For my Coastal Bend sailing friends wondering what I’m doing up in San Antonio this weekend, I’m here at Woodlawn Lake helping with the Micro Magic R5 Championship Regatta — and Day 1 could not have gone much better.
We were greeted with near-perfect sailing conditions with steady 10–12 mph winds out of the southeast. That wind direction gave us clean, predictable breeze straight across the lake with virtually no obstructions to disturb it — a real treat for model sailors accustomed to battling pond conditions full of wind shadows, eddies, and frustrating dead spots. The steady breeze also kept temperatures comfortable all day and produced outstanding racing conditions. Fifteen races were completed today, with the majority sailed using B and C rigs for the Micro Magics.
As the scores stand tonight, Ron Stephens of Florida holds the lead, followed by a tie for second between Ray Sets of San Antonio and Greg Norris from Colorado.
Ten boats were on the line today, and we expect 11 boats tomorrow with even more wind forecasted.
The fantastic race committee team many know from the Saltwater Challenge — myself, Sylvia, and Denise — were back together again, this time handling race committee duties for the MM regatta. The team kept the racing moving smoothly and efficiently all day, including calling a couple of general recalls and catching everyone who was over early. We were also pleased to have Jeff Beck and Joe Roddy of RD95 fame taking turns continuously manning the chase boat to provide immediate rescues and debris removal, helping keep downtime to an absolute minimum.
Lunch featured delicious catered BBQ enjoyed under the club’s beautiful new three-section pop-up tent, which nearly covers the entire front porch.
For those unfamiliar with the class, the Micro Magic is a 21-inch-long one-design kit sailboat. The class rules enforce tight tolerances on the hull, keel, and rig positions to keep the racing fair and competitive. They are easy to travel with, easy to carry, easy to love, and they sail surprisingly well for such a small boat.
After an excellent first day, everyone is looking forward to even more breeze and another great round of racing tomorrow
