Shields Fleet 9

Kristen Parella

450.9026

anderkrick(a) hotmail.com

Spring 2: Wind Speed 8: Direction SE: Start Date 05/20/09

To all Shields Owners

Come support a worthy cause –the Leukemia Cup – June 6th.  To help encourage the fleet’s participation, a supporter has agreed to donate $1,000 for every Shields that has registered for the regatta.  Let’s not miss this unique opportunity to “leverage” the strength and numbers of our class and get as many sailing in this important event.   Below is a link for information and registration and is attached is the NOR.

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/regatta/hm_reg

Word is, we should be able to set up any format the fleet wants, several short races or a couple long races…

Class: Aloha 2009  Date:05/23/09

Dear Fellow Shields owners and skippers,

Kim Cooper recently sent me an e-mail asking if there were going to be enough Shields sailing in the Newport Regatta, July 11 & 12 to warrant a Shields start. Last year Shields were invited, but because only 2 boats had registered the Shields start was scratched.

She reminded that this will be the 25th anniversary of this regatta. When the regatta started, the Shields class was the only class. I think they will hype up the 25th anniversary, and with all this hype I hope we have a good turnout. There is the potential of a lot of publicity focused on our fleet, and we can use this opportunity to make other sailors aware of our large fleet.

I responded to Kim’s request by stating that I would try to identify skippers, who will be sailing. You can make my job easier if you would e-mail at drshoe@verizon.net.

It usually is a great regatta with 3 races on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Some years we have raced off shore, but we have also raced inside. Let me know your preference-inside or outside. I sense that Sail Newport is in the process of drafting the NORs and SIs; if we have a significant number of sailors wanting to sail inside or outside, I think Sail Newport would be responsive to our request. The sooner you respond, the more likely that Sail Newport would honor our request.

I hope you will join us and make this a memorable regatta for the Shields.

Charlie

At the request of Dr. Wallace, our Race Officer, I would like to publish the follow instructions included on our USCG/Homeland Security Permit for Marine Event, which covers all our racing on the bay.  The original document will soon be uploaded to our website for your review, i have included most of the relevant instructions below.

…There will not be a Special Local Regulation issued.  no restriction is placed on the use of any navigable waters by other parties.  your event shall not obstruct any channel or normal shipping lane, or interfere with any aid to navigation…

…Participants operating in a negligent manner may cause the event to be terminated.  All committee vessels must be able to switch to channel 13 VHF for bridge-to-bridge communication in accordance with federal law.  In the event of decreased visibility (less than 2 nautical miles) the sponsor must ensure that the participants comply with the COLREGS sound signal requirements.  Failure to comply with these permit requirements may result in the revocation of this permit.

It is your responsibility as sponsor to ensure that the participants understand that they are subject to the Navigation Rules of the Road. Participants do not automatically become “stand-on” or “privileged vessels” by virtue of participation in a marine event.

In the event that Coast Guard assistance is required during the event, please contact Coast Guard Station Castle Hill on VGF channel 16…Information about your event will be posted on http://homeport.uscg.mil/sene/…

RACE COMMITEE NEEDED FOR SATURDAY ALOHA SERIES

Ida has so far been unable to locate an RC for this coming Saturday’s (May 23) three Aloha races, which are set to start at 1:00. If you can help out, please contact ASAP Reed Baer at 508-362-4445 or pastor@westparish.org

Shields Fleet 9
Spring 2009 Race 1

Wind Speed 8: Direction S: Start Date 05/13/09

Race Officer: Robin Wallace

Dr. Shoemaker recently participated in a Shields National Class meeting, and asked me to distribute these notes.

Nationals:

1. Chicago. The executive comm voted to provide $300 to each boat that travels to Chicago. The Chicago fleet would like to have a “head” count as soon as possible, so if you are planning to attend let them know. They will soon post the NOR on the Shields national website.

2. Mystic, Sept 22-25, 2010 This is not definite, because of few details, which should be resolved soon. One problem they need to work out is launching and lifting of boats. There are multiple boat yards in the area, but the committee wanted a fixed price. This might be a serious problem for our fleet. I have sailed my Ensign to Mystic about 10 times, but on two occasions we had to make alternative plans for returning because of impending hurricanes. We got caught in a similar situation in Marian 3 years ago. We and several others had sailed to Marian, but were forced to trail back because of a hurricane. The local boatyard stuck us with their premium fee, not the fee that had been negotiated for the Nationals.

Bylaws and Elections.

The committee is very sensitive to the lack of communication that preceded the national meeting in Maryland last fall. They will again follow the procedures described in the blue book, but that procedure has failed in several cases because some fleet secretaries have not passed the information on to their fleets. To avoid this, the proposed bylaw changes and nominations for class officers will also be posted on the national web site.

Changes in the bylaws are being proposed to streamline the communication between the national officers and individual owners.

This year there will be an election for national officers. Reed Baer has been nominated to head the nominating committee.

Rulings made by the tech committee and approved by the national ex comm.

1. Both jib tracks must be in place even if one is not being used.

2. Error in the dimension in the plans for the boom have been corrected.

3. Spinnaker poles not allowed to be stored on booms.

4. Tillers must be wooden.

Masthead-national newsletter will be mailed in the very near future.

-Charlie Shoemaker

Now it’s happened from time to time that i don’t get a race report from anyone, but I have LOVE this years Enthusiasm– Two reports right off the bat. Keep it up all you Shakespeares out there!

On a beautiful early spring day on Narragansett Bay, Newport Shields Fleet #9 competed in the opening race of the 2009 Spring Series. With about 14 boats in attendance, Dr. Robin Wallace and his crack team of race committee volunteers wasted no time in starting the season off on a high note. The race was sailed in a southerly breeze at about 5-10 knots and the current was just changing to flood. Dr. Wallace chose a starting area south of Rose Island and sent the fleet to the race buoy off of Hammersmith Farm. The course was 4p Sp twice around. On the first beat we decided to work the left side to get out of the incoming current. We soon found out, somewhere around the point of Fort Adams, that the current was still going out at the Dumplings. We decided to head west to the uphill flow but we never really crossed the tide line. 258 was the leader out of the right side and 222 did well by working the left all the way to the weather mark. They rounded 1, 2 and we ended up rounding 5th after missing the last shift to the left.
Dr. Wallace’s choice of a twice ’round course was vital in the 217 comeback as the racers maintained their placements around the first leeward mark, the red bell off of Rose Island lighthouse. This time 217 struck out for the right side and tactician Tim Healy sited the Dumplings honor buoy perfectly. Working up the inside right, John Dory experienced a right shift and slack current at the Dumplings and then dove back left in good pressure to cross the incoming river. We managed to cross 226, who worked the Newport side hard, by 2-3 boat lengths. 222 sailed the middle of course and faded back a bit due to the incoming current. We rounded in first followed by 226.

The course was changed to 6p (green bell) for the last leeward mark and our crew worked hard to maintained our lead to the finish line 1/4 mile to weather of the green Bell. . All around it was a great start to the 2009 Spring Series. Thanks to the RC and the fleet for a beautiful night o racing!

Eric Hanson- 217 John Dory