Sailing in New Mexico; very brief update

by my standards, anyway. This Saturday we had about fifteen boats participate in the Race to the Elephant, plus support from powerboats helping with race committee and photography. I wound up single-handing Carol Anne's Etchells "Black Magic". After finishing the race behind Kachina I docked, rolled up the main and tidied up the boat, and went to the far end of the marina to watch other boats finish.

Kachina was not only first to finish, but also first on corrected time, both in the racing fleet and overall. Black Magic was second to finish and also second on corrected time (race fleet and overall). The winner of the cruising fleet and third overall was "Viento Bueno", a US 25, and the winner and "sole survivor" of the dinghies was a Capri 16.5. The racing was followed by a great steak dinner and awards banquet.

Lago Rico, the company that owns the local marinas and sponsored the regatta, also arranged for pictures of the boats racing to be printed out and on the tables for people to look and and take home, and for some really nice door prizes to be given out.

Sailboats at the Race to the Elephant, Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico

Will 'o the Wind (Beneteau 285) at the Race to the Elephant. Correction: This should be Ranger Ben's O'Day 26 and has a shamrock logo.



Free and Clear IV (Freedom 21, at left, single-handed by "Cornhusker") and Nessie (C&C29, at right) circle the Elephant during the Race to the Elephant at Elephant Butte Lake, Saturday, May 30, 2009.

Friday update, more sailing in southern New Mexico

Today Carol Anne, Gerald, and I drove south to Elephant Butte Lake in southern New Mexico. We entered the state park and unlocked the sailboat mast-up storage gate, hitched up Black Magic, and launched the boat. While I was rigging sail, Gerald returned to boat trailer to the storage lot and Carol Anne and I waited out a light rain shower. After Gerald returned, Gerald and I took off to shuttle the boat north to the Rock Canyon Marina, just a few miles north.

Winds were gusty, so we elected to do without the jib, but sailing under just main the boat had some peculiarities and took a while to get moving. Once the boat was sorted out, we wound up bashing into increasingly steep and choppy seas as the winds built up into the 20s with probably gusts into the 30s and we started crashing through the breaking waves. It was a wild ride for quite a while, but eventually things lightened enough so we could make a well-controlled entrance into the marina and a tidy docking.

At the marina we caught up with a few sailors, but didn't see others; some people weren't arriving until later in the evening or until Saturday morning. We took the heavy main off the boat, since we'll be using a different one tomorrow.

Carol Anne plans to be on "Windependent" tomorrow. By lake standards the Hunter 34 is a big boat, and tomorrow's race is more of a cruiser-style race, so it may be a bit of a floating party.

In other developments, I may have to drive to Texas next week.

Elephant Race Notice of Race

Rio Grande Sailing Club
Race to the Elephant, May 30, 2009
Sponsored by Lago del Rico, Inc.

NOTICE OF RACE

1 RULES AND SAILING INSTRUCTIONS
The Race to the Elephant will be governed by the rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012 (RRS).

Sailing instructions will be available during the registration period.

2 ELIGIBILITY, ENTRY, AND FEES
Entry is open to all sailboats. Boats may enter by sending a representative to attend the captains’ meeting, sign the registration sheet and liability release, and pay the $15 registration fee. The fee will include one breakfast on Saturday, trophies, and overnight boat moorage at the DamSite Marina.

Boats will compete in the following groups:
Racer (racing-type boats with D-PN 84 or lower)
Cruiser (D-PN 84 or higher or cruising-type boats as assigned by the race committee)
Dinghy (under 20’ hull length with no cabin and no fixed keel)
Multihull (catamaran or trimaran)

3 SCHEDULE
The race is scheduled for Saturday, May 30. 2009. Sunday, May 30, is reserved as a lay day in case of bad weather. Breakfast will be served from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the DamSite Restaurant at the south end of Elephant Butte Lake State Park. Registration is 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. and the captains’ meeting will be held from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m.
The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first starting group is 12:00 noon.
The dinner and awards ceremony (with door prizes) will be held Saturday evening.

4 COURSE
After the start near the Rock Canyon Marina, the race will proceed by way of these marks:

Round navigation mark 9A (between Rattlesnake Island and Marina del Sur), leaving it to port.

Round the Elephant, leaving it to port (circle it going counter-clockwise).

Finish between the northwest corner of the DamSite Marina and a yellow inflatable buoy

The Race Committee may shorten the course at any mark by displaying an S flag (blue square on white rectangle) and finishing boats between the flag and the mark.

5 SCORING
Scoring will follow the low-point system in the Racing Rules of Sailing, Appendix A, except:
No throw-outs will be given.
One completed race will constitute a regatta.
Boats will be scored on Portsmouth handicap (D-PN) without wind range modifiers. This changes Appendix A of the RRS.

6 PRIZES
The name of the overall winner will be inscirbed upon a permanent trophy.

The first-place boat in each group will receive a take-home trophy.

Additional awards may be given at the discretion of the race committee.

7 DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY AND INSURANCE
Competitors participate in the race entirely at their own risk. See rule 4, Decision to Race. The Rio Grande Sailing Club, Lago Rico, Inc., and their officers, employees, and volunteers, will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the race. Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance sufficient to meet New Mexico State Parks requirements.

8 FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information please contact
Larry Jessee, Race Committee Chair, 915 577 0456, ljessee44@hotmail.com
Pat Byrnes, Commodore, 505 265 6741, rgsc@zianet.com

Rio Grande Sailing Club
Race to the Elephant, May 30, 2009
Sponsored by Lago del Rico, Inc.

Elephant Race Sailing Instructions

SAILING INSTRUCTIONS

1 RULES
The Race to the Elephant will be governed by the rules as defined in the Racing Rules of Sailing 2009-2012.

If a change to the Sailing Instructions is to be made, the race committee signal boat will fly flag L, and competitors are to come within hailing distance.

2 COURSES AND MARKS
Start near Rock Canyon Marina. The start marks will be a staff displaying an orange flag on the race committee signal boat at the starboard end of the line, and a round buoy to port.

Round navigation mark 9A (between Rattlesnake Island and Marina del Sur); leaving it to port.

Round the Elephant Butte, leaving it to port (circle it going counter-clockwise).

Finish at the finish marks between a staff displaying an orange flag near the northwest corner of the DamSite Marina houseboat dock, and a large yellow inflatable mark

The Race Committee may shorten the course at any mark by displaying an S flag (blue square on a white rectangle) and finishing boats between the flag and the mark.

3 START
The scheduled time of the warning signal for the first race is 12:00 noon. No boat may come within three boat lengths of the start line before her start sequence begins. This modifies rule 26.

Starting flags and starting groups are
(1) Race: red race flag or red and white checkered flag
(2) Cruise: yellow cruise flag
(3) Dinghy: green dinghy flag
(4) Multihull: blue flag with a catamaran symbol

The anticipated start sequence is
11:59am Attention signal (AP pennant down with 1 horn, or multiple horns)
12:00pm Red race class flag UP (horn)
12:01pm Prep flag UP (horn)
12:04pm Prep flag DOWN (horn)
12:05pm Red race class flag DOWN (horn) to start race class

12:05pm Yellow cruise class flag UP (horn)
12:06pm Prep flag UP (horn)
12:09pm Prep flag DOWN (horn)
12:10pm Yellow cruise flag DOWN (horn) to start cruising class

12:10pm Green dinghy class flag UP (horn)
12:11pm Prep flag UP (horn)
12:14pm Prep flag DOWN (horn)
12:15pm Green dinghy flag DOWN (horn) to start dinghies

12:15pm Multi-hull class flag UP (horn)
12:16pm Prep flag UP (white square on blue) (horn)
12:19pm Prep flag DOWN (horn)
12:20pm Multi-hull flag down (horn) to start multi-hulls

4 TIME LIMITS
A boat failing to finish within two hours after the first boat in its starting group sails the course and finishes will be scored Did Not Finish. This changes rules 35 and A4.

5 PROTESTS AND REQUESTS FOR REDRESS
Protest forms are available at the race committee signal boat. Protests shall be submitted to the protest committee within the protest time limit, which is 60 minutes after the race committee records the last finish. This changes rules 61.3 and 62.2.

6 SCORING AND PRIZES
Scoring will follow the low-point system in the Racing Rules of Sailing, Appendix A, except as described in the Notice of Race. Prizes will be given as described in the Notice of Race.

7 SAFETY, DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY, AND INSURANCE
Competitors participate in the regatta entirely at their own risk. See rule 4, Decision to Race.

Competitors agree to follow all applicable rules and laws.

The Rio Grande Sailing Club, Lago Rico, Inc., and their officers, employees, and volunteers, will not accept any liability for material damage or personal injury or death sustained in conjunction with or prior to, during, or after the regatta.

Each participating boat shall be insured with valid third-party liability insurance that meets New Mexico State Parks requirements.

The race committee may take any appropriate actions to ensure the safety and fairness of competition.

Sailboats on Heron Lake, Memorial Day weekend in northern New Mexico

MacGregor 25 and crew head out to enjoy an afternoon on Heron Lake. The lake is 78% full and still rising.





MacGregor 25 approaching as it exits the Narrows into the main body of Heron Lake. Winds ranged from about 4 to 15 knots during the afternoon.



Laguna 25 no. 331 and Catalina 22 "SuSea" head out from the Heron Lake marina on Memorial Day 2009.

Boats in Heron Lake marina with Freedom 25 motoring past in the background


Boat seen from a distance



Motorboat making a bit of a wake -- a "no no" at Heron Lake where boats using motors are restricted to trolling speed.

Catalina 22 "Kelpie" Sailing at Heron Lake

Kelpie powers through on the way back to the marina, Memorial Day 2009.



"Kelpie" approaching on port gybe, view to the southwest

Laguna 25 and Beneteau First 235 Sailing at Heron Lake, New Mexico

Beneteau First 235 approaches running downwind on the sparkling waters of Heron Lake in far northern New Mexico mountain country.





Starboard view, Beneteau First 235 at Heron Lake

Laguna 25, sail no. 331, Memorial Day 2009 at Heron Lake.



Laguna 25 on port gybe, starboard view


Stern view of Laguna 25 no. 331 and boats to the east

Catalina 25 "Pufnstuf" Sailing at Heron Lake

Pufnstuf catches a puff



Pufnstuf on port reach







Pufnstuf and SuSea



Heading up to furl the genoa

"Pufnstuf" luffing




Pufnstuf furls her headsail before heading up the Narrows and back to the Heron Lake marina.

"SuSea" furling sail after the last sail of the weekend

SuSea, a Catalina 22 sloop, furls sail at the end of her last sail for Memorial Day weekend 2009.

Catalina 22 "SuSea" sailing in the distance, Heron Lake

Catalina 22 "SuSea" and scenic background.





Photos of Catalina 22 "SuSea" sailing on Heron Lake in the mountains of northern New Mexico, Monday, Memorial Day, May 25, 2009.

Scenic Heron Lake

Brazos Cliffs and one corner of the Heron Lake Marina


Cliffs and rocks, view to the west toward the marina and the Brazos Cliffs.

Rocky overhang in a small inlet on the north side of The Narrows, which is the passage that connects the marina and Willow Creek with the main body of Heron Lake.


Cliff swallow nests





Marina and Brazos Cliffs


A powerboat passes in front of the Heron Lake marina. Photos were taken on Monday, May 25, 2009 (Memorial Day).