A CHILI day... thank you, Cape Lookout Sail & Power Squadron!

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This past Saturday a small crowd wolfed down chili for a cause... the annual CLSPS cook-out benefit for -us- the NJROTC sailing program. We really appreciate the support, and the chili was delicious too!





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Coaches Gormley & King brought their own home-cooked pots of chili, along with a dozen more Power Squadron members. LCDR Tyson brought a pot of "Official Navy Game Chili" featuring venison & Guinness... hot enough to get your attention, and delicious! There was also no-bean chili, white chili with chicken, generous helpings of cornbread, and a steaming pot of clam chowder (not a Southern tradition, but a welcome treat).


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There was some discussion of various ways of cooking chili, and everybody got to vote on the HOTTEST, the BEANIEST (is this good?), and the overall BEST chili. Although Coach King's chili, which featured curry as one of the spices, was the first to disappear, it did not get any votes. Bob's Oktoberfest Chili was almost unanimously voted the 'Best Overall' even though it was almost sweet rather than spicy-hot.

Richard Tobacco, Power Squadron Commander, announces the winners. You can see all the chili lined up on the counter... nobody went home hungry!

Meanwhile, out on the river, winds were strong and our head Coach Jerry Reab was winning the first of the Winter Series races. Overall it was a very good day!

... posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King

Columbus Day Sail... what did we discover...

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This holiday would not normally be a school day, BUT thanks to Hurricane Irene we have to make up some lost time. We get to gain some more sailing practice too.

This is appropriate since Columbus Day commemorates one of the great sailing achievements in history.

Should we expect that after our precision sailing demo this Saturday, that we could get all the Javelins close together and on the same point of sail for a picture?


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Here's some of the 'blue-book' sailors mixing it up in the FJs.

Good news: today we have a bunch of new sailors who are ready to step up to the 'sports cars' of the fleet after sailing the Javelins.







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These next two photos show how one skippers puts an agressive move on another. Instead of simply following in FJ#1's wake and 2nd-hand wind, FJ#1 cuts to windward and passes.

Of course, both boats would be moving faster if the sail trim were a little more accurate, the boats being held flat, and weight a little more forward in the boat. It's also disappointing to see these two skippers NOT steering with the hiking stick.

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This passing move works for several reasons. By turning closer to the wind (but not quite close-hauled), FJ#2 generates more apparent wind. This will be especially helpful in lighter breezes.



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Not satisfied with beating FJ#1, the team in FJ#2 chases & passes two of the Javelins, this time on a close-hauled course.

In way this is a shame, because the Javelins sail well and a skillful skipper & crew have in the past humbled the FJ sailors... and the team in #2 are making some mistakes that another boat could take advantage of.


Next time we sail, let's get more of those FJs in the water! The weather is not turning cold yet but the days are getting shorter!

...posted by Assistant Coach Doug King

Mumfest Sailing

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New Bern has a BIG open-air festival every autmn. It has been going on for 31 years now and is called MUMFEST (link). This year the NBHS-NJROTC Sailing Squad participated in this grand event and put on a sailing demonstration for the first time.

The weather turned out beautiful. However "just in case" things turned out not so great, we used the Javelins which are built a bit tougher than the Flying Juniors (they also weigh more than twice as much!). Our sailing demo was scheduled to happen right after the rescue demonstration by the Marine Corps HH-46 helicopter & Coast Guard crews.

Here is the VMR-1 Search-And-Rescue helicopter, universally known by it's call sign PEDRO, hovering over the Neuse River off the town front of New Bern. Their SAR missions have included the rescue of many civilian boaters over the years; we are very lucky to have such a capable unit stationed nearby.

In most military operations, in order to be sure of being at the correct place at the correct time, we arrive plenty early. The Mumfest demo sail was a good example of this "hurry up & wait" principle, but this time it was a lot of fun to loiter just outside the operation area. There was a GREAT breeze for sailing!

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Here is the PEDRO rescue demonstration. You can see the down-wash of the helicopter would present a major hazard to small craft especially sailboats. At the far right is the Union Point pavilion, at the far left is the USCG 41-foot vessel.



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Next, it's our turn to show off! Here is the Javelin fleet headed right into Union Point, sailing "wing & wing" which is one o the more difficult points of sail. Of course only the real sailors in the crowd on shore can appreciate this, and unfortunately the sailboats cannot approach the shore closely because of shallows & rocks along the edge of Union Point.


However, anybody can see the boats being handled skillfully in close quarters. And everybody would enjoy the sight of these graceful little vessels sailing along the historic New Bern waterfront.


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The boats have gybed, then turned onto a close-hauled course... these are basic maneuvers we cover in the sailing course, when sailing near a rocky lee shore it pays to have perfect control of the vessel... not to mention we don't want to wreck one of our boats in front of a crowd of onlookers.





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This was a longer day of sailing than our usual training sessions. The sailing cadets got to stop in town (thanks to the Galley Store (link) who kindly let us use their dock) and also met the Coast Guardsmen on their 41-ft vessel.

Here is the Sailing Squad Commander forgetting his dignity for a moment, signalling that he is ready for MORE SAILING!

We hope that the NJROTC Sailing Squad will be ready & able to make this an annual event. We have events in the Spring, the Open Regatta; and now a Mumfest Demo Sail in the Fall.



...posted by Assistant Coach Douglas King