quote:

---

Originally posted by dmpilc

Leaving tomorrow morning, 5 AM, for Lakewood Yacht Club, Seabrook, TX, for the 2014 Catalina 22 Nationals, June 22-26. Crewing with another of our fleet members, who has a C22 Sport. Should be a fun event, except for the 12 hours driving each way!
I went to the C-22 Nationals last year at Ft. Walton Yacht Club (FL) and we had a blast. From the pictures, Lakewood looks a lot spiffier.

Edit 6/22: Lakewood is an awesome Yacht Club, right across the channel from the Kemah Boardwalk entertainment complex. Had a practice race today, Association business meeting starts shortly, and racing in earnest starts tomorrow. The practice race (and the scene for tomorrow) was about 2 miles out in the Bay. Really big water for us lake sailors!!!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by dmpilc

Well, I'm back in Nashville and can say we survived Galveston Bay. Travel time was more like 15 hours each way, not 12. Spinnaker boat races were in the morning on Clear Lake close to the club, Monday and Tuesday afternoons gold and silver fleets raced on the bay, about 3 miles out (GaryB - out past the channel markers), took 40-45 minutes of motoring/sailing from the club to get out to the course. We got in 1 race each day before the weather brought us back in. Winds were 10-12 gusting to 17-18. Almost everyone had full sails up, main and 150 genoas. We had just 2 on the boat, lots of work, needed 3. We ended Tues. with 3 tied for first in silver fleet, 4th place boat from Rome, GA was 2 points back, and we were in 5th 8 points back. The skipper's son arrived Tues, evening so we had 3 on the boat for Wednesday and Thursday races. Wednesday they kept us on the lake and we came in first, but were protested at the start by the 4th place boat. We felt they fouled us so we both filed protests, and we lost the hearing. My skipper has filed an appeal on the ruling. More on that later. The DSQ knocked us down to the bottom (12 boats in silver fleet). Thursday, in spite of more thunderstorm threats, we went back to the bay, but closer in. Forecast was 12-15 with gusts to 20, but it was light at the start. Everybody had the 150 genoas up. We got a good start and were well ahead of the boat that protested us the day before, and were sailing well toward the windward mark when the storm hit. We got around the windward and offset marks and decided to not use the whisker pole. The wind was howling, and a minute or two later the rain hit. Horizontal rain that felt like needles on my face, and white-out conditions for about 10 minutes. We could barely see our own bow and nothing more than a boat length away. We got the genoa down and were still doing hull speed and surfing with main alone. We heard on the radio that the course had been shortened, but couldn't see the committee boat in time to get on the correct side of her. End result, we passed her on the wrong side and DNF'd that race, along with 4 other boats. Finished 10th overall. Frankly, all we cared about at that moment was making it back to shore alive! One crew on another boat was hit by the boom, but is okay. No other injuries and all boats made it back, thankfully. One boat had to be towed in after she took a wave over the stern that drowned out their motor. All in all, it was a terrific experience, my second Nationals, and I'm glad I was able to experience bay sailing, but I could have done without the last 20 minutes! Lake sailing will be a breeze from here on out.
Edit: We found out later that a tornado had touched down about 12 miles from us.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by dmpilc

GaryB,
I would have loved to stay for the weekend, but I was riding with the skipper, and I had to get back anyway.
We did enjoy the trip, and sailing in the area. I would love to come back again and sail the bay on a bigger boat, but it likely will not happen any time soon.
On the lake, we used your marina's flag, and the one on Lakewood's side, to judge wind conditions.

---