Announcements
10/08/08
Grand Finale!What a terrific last Tuesday on the water. Thanks to Split Decision for their work on RC and to Phil Akers to yet another terrific Chili Party! Remember: We still have two more weeks of racing with the Fall Classic! Daily trophies are awarded, so if you missed the first one, come on out to play on the 18th and the 25th!
2008 Parade of Lights. Mark Your Calendars for the 2008 Holiday Parade of Lights on Saturday December 6, 2008. Enjoy fun...parties including the Captains Coordination Reception, Closing Awards Party and a Sunday Bloody Boaters Brunch. Details to follow!
10/3/2008
Can this possibly be our last Tuesday night?!? The Split Decision will be committee boat for the last Tuesday night race on October 7. They plan to start the sequence promptly at 6:30 PM. Since sundown is at 6:42PM the boats will be finishing in the dark. Please notify the committee boat on 68 upon crossing the finish line. Not earlier!! Failure to adhere to this procedure may result in an error in being scored or not being scored at all. A short race is planned. Phil's 24th Annual Chili party will follow the race. Click here for details.
10/1/2008
Register on line or at the Skippers Meeting. If you plan to race in the Fall Classic, you can register on line (there is now a Fall Classic option), by mail, or at the Skippers Meeting at 10:00 am on Saturday. See you on the North Course.
9/29/2008
The NOR for the Fall Classic, which begins this Saturday, October 4 can be found in the Racing Section of this website. Registration forms can be handed in at the Skippers Meeting at the Afterdeck at 10:00 am or completed on line (On-Line Membership Form, Member's Section) or mailed to the DISC treasurer. Racing will begin at 11:00 on the NORTH COURSE. High tide is 12:09 pm, which is perfect for the north course.
Also, to avoid confusion on the starting line, please remind the Race Committee if you have recently switched fleets. Thanks!9/23/2008
Wonder what Masters is all about? Read these accounts from Reprisal, Blue boat, Chiripa, Infidel and Liberty Belle. Hope you will join us next year!
9/17/2008
Mt. Vernon Fall Fling on Saturday, 9/20! This is a terrific race on one of the most beautiful parts of the Potomac River. Click here for the registration form.
9/12/2008
Our regatta on SA. Take a look at this great piece by Peter Howson on the home page of Sailing Anarchy. Nicely done. And here is another picture from John H. If you have any pics you would like to share, please send them along!
Above: Shifty weather leg of Race 1 of the 2008 Leukemia Cup (photo: John Hickey)
9/10/2008
Another Leukemia Cup in the books. Thanks to everyone who raised funds for this event, and especially those DISC members who worked hard on the Regatta Committee: Pat Williams, Marcia Green, Dale Eager and Tim Dixon. The Regatta Committee members are essential to the success of this event. If you would like to participate on the Committee next year, please speak to one of this year’s members. Congrats to the winners, and especially the skipper and crew of OpFor (below, right) who were unbelievably fast! Here are the results:
Spin A
1. Coup de Vent/Dale Eager
2. Too Many Cooks, Nelson Pemberton/Don Peloquin
3. Reprisal, Doug Savage
Spin B
1. OpFor, Craig Eckman
2. Chiripa, Richard Knab
3. Sabrina, Dana Shafie
Non-spin A
1. Blue Boat, Bob and Johanna Soli
2. Firefly, Rob Gibb
3. Valkyre, Eric Rehe
Non-spin B
1. Runneth Over, Bill Davenport
2. Hawkeye, Tim Dickson
3. Time Sweep, Marcia Green
9/6/2008
PLAN FOR SUNDAY.
Thanks to Hanna (right) Leukemia Cup sailing will take place on Sunday, 9/7. Here is the plan:
8:00 am Registration (if you did not sign in on Friday)
9:00 am Skippers Meeting at the Afterdeck
10:30 am First race
3:30 pm Post Race celebration
For DISC sailors, racing will use the usual Tuesday format. For those unfamiliar with our racing, you can find the Leukemia Cup Sailing Instructions here.
8/28/2008
NEW NAMES ON CREW MATCH. Looking for crew for the upcoming Leukemia Cup? Several individuals have recently offered their services.Visit the Crew Match page for details.
8/25/2008
TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEWEST BOAT PAGE. Rick Davies , a first-year member of DISC recently updated his boat's web page. Take a look and learn more about this terrific boat:
TONIGHT! LEUKEMIA CUP HAPPY HOUR!Dana Shafie informes us that the DC Hard Rock Café (10th and E NW), through the efforts of Ameri Vermillion (former Indigo Landing Events Manager and sponsor of the Cherry Blossom Regatta), has volunteered to host a Happy Hour on Monday, 25 August from 5-7pm for the Leukemia Cup Regatta. All the bartenders have very generously offered to donate all tips received during Happy Hour directly to the NCR LLS!! As an added attraction, the lovely Loree Lipstein has volunteered to be a guest bartender, so start thinking up complex rum drinks with which to challenge her! Lets show our DISC pride and drinking prowess by attending this event in force and showing our thanks to the bartenders and management of Hard Rock for making this happen for us! Drink early and often!
8/18/2008
JL. Cup, Masters
and Infidel.
First, as Pat Williams mentioned earlier this week, it is time to SIGN UP FOR LEUKEMIA CUP!!!! The link is: www.leukemiacup.org/nca. If you don't act fast, your boat's name won't be on the T-shirt. There is still time to raise funds for this important cause.
Second, the weekend after L. Cup, the Masters of the Potomac takes place. For you newbies, this is a 57 mile race that begins at Quantico Yacht Club and heads south to a turning mark off of Colonial Beach. If you are thinking, "Man… I am not sure this race is for me…" give me a call and we can talk. I was asking myself the same thing last year at this time, and have to say it was one of the best sails I have ever had. A bunch of boats will be heading down that way, so you will be in good company. Clickhere for the NOR and registration form.
Third, take a look at our most recent Boat Web Page http://disc.org.googlepages.com/chiripa224. This is the page for INFIDEL, owned by Steve Riker. Steve crewed aboard Chiripa last summer, and it is great to see him moving up the fleet on his own boat this summer.
If any of you without a page would like one, or if you need your page updated, please let me know.
Last, bit CERTAINLY not least, thank to John Hickey for the great photo above, taken last Tuesday.
Jump on in! The water is fine! This just in from Arlington County officials:
Arlington County has lifted the advisory it issued on
Thursday, August 7 for the Four Mile Run stream from Westover Park to the
Potomac River. The advisory was issued following a second release of
portable lavatory waste into the storm sewer system that empties into the park
near N. Kennebec Street and the bicycle trail at I-66.
8/8/2008
Report from the Cruising Chair. Those who participated in the 2008 Mattawoman Dash had a memorable weekend. Click here for a report from Pat Williams.
8/7/2008
Read before jumping in to clean your bottom!Bob Minelli shared the folloing alert related to Four Mile Stream:
An illicit dumping of portable lavatory waste into Four Mile Run Stream near
Westover Park is affecting waters and parks all the way to the Potomac.
Residents are advised not to fish in or have any contact with the waters –
including wading or swimming – until further notice. Arlington's Fire
Marshall's Office and Department of Environmental Services are investigating
this 2nd dumping in as many weeks at the same location. BLR/OEM Sent by Arlington County OEM to All users (e-mail, pagers, cell phones) through
Arlington Alerthttps://www.
8/6/2008
Order your DISC Burgee, hat and window sticker. Over the next week we are taking orders for some terrific DISC items. Take a look at the attached flyerand respond ASAP if you are interested. Don't miss out!
8/4/2008
The deadline is August 16th! To get your boat's name on the Leukemia Cup T-Shirt, You have to register at the following link:
www.leukemiacup.org/ncaDon't wait till the last minute...
Also the Regatta Raffle tickets are in. Click here for a copy of the flyer. See Loree at the society to get yours or if you need some, send me a note and I will pick them up for you and deliver them on Tuesday....
The count down is on. Our biggest regatta of the year is just over a month away.
Cheers, Patrick
7/31/2008
Last call for weekend cruise! Hi all, last call for boats heading south for the weekend... The winds are from the NW tomorrow night making the sail south a great opportunity. They swing around to the south over the weekend making the return trip a breeze...So what are you waiting for? Come along. Right now I have Crows Nest, AIRWORTHY, Split Decision, Allura, Lynne L, Chiripa and Liberty Belle.... Should be a lot of fun and we can welcome Reprisal back from the Gov Cup of Saturday... Friday boats heading south are leaving around 3-5 pm so you won't be along out on the river..... Cheers Patrick7/30/2008
Many thanks! To our friends at the National Maritime Heritage Foundation and the skipper and crew of American Spirit, for a special night on the water. Thanks also go out to Prag Katta (DISC member and crew on Chiripa; Prag came up with the idea and made the connections), John Hickey (for taking many terrific photographs) and Dale Eager and crew (for running a good race). We look forward to future collaboration with the NMHF.
Here are a couple of photos from John:
Above, Spin Start. Right, Cheerleaders on American Spirit, Left, Chiripa at the finish.
7/29/2008
North Course on Tuesday, 7/29! Make sure to leave the Marina early enough to arrive for the 6:30 start on the North Course. The Committee Boat will be the schooner American Spirit. There is still room for family and friends to watch the race aboard Spirit. See message below (7/17) for details.
Another nice shot from John Hickey. This one from last Tuesday's light air race:
7/22/2008
West Nile at WSM! This piece was recently in the news... Make sure to have some insect repellent handy!!! ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Alexandria city health officials say mosquito samples taken last week from Daingerfield Island have tested positive for West Nile virus.
Officials say no human cases of the virus have been reported in the city this year. They recommend residents eliminate mosquito breeding grounds by emptying water from containers such as birdbaths at least once a week.
7/17/2008
Friends and family can watch our 7/29 race aboard the beautiful schooner American Spirit! Spirit will serve as the platform for our next north course race on July 29 Click here for more information about a terrific opportunity for spectators to see firsthand how we spend our Tuesday evenings.
7/16/2008
Last night was another beauty on the Potomac. Thanks to John Hickey for another terrific shot.
7/10/2008
I'll come upwith a more permemant place to put the video, but for now here it is:
YouTube (Thanks, Dale):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Uxggua3g0
Channel 9:
http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=73779
Another beautiful (and eventful!) night. A dismasting, several groundings, another TERRIFIC photo from John Hickey (above), and a beautiful breeze which gave us a terrific windward-leeward course. Check out the 7:00 pm news on channel 9 for a short piece about Leukemia Cup with footage from last night's race. We will try to get it posted to the site.
If you haven't accepted your invitation for our Googlegroup, please do so soon!
7/1/2008
Just gotta say... Has there been a nicer night on the water than last night on the North Course? Thanks, Allura, for the great courses. And thanks to John Hickey for this TERRIFIC shot from last night.
Keep this great boat in the fleet! Yes, the speedy Firefly is for sale. Buy it soon, before Sparky has second thoughts. Details here.
6/30/2008
NORTH COURSE TOMORROW!! DON'T MISS IT! Leave a little earlier than usual so that we can start promtly at 6:30.
The 2nd Annual Aydod Memorial Cruise/Regatta was lots of fun! Seven boats rafted up along the Maryland shore opposite Mt. Vernon on Saturday night, and were treated to some spectacular fireworks (lightning storm passing over Washington, DC). Click here to read more about this memorable trip. Thanks, Pat, for pulling it all together!
Accept your invitation to join our Googlegroup! Help make the transition to the new e-mail listserve as smooth as possible by confirming your membership ASAP. Let us know if you did not receive an invitation.
6/25/2008
Next Tuesday (7/1/2008) we will race the NORTH COURSE!!!
Members: You will be receiving a message from Googlegroups! We will be managing our future e-mail communications using this tool. Please let us know if you have any trouble with these e-mails.
6/21/2008
Here it is! The much anticipated NOR for the 2nd Annual AYDOD Memorial Regatta and Cruise on June 28-29. Take a look here and ready you crew for lots of fun on this down-river sail. Contact Pat Williams (e-mail in the NOR) with any questions and ideas. It would be great to get a tentative headcount!
6/20/2008
And the Geico Cup winners ARE... Those who participated in the First Annual GEICO Cup were treated to two days of fantastic weather, great racing, a tasty cookout, and a lively awards ceremony. Thanks, GEICO, for sponsoring this terrific event! Non-Spin results: 1st Place, Hawkeye; 2nd Place, CIRCE; 3rd Place, Blue Boat. Spin Results: 1st Place, Reprisal; 2nd Place, Coup de Vent; 3rd Place, On the Edge. Additional photos can be seen in the Flikr site and results are included in the overall Spring Ahead Series.
We still have 7 XL Regatta T-shirts for crew members who did not receive one. Send an e-mail to Richard Knab to claim them. First-come, first served!
Invitation to Thursday Night Race Night with DC Sail. Take a look at the attached letterto DISC members from DC Sail's new Director, Sarah Meharg.
6/14/2008
Join us for the 2nd Annual AYDOD Memorial Regatta and Cruise on June 28-29--an almost Summer Sailstice 2008 Event (only a week after the actual solstice!). Summer Sailstice is the global holiday celebrating sailing held annually on the summer solstice and the weekend closest to it, the longest sailing days of the year. This international event was founded to connect the global sailing community in a fun, creative, multifaceted, multi-location sailing holiday.
The second annual AYDOD Memorial Regatta and Cruise will begin on Sat 28 June. This almost-yearly event will take the DISC Fleet south of the Wilson Bridge (Yes, Virginia, there is water to sail on south of the beltway) to Mt Vernon and Craney Island. So let’s go sailing!
On Saturday morning we will depart from the marina. For those for whom sailing means “we be racing” we will sail a course from a starting line just south of the Wilson Bridge, south to turning Marks off from Mt. Vernon and a finish across from Mt. Vernon along the Maryland shore. As this is a less-than-competitive event, the use of spinnakers and such are tolerated but not necessarily encouraged. There will be two classes scored. One for racers and one for those desiring a more genteel style of life… Those who simply want to make their way down river to meet up with the fleet are encouraged to do so!
Post-race festivities (awards ceremonies, drinks, dinner etc…) will be held at an evening raft-up that will gather opposite Mt. Vernon for an enjoyable evening on the water…
Sunday finds us up and ready for one more day of relaxing sailing as the fleet heads south past Mt Vernon for a circumnavigation of Craney Island before returning to WSM Sunday evening.
NOR and other details will follow in the coming days. Please contact me via email at aydod@comcast.net, if you are interested in this “fun” and enjoyable event.
Thanks Patrick
6/12/2008
Still time to Pre-register for GEICO CUP! It looks like we will have a good fleet sailing both Saturday and Sunday, and a number of boats sailing only one of the two days. So don't miss out! Skipper's bags! Great racing! A Saturday afternoon cookout! And BEAUTIFUL Woodbury Pewter trophies provided by GEICO.
Send an e-mail to Gary of through the website ASAP to let us know which days you will be racing and and estimate of the number of crew.
Pat Williams and Robbie Leary (RC on Saturday and Sunday, respectively) could each use some extra hands. We also need some volunteers to help man the grill on Satuday pm. Please let us know if you can help!
6/9/2008
PLEASE PRE-REGISTER FOR GEICO CUP!!! It is very important for us to get some numbers. Please let us know if you plan to race--either both days or one of the two days--and approximately how many crew will accompany you. AS AN ADDED INCENTIVE, THOSE WHO PRE-REGISTER BEFORE TUESDAY NIGHT RACING WILL RECEIVE 2 REGATTA T-SHIRTS!!!!!
DISC Sailors clean up at Mt. Vernon. Congratulations to the sailors who braved the heat on Saturday at Mt. Vernon's Spring Fling. Rumor has it DISC sailors took home all the trophies! More details about the racing will be posted soon.
6/6/2008
Boat looking for crew. For GEICO Cup and Tuesday nights. Take a look at Crew Match.
6/5/2008
Pre-registration for the Geico Cup is now open!Please help us organize a great event by pre-registering for the upcoming regatta on June 14-15 (see attached flyer). Skipper’s bags, including a regatta T-shirt, will be available to all skippers who pre-register. Bags will be available to those who do not pre-register on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.
To pre-register, all you need to do is to send an e-mail by the end of Wednesday, June 11 to comments@discsailing.org indicating your boat name, whether you intend to race one or both days (in the case of the former, please indicate which day), and an estimate of the number of crew members racing with you. You can complete your registration on the morning of the 14th.
Click here for some more details.
6/4/2008
Anyone interested in bringing a Wavelength back to the fleet? Pictures can be deceiving, but man, this looks like a nice deal for someone willing to travel to Texas! Take a look: http://www.sailingtexas.com/swavelength24100.html
Join the DISC fleet at Mt. Vernon on Saturday! Phil Akers/Split Decision will be heading south with several other boats at 8:30 am. Let us know if you plan to sail, are looking for crew or are looking for a ride. The registration form (see link in the message from 5/30 below) can be delivered to the committee boat prior to the race. Lots of fun! Don't miss it!
We was magnificent! And VERY wet! Fun was had by all who braved the rain, lightning and high winds to make it to the end of C Dock on Tuesday for hot dogs and potato salad prepared by Phil Akers. Fair-weather partiers (you know who you are) will be pleased to know that there were lots of leftovers, so another one of these events will likely happen soon.
6/3/2008
New material has been posted on the Leukemia Cup page, including information about the June 21 Kick Off Event. Click here to check it out!
5/31/2008
"Return of Boat Killer!". Click here to read Pat William's account of the demolition of Osprey, which is archived in the Members section (Member Notes and Articles). Click here to see a list of items from Osprey that are being sold to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
