Soon the land of Oz will be taken over by the sound of steel drums and Yacht Club members with the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo” stuck in their collective brains!  That’s right folks, the time has come for the next Yacht Club party.  This Saturday, August 14th starting at 6:30pm.  The Land of Oz is located at, 507 S Shore Dr for those who may not know. Delicacies should be brought by all the racing members, who should also help with bartending if needed… No requirement by any means, however, don’t be afraid to wear your favorite Hawaian shirt, hula skirt, maybe even a coconut bra if you’re feeling daring!

In case you missed last week’s Crows Nest (how dare you!)… The Sailing Center is in dire need of two (2) new coach boats.  They give our coaches a better opportunity to assist our racers in their learning, enhancing the sailor’s ability to compete on a higher level.  Of course this doesn’t come without a price; the Center has been working hard to raise money and has found a source that will match funds if they’re able to raise $15000. They’re still short of their goal and we simply can’t let this opportunity pass them by; open your checkbooks for a good cause; help further our tradition of great sailing in Clear Lake!

Speaking of the Center….  Did you know the Sailing Center is on Facebook?  Go check it out; Clear Lake Sailing Center or go to Facebook and search Clear Lake Sailing Center.  You can find all sorts of great information along with pictures of the happenings at the Club, it’s a truly great resource!

A nearly full schedule of racing was completed last weekend!  Who’da thunk it???  The schedule would have been full had that crazy storm not popped up out of nowhere Saturday morning.  Race 2 on Saturday morning had to be abandoned mid way through; I’m here to tell you folks, that was a touch nerve wracking; The worst part, no one could see it coming; lightning surrounding the lake, heavy downpours and a period of wind which topped out over 45 mph!  Thankfully all the sailors, spectators, race committee and non-yacht club folk were able to make it to safe haven; to my knowledge no one was hurt and no damage done.

Racing hard, having fun and being free on the water is what the X fleet is all about! Our youth sailors never cease to amaze me; with just 3 weeks left in the Second Series, the X Boat Fleet Championship Trophy is still up for grabs!  Any boat in the fleet is able to take home the hardware! Last weekend, Leif Lundberg won two races, Finley Nyhus won the third; nice work boys! Good luck to the entire fleet in the next few weeks and have fun competing!

The MC fleet saw close competitive racing as usual.  Everyone seems to be honing their skills in preparation for the upcoming Inland Championships in Okoboji.  The big winner of the weekend was Dan Allen, scoring 1, 1, 2.  Stu Oltrogge was the other race winner, beating the fleet in the last race by a country mile. In the MC fleet it’s down to three boats with a realistic chance at the Fleet Championship Trophy.  Once again; Mark Tesar, Todd Tesar and Stu Oltrogge have shown their dominance and separated themselves from the fleet!

FINALLY the E scows got some racing in and were greeted with amazing breezes!  A surprisingly shifty SW breeze yet steady velocity around 13-15 mph with gusts topping out around 20 greeted the sailors Saturday afternoon. Breezes were just over 10 mph on Sunday, the smiles could be seen for miles all weekend. The Z-13 Team – Mayhem took both bullets on Saturday with the Z-23 Team – Loon taking both bullets on Sunday!

The pressure for the C boats is mounting!  These fierce warriors needed siesta last weekend after two races the previous weekend.  Too much racing and practice is no good for a sailor to have before a major regatta!

It will certainly be fun and exciting to see how everything shakes out!  Stay tuned for the play-by-play, blow-by-blow action in each fleet!

16 A boats, 43 C boats, 34 E boats and 38 MCs are currently registered for the Inland Championships starting Sunday in Okoboji.  The A’s and MC’s start off the week, registering Sunday and racing Monday through Wednesday.  Clear Lake currently has 5 boats in the MC fleet.  The C’s and E’s register Wednesday and racing Thursday through Saturday.  Currently we have all 3 C boats attending as well as 2 E boats.  A great body of water, racing during the week rather than weekend; those who haven’t registered yet or haven’t considered attending should do so.  Remember, it’s just 2 hours away; our North Iowa neighbors could use the help! For more information please go to www.ilya.org or www.2021inlandchampionships.com

113 total medals, 39 of them the Gold variety… 0 in the sailing disciplines… Yikes.  The only US representatives to make a medal race were in the Men’s 470, Nacra 17 and Men’s RS:X windsurfer.  Steph Roble and Maggie Shea in the women’s 49’er FX class were the victims of not one, but two questionable Rule 42 violations in the same race; that’s an instant non-discardable disqualification, which pushed them from 5th place to 11th, just outside the medal race.  What a huge accomplishment it is just to make the Games and their performance during the Games was great; congratulations to them, the Lake Beulah Yacht Club, Chicago Yacht Club and everyone involved in their campaign!

The Blooper Award is still up for grabs… The Starbeck’s didn’t take long for a nomination of course, however, this year some folks seem to have dialed back or lost their ability to hide their misfortunes and mistakes. We have many great stories so far, hopefully more are coming! Keep your eyes peeled and ears open.  Speaking of bloopers or perhaps a few moments of “unclear” thinking….  Did you see the story about the car pulled from the lake?  Officials think it had been in the lake for “Several years!”  I wonder how the owner is going to explain that one???  Oooops… Whoever it is, surely can expect a hefty fine from the DNR….!

Lastly, a bit of gratitude….  Thank you to all the spectators watching the various fleets last weekend.  You did a fantastic job of being right where you should be!  Close to the action, not in any sailors way.  Thank you very much for your attention to the previous request, it means a great deal to us!

Stay In the Clear Air,

Dan Allen
MC 2811 – Relentless
dsallen@cltel.net
www.clyciowa.com
www.clycss.com