Across 6 examinations, Gold stars were sprinkled up and down the intake board including a big one for Annie "pay no attention to my last name" Slaughter who goes up to A-Fleet, and another to "Mr. Precision" John Schneider. "Patient 4" Eva Burpee got a gold star for good behavior but was still nudged off the podium by Patient 666; the score being 27 to 28. 

For the newest MFA inmates (you can check in but you can't check out), you will learn that when talking to the police or one's therapist, consistency of your story is key and so it was for the days' fleet winners. "Cheshire Cat" Bahar  Gidwani didn't need mother's little helper to go fast. And, as a double dose, he got Guerin to do a 360 dance after a rule 18.3 on-the-water discussion followed by a leeward boat spanking to seal the deal for Silver DESPITE two wins and 17 points. However is was "Gown Open in the Back Please" Colley Wheeler who picked off the Cat with 15 points and mashed-potato-consistency scoring of  4, 2, 2, 4, 1, 2 totalling 15.

Thanks goes out to the RC's Supervising Pro David Israel and Dr. Cullen for having the courage to prescribe such unorthodox psychological treatment.  Hunger pangs were well satisfied by Stephen and Annie's soups and such.

I know I demolished the HIPPA protocols in this report, so sue me once your get back to your cells!

--Scott Guerin/666

Anyway, Day Two, Saturday the 3rd, saw 19 racers brave whistling shrouds and if the American YC weather chart is to be believed, there were 28°F temperatures and gusty winds in the 15+ knot range leading to windchill in the mid-teens. Being on the edge, several members said “thanks, but no thanks” 

In A-Fleet that day, the scores show that two well-known guests: Colley “look ma, no pants” Wheeler (7, 1, 7, 4, 2 = 19)  and Paul “the Canuk” Clifford (2, 10, 1, 1, 1  = 15) took third and second place respectively while our very own, “when you’re hot you’re hot” Gidwani (1, 4, 3, 3, 3 = 14)  took the day’s gold. In B-Fleet, Mia Brandt, Catherine Joseph, and John Schneider were 3, 2, 1.

Day Three, January 4th, found the harbor near mirror smooth as 18 racers prepped their boats. Mighty Miss cranked up Lucky while first-time RC Pro Rick Kaskel got everyone checked-in and briefed. The wind freshed to “this is nice” as we headed out at high tide slack.

Here are a couple of emailed-in comments:

From Tracy Kingsley “One of the most fun days I've ever had on the water. The breeze was a challenge, and the sunshine was magnificent. I don't have a "real" race report, because as usual I'm unaware of the important factors on the racing grounds. But what a great day to be alive.” 

And from Will Sheck “yesterday was possibly the most glorious day ever for mfa. thanks to Melissa Rick Tim and everyone else.”

What? Are they nuts? This reporter found no path to fun having found banana peels in every race. He nearly crashed twice in dicey gybes, was on the wrong side of the right-favored side all day, had to salvage two over-early’s, and delivered a starting-line cream-pie-foul in the face of Jeff Sorensen… oh well, sorry Jeff! 

However, others do have better tales to tell with seven races worth of bullets sprinkled amongst Paul Clifford (2 bullets out  of 26 points), Piotr Broszkowski (2 of 27 points), Bahar Gidwani (1 of 32 points), El Diablo 666 (who almost lost his solitary bullet at the finish line - but won a three-way tie at 34 points) and Carla Murphy (1 of 38 points). In B-Fleet, Will, Samantha, and Stephen came in 1, 2 and 3.

It was a day where the wind and tide really was a factor. Starting off from SW, it bounced around steadily rightward to WNW so those who won got a clean start then often headed right, or right of middle, and took the inside knock. Ebbing water from the shallows pushed those on Port tack toward the mark which then needed a bit of an overstand to round.

Late in the day, no one begged for more and the ride back to the dock was fairly brutal with the wind and strong ebb on the nose despite the late day sun. Chili and lentil soup were served up by Carla and Eric. A shoutout of thanks to the RC, Tim Barron, and Crash Boat crews who pulled two ducks out of the water.

However, aside from the racing, very compelling legal action was afoot; two protests were lodged and a committee composed of Gidwani, Guerin, and Kaskel convened to hear them out.

Protest 1. 

Stephen DiGregoria properly protested the RC because the starting pin was moved while the race was already in sequence at about 1:30. Because of the movement, he thought the race had been abandoned (apparently Tracy did too) and they then maneuvered in such a way so as to be disadvantaged at the eventual start. Facts found that while the mark had moved, the race had not been abandoned and thus was legitimate. His claim for redress was rejected.

Ex post facto, after detailed research, several rules are thought to apply:

SI 6.2 It is the responsibility of competitors to hear and understand all announcements related to the course.  A competitor will not be granted redress for claims related to a failure to hear, know or understand the course.  

SI 6.5 No competitor may claim recourse based on a decision made by the Chairperson of the Day or the race committee regarding the racing start time, racing finish time, or a decision to cancel racing.

SI 13.4 The protest committee may grant redress to a sailor whose standing in a race or for a race day has been materially affected by another boat’s misconduct. [also in the case of providing rescue assistance]

Two non-racers that day, but keen outside observers, contributed their thoughts after reading the emailed report: (comment edited for space)

Joe Just  

“…regarding the case of the moved starting pin at around T minus 1:30, the MFA SI's state that the preparatory signal occurs at 2 minutes, with two long horns sounded from the RC boat. RRS Rule 27.2 states that a starting mark may be moved, but no later than the preparatory signal.

I believe a boat that challenges the improper or untimely moving of a mark would have a plausible case to have that race abandoned after the fact.”

Dan Marques

 ”I am in 100% agreement with Joe's conclusion… 27.2 applies and that the race should have been abandoned.  I don't know if the protest committee was aware of this rule, but if it was, I'm really surprised that that race was not abandoned, once they determined that 27.2 was violated….sounds like both the RC and the protest committee made a mistake....I also failed to see how any of the quoted SIs are applicable to this situation.

 Our goal as a fleet should be to learn from our mistakes, so that our racing can be as best as possible. Let's all learn from this incident, so that we can ensure our races are fair.”

WSG followup: among those of us on the water who saw the mark being moved, and shouted out to the crash boat crew to stop (as I and others did), no one sailed back to the RC and demanded a restart, not even those affected.

In hindsight during PC discussion, rule 27.2 did not explicitly come up and I think that was an oversight. MFA SI 6.5 rule exonerating the RC should have been superseded by the Protest Committee and we should have tossed the race. Redress may have been a fair compromise but squishy in its own way.

Bahar followup: As one of the members of the PC that reviewed this matter, I can say that we were “torn!”  Our Fleet’s tradition (as encapsulated in the modification we put into our sailing instructions re RC not being liable) is to just keep racing. This is one of the times we could have done justice to Steve.  However, only he and Tracy (two sailors out of 18) claimed they were affected. We could have given them both redress (average of their other races). I don’t think it would have affected their position for the day.

Protest 2.

In the first race, a windward-leeward with a combined fleet, Marc Berkowitz properly protested all racers who did not complete the course cor(as he alone did) based on the following MFA rule:

SI 6.3 Unless otherwise announced by the Race Committee, after completing the first leg of the course, a boat shall not cross the starting line. A boat shall not cross the finishing line, after completing the first leg of the course, until she is completing the last leg of the course and finishes. A boat that breaks this rule shall not correct her error and will be disqualified for this race.

The whole fleet had made the assumption that as usual, the line was open in a combined fleet but no such announcement had been made prior to the start. The RC has discretion to change the course but is not required to say “remember, the line is closed as per the SI and course sheet.”

The Protest Committee found in favor of Marc’s protest, however, despite wide-spread support to take the DSQs, Marc very graciously withdrew the protest. Instead, we commenced a spirited discussion regarding the rules, protests and lack thereof, and the spirit of good sportspersonship we are bound by.  For instance:

Tracy 

“Just wanted to chime in in support of Mark B's overall point, that rules infractions are too often ignored. I myself have been guilty of this, but when we leave the warm familiar embrace of MFA frostbiting, we need to have awareness and experience with serious rule compliance.”

Bill Zobrist 

“Well said Tracy. If we’re not going to adhere to the rules, then why have them? We have a truly special, lovely thing.”

Wrap up

In any sport there are rules, some obscure. For example, in the recent Sydney-Hobart race, the Tattersall Cup apparent winner on corrected time was protested by the Race Committee for flying an asymmetrical spinnaker incorrectly, they were tossed but accepted the time penalty gracefully, and the boat behind won.

An odd rule that applies to sailors is from tennis: If your hat falls off in the middle of a match, your opponent can call for a let on the grounds that it's a hindrance (an illegal disturbance to the opposing player), which if granted will require the now hatless, offending party to replay the stroke. I recall during a race Sandy Waters begged someone to pick his prized Norwegian hat out of the water after the boom knocked it off. Sorry Charlie, I can’t get redress for rescuing a hat.

A final hot tips: read the MFA’s sailing instructions and notice of race and like Joe, be an RSS nerd!  Apologies for the tome but lots happened Sunday and it’s harder to write a short report than a long one.

• 260107 report V2 by 666/Scott

Scriblings for November 30th, 2025

16 soggy knights climbed off of their steeds having drifted, or been led in by the bridle, to their stalls on the docks. They shook themselves off as their handlers — the redoubtable crash horse crew led by Master at Arms Tim Baron, and Mistress of Ceremonies Melissa Bontemps — attended to their domains.

The day’s overlords, Sir Stephen DeGregoria and Lady Annie Slaughter, directed the battles and commanded the troops as if they were pawns in a soggy game of chess. Truth be told they themselves looked far worse off than their legions whilst in Lucky’s high-keep they directed target movements and such, in a cold, wet, wind.

Four jousting matches were held in lumpy terrain marred by drizzle and dying wind; a far different environ than the wizards had predicted, but most knights were grateful for the relief. However, over the matches, many became chilled-to-their-bones as their armor slowly rusted in place due to lack of normally necessary active movements.

In each match, two squads (senior and novice) were arranged equally in one line, skewed as it sometimes was, and they jousted mightily for position in a foul headwind that seemed at times made of flowing water…odd.

In the first go around, the knights were directed not to gybe at each other, so the lances were put aside. But the course was long and difficult and required getting ones steed off the starting line in the clear of other's swords and slings. Knight Sava the Savvy led the charge and did so again in the next round which was a linear back and forth and back and forth, lasting until one's head spun. Then the wind shifted to the west and the smell of a grilled repast replaced that of a salty damp ocean diverting attention from one end of the line to the other.

Knights Guerin and Gidwani clashed memorably in the third and fourth rounds. Back and forth they a-tacked and gybed at each other directly under the high keep’s nose where “up up up” was heard, yet both stayed clear of the Mistress’s hail “you are over!” 

Fighting repeatedly through hordes of keen knights and their steeds, white shield sleek and lean as a scythe, finding speed by tightening his reins then easing on the hillocks, and yes, finding luck when hope was lost, Sir Guerin managed to prevail in the final two matches to lead the errants home with a small gold shot glass in his glove.

Honors to all including Sir Sava who garnered a silver coin and Sir Simon the Cool with a bronze medallion for the day’s matches.

Those in the second group fought well and like others, perhaps learned some light touch lessons to keep their rides happy and at speed. Keep still but with eyes on combatants nearby, stay near the line and examine its properties, change course little but maneuver confidently and with planning, keep your air clean and not fouled by those near you, one's saddle should be near level, not skewed in some otherworld direction, and lastly, Sir Guerin found himself longing for a 1:1 main strop which in light aires, allows faster trimming of the shield.

A hearty repast was set out for the steaming damp horde who disrobed from their armour without modesty whilst chowing down excellent sandwiches and gruel provided by Sir Zobrist the Wet and Lady Holly the Kind.

Tally ho! - Sir Scott

MFA Race Report for November 9th, 2025

Kara and Tom Speyer must’ve had a heck of a time squaring things up as the day started off with wind trending left as shown above from American Yacht Club’s Weather Underground feed. That’s why pin end was favored in the three races run! Also note the oscillating speed. This meant shifting gears: Power up (loosen the outhaul) and sail fat in heavier air and big chop, and tighten up the outhaul in lighter air and flatter water. In 666’s case, loose was 10” offthe boom, tighter was 7” off the boom to the foot. 

In Race 1, a triangle, Field and 666 battled for the pin. John got the edge so 666, being to leeward in bad air, had to tack further left to clear his air. We rounded the windward mark and paraded around the second leg reach. The third leg was dead downwind finding both of us on port with Bahar not far behind on starboard. On a run in a Dyer, it is conventional that you get your weight forward and have a bit of windward heel to get your sail up in the breeze. Slowly, 666's weight-forward-standing-position ground down John, achieving the inside overlap at three boat lengths from the mark allowing 666 to ride home to the finish on one long port tack. 

Race 2 found Field and 666 tangling again at the pin but John got there a few seconds early and had to bail so 666 led wire to wire. Crucially, John clawed back for another second, never say never. 

Race 3 was a triangle/windward leeward with a windward finish. As 666 approached the pin on starboard, Field was just ahead but 666 was low and other boats in the fleet drove right over me. 666 was road kill thanks to Dagastino, Carla, Bahar and others, and he had to bail, a process during which he smashed into Samantha, and did a 360 penalty turn as a result.  More or less DFL, 666 resolved to recover. On the long windward 3rd leg, he broke far right to what he hoped was an ebbing tide and better wind. At the windward mark, 666 was in 8th with Joe Just and Dag four boat lengths ahead of me on the run. 666 had speed, but the clincher was the “up up up” tango they did that, which slowed them down. 666 was now just nose hair behind at the leeward mark. 666 went left a bit to clear his air, then tacked back right as they covered. The move right paid off, and he caught them on the last leg for a very satisfying 5th. 

Races were called off a bit early as a nasty-looking wall of rain approached and everyone got soaked, some more than others as Russel Raymundo became a newly minted Jacques Cousteau Club member on the way back in! 

End of the day A-Fleet standings: LaBronze Bahar (3,4,1) was in third with 8 points , 666 added Silver to his sparse hair with 7 points (1,1,5) and John Field (2,2,2) made that claw-back count and took Gold. B-Fleet found Jeff Sorenson in 3rd, Joe Just in 2nd, and Gerard in 1st. 

At the after race party, Joe and Jackie delivered the hot goods spectacularly (there outta be an MFA cookbook) and Bahar did a great chalk-talk. 

See you soon, 

-- 666 (Scott Guerin)