It was quite a surprising weekend — the wind was predicted to be light and blow out on Saturday but luckily held, and Sunday’s forecast was similarly modest but again held up for another great racing day. New this weekend: Noddy made her debut appearance for the season, as well as Mary Julia Hall (formerly S.C. Dobson). Persistence was absent.

Jay Dee took the first gun but corrected to 6th; Island Lark corrected to first, with Island Blossom right behind at 2nd. Edmee S. had a huge first race, coming in 3rd. The second race was another close one, with Jay Dee making a big downwind comeback before Island Blossom found a shift and rocketed to the finish. In the final race Sunday, Island Lark took off early and never slowed down — a great victory considering she’d capsized under tow to Oxford on the way over.

The award ceremony was held at Harleigh, jacket and tie required, with the annual croquet match between Silver Heel and Edmee S. — Edmee S. took the victory after a 4-year losing streak.

Here are the Sailing Instructions for the Tred Avon Yacht Club Annual Regatta for the log canoe races. Saturday the warning signals are set for 10:30am for the first race, and 2:30pm for the second race. On Sunday the warning signal is set for 10:30am.

On Saturday along with the Log Canoes the TAYC/CBYC will be having the “Race to Oxford” for PHRF boats starting at 12am and will include (PHRF N, PHRF C/D, PHRF B, PHRF A3, PHRF A2, J235 and PHRF A0/A1) classes starting in that order 5 minutes apart. There is also the Annual Regatta by the TAYC which will include (420, Laser, Laser Radial, Optimist, Penguin, and Snipe) classes starting at 11am and 10am on Sunday. On Sunday there will be the Robert K. Robson Memorial “Round-The-Buoys-Race” with warning at 9:30am starting at 9:35am in this order: PHRF A0/A1 (9:40am), J/35 (9:40am), PHRF A2 (9:45am), PHRF A3 (9:50), PHRF B (9:55am), PHRF C/D (10am), and PHRF N (10:05am).

Award Ceremonies for all races for the entire weekend will be held at Harleigh on Oxford Road (coat and tie required.)

I updated the gallery page, and added a few slide shows and links to all the photos I have taken (flickr.com/photos/blogcanoe) as well as photos other people have sent me to share to everyone! Please keep sending me pictures! or if you can’t send me any pictures you can join the Log Canoe group I started on Flickr.com here (flickr.com/groups/log_canoes) and upload your own pictures and share them with the group!

I will do my best to keep the most recent pictures/slideshows on the top of the page, as the season moves along.

Thank you all for all the comments and feedback and encouragement! It really keeps me motivated to keep doing this blog, I wasn’t expecting such a huge following and support but THANK YOU!

The highpoint trophy from the 2007 season was just awarded at the Governor’s Cup award ceremony.

And the winner is…

1st Place - Patricia

2nd Place - Island Lark

3rd Place - Mystery

Top Gun

Island Lark

The Governor’s Cup weekend in 2008 was scored as three separate races, each with its own trophy, rather than a combined series total.

1st Race — William Sidney Covington Trophy (pre-1917 boats) / John B. Harrison Trophy (post-1917 boats)

11 of the 14 competing canoes raced, over a 6.14nm course starting at 10:30am. There was plenty of wind to start off the day — maybe a little too much for some. The Spirit of Wyetowne, Island Bird, Billie P. Hall, and even the mighty Jay Dee all capsized before the race; Jay Dee was crewed entirely by female Log Canoers assembled from across the fleet. Island Lark got the gun!

Pos	Sail	Boat	Skipper
1	9	Island Blossom	Corbin Penwell
2	16	Island Lark	T. C. duPont
3	19	Patricia	John Macielag
4	10	Oliver’s Gift	Meredith Adams
5	2	Silver Heel	Peter Esslinger
6	20	Edmee S.	Marshall Patterson
DNS	4	Island Bird	John North
DNS	18	Spirit of WyeTowne	January White
DNS	5	Billie P. Hall	Sean Callahan
DNS	3	Magic	George Wilson
DNS	15	Jay Dee	Dan North
DNC	1	Noddy	Brad Johnson
DNC	12	Persistence	Brad Johnson
DNC	8	Mystery	Francis Schauber

Covington/Harrison Trophy (pre-1917 boats): 1st Island Blossom, 2nd Island Lark, 3rd Silver Heel. John B. Harrison Trophy (post-1917 boats): 1st Patricia, 2nd Oliver’s Gift, 3rd Edmee S.

2nd Race — James Oliver Duke Memorial Trophy

11 of the 14 canoes competed over a 7.09nm course starting at 2:10pm. The wind built through the day; Silver Heel and Island Bird capsized before the start, and Edmee S., Billie P. Hall, and Magic capsized during the race. Island Lark got the gun!

Pos	Sail	Boat	Skipper
1	9	Island Blossom	Corbin Penwell
2	16	Island Lark	T. C. duPont
3	19	Patricia	John Macielag
4	10	Oliver’s Gift	Meredith Adams
5	15	Jay Dee	Dan North
6	18	Spirit of WyeTowne	January White
DNF	20	Edmee S.	John Patterson
DNF	5	Billie P. Hall	Sean Callahan
DNF	3	Magic	George Wilson
DNS	4	Island Bird	John North
DNS	2	Silver Heel	Peter Esslinger
DNC	1	Noddy	Brad Johnson
DNC	12	Persistence	Brad Johnson
DNC	8	Mystery	Francis Schauber

Duke Trophy: 1st Island Blossom, 2nd Island Lark, 3rd Patricia. “Middleman” Trophy (middle of the fleet): Patricia.

3rd Race — Governor’s Cup

The last race of the weekend was set 8.42nm long over the “GLGBXGLG” course, and 9 of the 14 canoes competed. Jay Dee is traditionally ineligible for this race, since she was designed and built specifically to win it. Island Lark got the gun, though Island Blossom nearly snatched the win back at the finish.

Pos	Sail	Boat	Skipper
1	16	Island Lark	T. C. duPont
2	9	Island Blossom	Corbin Penwell
3	2	Silver Heel	Peter Esslinger
4	5	Billie P. Hall	Sean Callahan
5	10	Oliver’s Gift	Meredith Adams
6	19	Patricia	John Macielag
7	20	Edmee S.	Marshall Patterson
8	4	Island Bird	John North
9	18	Spirit of WyeTowne	January White
DNC	1	Noddy	Brad Johnson
DNC	12	Persistence	Brad Johnson
DNC	3	Magic	George Wilson
DNC	8	Mystery	Francis Schauber

Governor’s Cup: 1st Island Lark, 2nd Island Blossom, 3rd Silver Heel.

The last of three back-to-back weekends, another tough one with the wind staying fairly strong throughout. Special mention to the crew of Jay Dee, under Mariana Lescher’s command, who came back for a second try after heartbreak in race 2.

[audio:http://www.blogcanoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/europe-the-final-count-down.mp3] The final weekend, in this series of three race weekends back to back, is finally here! Hopefully it will be another great weekend like the last few, only this time we will be back on the Miles river. Hopefully we should have a large turnout of competitors! It will be nice to see Billie P. Hall and Oliver’s Gift joining the fleet and maybe more!

Also, this is a special weekend because the entire Jay Dee crew will be all ladies! An entire female crew will race her for both races on Saturday. Jay Dee does not race on Sunday, due to her ineligibility to race the Governors Cup Race due to her “cut off” stern unlike all the other canoes who have a pointed bow and stern.

So everyone come out and support our Canoers, and our ladies!

The ladies of Jay Dee from John J on Vimeo

See everyone on the water!

The first race was set “A,R,S” roughly around 5nm, with the race starting on time at 10:10am. There was plenty of wind, at least 10-15 knots. Only 6 of the 14 canoes registered raced this weekend. Mystery got the gun!

The second race started at 2:40pm with the course set the same “A,R,S” but twice around, roughly a 10nm course with steady 15+ knots of wind. Mystery capsized scoring a DNF (an omen of what was to come the next day), and Patricia capsized before the race and was unable to start, scoring a DNS. Island Blossom got the gun!

The last race of the weekend, set again “A,R,S x2” but slightly longer at roughly 10-11nm, started at 10:10am with plenty of wind and ran about 1hr 30min+. Patricia had jib trouble and ran aground fixing it, finishing last across the line. Mystery had a massive setback: the foremast gave way and broke in half nearing the finish, ending her race.

Thank you RHYC Race Committee, for hosting a great race weekend! Full results: RHYC results, pictures.

Another great weekend on the chester river, plenty of strong steady wind made for two days of great racing! Unfortunately there were only about 6 canoes that competed this weekend, but those that were able to compete raced hard and fast! Although it was a bit of a rough tow back to St. Michaels..

[audio:http://www.blogcanoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/gilligantheme.mp3] A long weekend…