261024 PEYC End of Season Note from Steve

The home page has been updated with results. https://sailing.ellwood.ch/

The Team Calendar has the dates for the ‘tentative’ 2027 racing schedule. https://sailing.ellwood.ch/calendar/

And now 2026 a season in review.

Wow.

The picture of the whole team at the award ceremony, Lynn and Noah cropped in, and a few hands missing entirely, tells a tale of the season.

But I think this picture …

… does a much better job telling the whole story.

Some novice, some veteran, short staffed, pouring rain, soaking wet, and smiling like the best thing in the world just happened. That is the story of Oh! 2026.

We learned, we tested, we argued, we complained, we triumphed, and thanks to me, we went the wrong, wrong way - sometimes. And we formed a team. We counted on each other, we learned what we could do as individuals and as a group.

We learned we could survive carrying the spinnaker way, way too close to the mark before dropping it while rounding simultaneously.

We learned we could hug the stern of a boat on our bow and spin around them at the windward mark and end up on top of them, sailing over them.

We learned to aggressively hammer the tiller over to jam the bow under the spinnaker to prevent the broach (most of the time - ok some of the time).

We learned the broaching was just another part of life on Oh!, it happens, we correct, and we sail on. Meh.

We learned the young folk we convinced to sail with us had a lot to offer and their enthusiasm was infectious. Thank you to our young members - please keep sailing with us!

We learned there are remarkable people out there that are not sailors and yet, when taught, they find they are actually sailors - and good ones.

We learned to always be looking forward and to always be looking back on the race course for the wind, for the other boats, for the next mark - but we also learned never to look back while on the race course to consider what might have been - we know we have to play the hand we are dealt, right here - right now. Forward and what we do next is the only thing worth our focus on the course.

A corollary to always looking forward is the importance and incredible value of the after action review. Write it down, discuss, and figure out what to improve for next time.

We learned the ‘weather’ is like so many other things in our lives, most things, it is absolutely outside our control. Our catch phrase was a shoulder shrug and the words ‘Picton Bay’. The weather is the weather. We have a preference - god, do we ever - but it is what it is - and we accept it. Left side works upwind leg 1 and doesn’t upwind leg 2 - shrug, Picton Bay. Downwind the boats with white sails pointing dead down wind at the leeward mark are kicking our ass despite our spinnaker, as we reach to build apparent wind like the text book says - shrug Picton Bay. It is this moment, the now, that we take as given and figure out the solution, the next step forward.

We learned that the Olson is a LASER in many ways. Its sensitivity to body weight position, movement and kinetics is HUGE. A few pumps of the main and the chute and we were up and rolling. Passive racing just doesn’t work on the Olson.

We learned to trust our team mates. They own their task(s) and they are doing their best. Reminders, sure. But we trust them to make the call, make the adjustment, and stay focused on their job. It’s expected sure - required in fact. And we are each willing and anxious to fulfil our roles and responsibilities.

We learned that when we need help - ask, no problem. Need advise, ask, no problem. Need to get your leg untangled from the main sheet…yup just ask. Asking is not weakness, it is for the good of the team.

Our team, as people, do so many things “right” already: show up on time, do what we say we are going to do, more or less polite (I’m looking at your Steve!), ask questions and remain curious. We were able to build on these native traits of the team. Thank you all.

So what does tomorrow bring? What of the 2027 season?

We hope that some of us will leave the nest with their skills and confidence and form their own teams. Growing the fleet in many ways. Some might support a weaker crew that needs some guidance and is willing to learn. We hope to make alumni of you all when your time is right. And we hope to continue to find and foster those people that don’t even know they are born in the wool real sailors - yet.

We want to develop PEYC’s young people, the kids or our fellow members, the kids in the sailing school and the instructors. They need rides on race boats and they need to be gently given more and more responsibility onboard.

We will also help them use the club resources, dinghies, trailers, towing, etc, to participate in regattas and do their own learning with their peers.

We want to see the ladies sailing program become the beacon in the region promoting our sport to women - helping them to learn and develop - eventually and inevitably crushing the old guys ;-).

On Oh! we will continue to run the program with ambition and with as much excellence as we can muster - is there any other way?

There is talk underway that Lynn might leave the driving role and move to strategy/tactics on Oh as the next step in her development. I might taken on the driving role - because I really do love it and miss it ;-). But time will tell.

I am anxious to have everyone’s everyone’s comments and opinions, where on the board or in private directly as you prefer. What were your highlights? Lessons learned? Goals for next year?

Thank you all for a season to remember and friendships to cherish.

Steve