYC Thursday Night Series (Wed night has already started)
May 8       TCYC Sailpast/sailpast race/commodore's reception
May 16     VRC Sun Tan Series #3
May 29     Swiftsure Race
June 5-6   Sylva Bay Layover
June 6      VRC Suntan Series #4
June 12    Around Bowen Race
June 18    Raft-up in Alder Bay
June 19    Passage Island Race.
June 20    VRC Suntan Series #5

For the less initiated:

*Do look at last months Winks for Sailpast Day information.
*The Round Bowen Race is for everybody. Close to 200 boats on a long start line. It's a Hoot! You might come out and try it.
*The Alder Bay Raftup subs for our June meeting. We tie and anchor our boats in Alder Bay. To get to Alder Bay, motor your boat to the Granville Island Hotel: continue south: and hang a right. About 6:30 is a good time. Come in party mood.
*The Passage Island race the next day is great too. You can go around P. I. either way, and hope you guessed right.

Also, on May 18, we have a special program in conjunction with Eagle Harbour Yacht Club:

-and on May 19, early in the morning, we have a special breakfast. TCYC has reserved a table and hope to get a good turnout. Details:

NOTES FROM ALL OVER

America's cup 2007

A French America's syndicate, the "K-Challenge, has acquired both of the New Zealand boats used in the 2000 campaign. They bought NZL 57, but they have to return NZL 60, the boat that actually won, because Grant Dalton the team NZ director felt that it was an important piece of NZ history, to be kept. As far as giving their best to the competition - "no problem" team NZ has moved on. With new designs, and they also bought GER 68, the Illbruck Challenge yacht. This was built for the 2003 campaign, but never made it to the races. It is expected to make a good pace boat for the new NZ boats to come.
Alenghi crew claims they can get a man to the top of their mast in 7.5 seconds. (that's about 100 feet!)
Also, Alenghi has sold all its old design information for £l.l million. They figure that it will give a good entry to some starting syndicate, and that they will thereby, challenge themselves to take new steps forward. In doing this, they are using facilities in Canada, bringing between 10 and 20 models of about 24' in length for testing here.
One hundred $ US will buy you a raffle ticket, to crew on Oracle on one of the pre-America's cup races in Newport. Contact editor for more information.*

Other News

More than 1,400 sailors competed this past weekend in the largest field ever in the 17-year history of Sailing World National Offshore One Design Regatta. Maryland sailors won 13 of the 19 classes in this three-day stop in Annapolis with record 292 boats. Annapolis' Scott Nixon had the biggest challenge of the local winners as he survived the J/ 22 fleet, which had the largest field of any class with 81 boats. Nixon never relinquished his first day lead to win his class by 13 points over David Van Cleef. Complete results: www.sailingworld.com

The Laser class has done quite well you might say. They just issued the number 180,000!

The World Speed Record Council has acknowledged Steve Fossett and his CHEYENNE, as the new round-the-world record holders. They finished in 58 days, 9 hours and 32 minutes, averaging 15.52 knots. They will not be awarded the Jules Verne Trophy associated with that record, because they did not take all the steps necessary to qualify for the Jules Verne.

Meanwhile, the trimaran GEMINI has won the Jules Verne Trophy with a time slower than Cheyenne.

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Re: Jane Corcoran.

Just a sad note to let you know that Jane, former TCYC Associate member and frequent crew in "Summer Dawn", "Bobcat" &"Mumbles" died on 18 April after a long and painful battle with cancer. Carolyn and I saw her several times in the last few months and she was positive to the end.

Friends and family toasted her memory with champagne at her townhouse on 23 April.

Gerry Gailey.
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Something to Anticipate

TCYC is approaching 30th Anniversary time.
Commodore Michael reports: "We have decided that our official party will be held in April 2005 at our host base the Maritime Museum. We anticipate that it will be on a regular meeting night namely the 3rd Thursday of the month. Next year that falls on the 21st. I don't know when Good Friday is at the moment but if GF is the next day, we will change our meeting night as our members and others will likely take advantage of the long weekend and be away."
A committee is already meeting to make this an event worth staying in town for. More on this as things develop.
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Spring Tuneup Series

Our season's championship started with the Spring Tuneup series, on April 17. Our Fleet Captain, Gord Wylie ran the races single handed. Here's his report:

Race #1 Windward/leeward course. - On a northerly. The start saw medium wind that shifted back and forth twenty degrees and lightened as the boats approached upwind mark. Several boats had trouble with the current and the lightening winds with Makai having to turn on it's engine to avoid the mark (freighter).

Pegasus lead the downwind leg, followed by Makai and Saltaire. Pegasus rounded the leeward mark and took line honour and first corrected.


Race #2 - Olympic Course. Wind was still north, but lightening. After a good start the boats headed for the windward mark (now the mark QB). Then to a wing mark (a container freighter) and downwind to the leeward mark , a freighter off of Spanish Banks. The wind began to die as Pegasus went around the wing mark (so they escaped). The dying breeze caught most of the others and the slower rated boats were really impacted by this turn of events. While the fleet was fairly strung out, Makai and Pegasus had a good duel and finished within seconds of each other on corrected.

All had a good time....laughing at/with the one man band race committee. Flags a flying, horns ablaring etc...all at once. After messing up the first sequence, things got under control and we had two good starts with no OCS. After the races, we all went to Stamps and had a beer and I announced the results. Everyone seemed to have a good time and were glad of the spring (shake out) tune up. Final results:
1st. Pegasus, Gerry Furseth and Penny Bax
2nd, Makai, Tim Coughlin
3rd The Saltaire, Donald Munro

BIG FAT IMPORTANT VALUABLE TIP (from your editor)

Having watched the Spring Tuneup Series, I can offer a very important tip:
When you go through the wind shadow of a freighter, especially one laying crosswise to the wind, there will be no wind for a period of time. Your forward motion will create an effective direction of wind-straight-ahead. DON'T TURN!
The temptation is to fall off to try to fill your sails. You can't! Doing so do is to do three things: You slow your boat by turning, you park your slowed boat in the wind shadow, and you make your way farther downwind. (What does make sense is to anticipate the situation and be ready to cast off the jib sheet to let it come amidships, and maybe have a crew member ready to bundle it up as much as possible, since it will only be a wind break. - then coast as far as you can before trying to sail again.)