Category Archives: Results

Information with results for series (Spring or Summer) or Regatta final standings.

Summer Series Week #2 – July 19, 2022

Ahoy Sailors, 
Tuesday: is looking like mid 80s partly cloudy 0% chance of rain with winds forecasted 8-10 mph sustained gusting 15 mph out of the SW so should be a great night for racing. 
Our race committee will be Steve Chapman on their pontoon. Thanks in advance!

Michigan City Regatta 7/15 - 7/17/22
Michigan City Regatta 7/15 – 7/17/22

This past weekend in Michigan City with Fleet 126 – Hobie Class Division 10 and CRAM was a blast!  We all got a bunch of good practice in for NACs.  We had 12 Hobie 16s registered all of which sailed 2up… we had sailors from Alabama, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and of course Michigan. Including a few of us from ALCA! Michael Estes even came down for his first big water race and crewed for Dave Stiemsma! 

Michael Estes & Dave Stiemsma
Michael Estes & Dave Stiemsma

 PLEASE REGISTER FOR 2022 Hobie 16 North American Championships. They are coming up September 11-16! This will be a high profile HOBIE event right in our own backyard! Normally you would need to travel 10+ hours for an event of this caliber!  Hobie 16 North American Championship 2022 – International Hobie Class Association

IF any of you have questions about the event please reach out!!! 

Fair Winds
Walter (Wall-E) Elsner ALCA Fleet 519 Secretary CRAM H-16 Fleet Captain

Spring Series Week #1 Updates

Good morning ALCA members!
If anyone needs crew for today let me know. I will be bringing my friend Ananda down to the boat launch to show her what a Tuesday night at Austin Lake is all about! She has sailing experience and I have set her up with a trap harness, just in case 😉 We will be shore support for whoever needs us as well for rigging and launching boats.
-Nicole Berkel

I show 59° water temp on the east side of the lake. -Dave Stiemsma

Well that averages us at 66.5° lol —Fair Winds
Walter (Wall-E) Elsner ALCA Fleet 519 Secretary

Spring Series Week #1 – May 17, 2022

Hello everyone, 
Well it’s FINALLY here! Our spring season starts Tomorrow (Tuesday, May 17, 2022)!!!! This week may not be as warm as last but the forecast is looking pretty good from here reports of water temps in the mid 60s and forecasted air temps to be about the same, generally sunny winds WNW pretty steady right around 10 mph. should make for a pretty good night of racing. REMEMBER it’s still very much wetsuit weather so dress smart. Any potential cancellations will be communicated via email and facebook.
Race committee for the night will be Dave Dunlap on Jeff Daanes Pontoon. Thanks in advance guys. Remember to check in with Race Committee once you are on the water and notify them of any changes from how you are registered.  
After sailing (or in the event of a cancellation) we will be meeting at Jac’s Cekola’s Portage  https://jacscekolaspizza.com/ I would encourage people with boats to park either in the back or to the north (by Habitat or Colonial Kitchen)7640 S Westnedge Ave, Portage, MI 49002 https://goo.gl/maps/Fe9YfKVtfKPeeiKJA

If I missed anything or have more information for you stay tuned. —
Fair Winds
Walter (Wall-E) ElsnerALCA Fleet 519 Secretary CRAM H-16 Fleet Captain

Water Temp update… Jerry Mohney says he’s got 74 degrees at the end of his dock!!! 

ALCA Sailing Reminders

Hello All,
I hope you are all as excited as I am. Tuesday May 17th is our first day of racing for this year!!!
First start will be at 6:30 PM.  Stay tuned to your emails and our facebook page for potential cancellations as well as further updates and the “Weather According to Wall-E” prior to racing. 
However if you are like me you may also find yourself with some last minute boat projects to get done! Below is a very good Safety checklist put together by Dave Stiemsma to go through before you consider hitting the water. This is of course not all inclusive…
If you have ANY questions or are in search of parts please reach out!  
Let’s start with SAFETY (it’s no accident)–
Fair Winds
Walter (Wall-E) ElsnerALCA Fleet 519 Secretary CRAM H-16 Fleet Captain

Catamaran Sailing Checklist

Mast: If you leave your boat rigged with the mast up this may be the only chance you have to inspect the standing rigging for the season.
Check that the mast is straight, sight down the length of the mast with the groove up and you can pull the halyard tight to give you a nice line of sight. Be sure the mast is sealed, any loose rivets can create a leak. You might be able to hear the water rush when the mast is lifted from level. Inspect the top pulley, it should be free to turn. Comp tip mast head can easily be damaged and not allow the halyard crimp to pass. Also take a look at the hook/fork on top to be sure it’s not bent. Clean the sail track of debris by running a short piece of line with a knot in it, slide it end to end.
Cables:  Most cables break at or in between the crimps or swage. Look for an unnatural twist or bulge in the strands of the braid. Be sure the clevis at the top is assembled correctly and is tight. The screw should be locked with a wire or at least taped to prevent it coming loose. Don’t forget the bridle, bow tangs and hull anchor points, all should be tight.
Trapeze: Inspect the line for wear, replace often with a good quality line. Check the plastic stoppers as they are known to break. No worse feeling watching your boat sail away without you.
Mast Base: The rounded end should be smooth and free of burrs, check the righting pin and hardware. Be sure to use a good teflon chip and that it stays centered under the mast. In the event you lose your chip you can use a Gatoraid cap or 1/2 of a wiffle golf ball.
Righting Line: Be sure it’s long enough to do the job, it needs to be 14 foot or so, tied to the dolphin stryker and tossed up and over the hull. Use a diameter line that you can easily grip. If you have the elastic type that goes all the way around the boat be sure it is free of the shrouds.
Personal Gear: Don’t forget to check your wetsuit, boots, gloves and life jacket for proper fit and function.
Trailers: Be sure to check tire pressure (including spare), lights chains and wheel hubs (grease if need be) check your boat and mast is secured before putting on any miles and follow the 1,10,100 rule and check after 1 mile, 10 miles and 100 miles. 
More to come on tuning before Tuesday but if you have individual questions feel free to ask.
See you on the water, — Dave Stiemsma

spring-summer break reminder

Hey Everyone,
Just a friendly reminder that we have tonight (Tuesday, June 29, 2021) off for the 4th of July break week.  Starting next Tuesday (July 6, 2021) we will begin week 1 of 10 of our Summer Series.

Fair Winds-

Spring Series Week #2 Results

We will again be meeting via Zoom meeting to dispense the results after racing on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Planned time for the Zoom room to “open up” is 8:00 PM. If we get cancelled due to weather or other conditions, there will be no Zoom meeting.

The link to the Zoom meeting is: Click Here.

Spring Series Week #2 – May 11, 2021

Alright everyone, round 2. 

Tomorrow is week 2 of our spring series, I think we are in a little better condition this week than last. The forecast is calling for mid 50s but SUNNY with winds 10 to 12 mph gusting 14… The water more than likely hasn’t had much of a chance to warm since last week when the temp was reported to be 60 degrees by shore.  It feels like temp (windchill) is predicted to be around 48 degrees. All that being said, make sure to check Facebook/email for potential cancellations and if we do race make sure to dress appropriately and be safe.

Please dress warm! 

Inexperienced sailors please come out with a crew while it’s cold like this.

First start sequence is at 6:30 PM

Dave Dunlap is RC this week so thanks in advance for the effort Dave! 

Summer is coming! (eventually) 

Fair Winds-

Tuesday Night Racing Check-In Required

To make the already busy Committee Boat jobs (and personnel) a little less hectic, we are asking that EVERYONE sail by the committee boat PRIOR to the 1st race starting flag going up, and announce their boat sail number, the skipper name, and the crew name (if present on the boat). If for some reason you don’t make it out to the race course prior to the 1st race, then still do this process before the 2nd race flag goes up.

If you don’t meet the minimum weight for a Hobie 16 2 person boat (285 lbs), then you MUST notify the Committee Boat that although you have 2 (or 3) people on the boat you should be scored as a SOLO boat. If you don’t do this and are challenged by anyone, you will have all races disqualified (DSQ’d) for the night.

I realize last week was our first actual night of racing for 2020, but we didn’t have everyone’s membership forms pass thru all officers that need to have information from the forms, by the time racing started. Not having who was on what boat greatly slows down the results process, which I assume you would like to have the evening of the race, rather than the next day after a flurry of emails to gather missing information must be sent.

Also, if you have already been scored one week for the year (Summer) and are NOT a paid ALCA member, you will not be scored going forward. We had a few people last year that got scored as dues paying members, but never actually joined the fleet. Not going to happen this year.

Summer Series Week #1 Cancelled

Due to the low and spotty wind, racing for the 1st week of the ALCA Summer series was cancelled. The “results” are posted on the Series Results page of the website. Don’t see your name in the results? Please pay your 2020 membership dues to be scored. We’re hoping for a better wind/weather result for next week.