We had Kurt Hahn on this race with Rod, Amy, and Michele returning. It was a nearly perfect downwind start right at the right pin. Spinnaker went up fast. We even managed to stay on the outside of the dumping grounds and rounded first.
The second leg of the giant triangle was a tight reach so there were no passing lanes.
On the third mark we got caught underneath a J105 and a T10. There is an old racing philosophy that we all fall for is to never, never get caught under a slower boat. Ticket tacked behind us while we were stuck going slow. Unfortunately she got a lift and more wind ahead and all we managed to do is lose a place. At this point we were managing to hold off Jay and Ihnsanity but punched a hole in the head sail.
We let Jay get on the shore side and she managed to squeeze by. We did almost caught her in the last few tacks but could not pull it off. Just goes to show you that it is never a sure thing in sailing.
We had managed to skip the Windsor Overnight race on Lake St. Clair for the last four years but decided to do it as a change up. It had been shortened to 42 miles. It seems a number of times we would go 2/3s around the course, the wind would die, and end up motoring home. This was our first major race since the NOODs and it was still a little bit strange to go back sailing.
At the start
It started with a reach at about 60 in 12 to 14 knots and we attempted to fly the .75
spinnaker in the first 2.4 miles of the race. Unable to hold it up we
went back to a headsail and then flew the .6 spin at the next leg.
Jayhawker with code 0 on first leg
After rounding in first we got passed by Jay and HT on the leward leg. I think this spinnaker just has too many thousands of miles on it and is just tired.
At the top leg we all rounded within feet of each other. The second leg was a fetch. Rounding with other boats the J120 cannot point with other boats and we had to take the lower course. We let the other boats go higher as we saw that there already a lift at the top of the mast indicating what would happen farther down the course.
Hot Ticket and Jayhawker. All boats were less that a hundred feet away down the course the entire way.
That did happen as we got lifted with the storm approaching. After dark I
made a point about the crew wearing pfd's and the expected weather. A
comment was made that it did not look too severe but I retorted that you
cannot tell at night.
On the left you can see where we broached.
On the right was our search pattern for the overboard crewman
Mike Henk in the rain
We started to see boats rounding up behind us and I called to roll up the headsail but it did not happen in time. About a mile and a half from the Thames River buoy it hit and we immediately rounded up. It got real scary we saw other boats going in different directions out of control and had to duck them. At this point we shredded our #1 (it was 7 years old). At the buoy we saw a multihull overturned and discovered they had lost a person overboard. Immediately we took down our sails and joined in the search. We found the same flashlight floating in the water three times hoping there was no person had been attached to it. After 45 minutes of looking for that person it was ascertained that person had been picked up and all crew members accounted for. This could of been a real disaster. None of the people on that boat had on life preservers. The crewman that was picked up did not even know the name of his boat.
Here is the radar of the storm approaching
Thames River at the eastern part of the lake
When the search was called off we decided to just motor home. Jayhawker
had shredded her main and participated in the search. Hot Ticket did
finish. It almost seemed like a repeat of previous two week's incident.
After a long motor ride home we discovered the power was out at Bayview.
A find ending to another stressful event.
Receiving boat of the day award
in Key West with Dan Lorenz
This past Saturday we lost a good friend in a tragic accident. Mike Badendieck was a close companion to a number of people. He had the bearing of a military man (he served a tour aboard a submarine) and showed composure under pressure. He knew how to have fun but had the seriousness to be not taken for granted. Trim and athletic, he was a very accomplished sailor. He could handle any job on the boat. Mike was a bit quiet but you would get an opinion that was always well thought out. He was passionate about his BMW. Annually he would go to performance driving school with old chum Rob Ramirez. It was washed at least 3 times a week and he was even got caught vacuuming his engine.He positively touched many lives and all will truly miss him. He is survived by his wife Marian Green; his parents, Laurna and Juergen Badendieck; his sister Claudia (Mike) Simons. He will also be missed by his Uncle James and Aunt Anne Kalitta, in-laws Lee and Oliver Green, brother-in-law Edward (Marisa) Green, and nephew Oliver and niece Eleanor.
In lieu of flowers, his family will appreciate memorial donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
I had quite a few requests for the poem read at the service so here is "Navy Wife", written by Lance Brady for his wife Joan:
She stands behind the man she loves,
A Sailor from the sea,
And waves farewell and sheds a tear,
When err he has to leave.
Each day she humbly carries on
This prayer upon her lips,
"Our Heavenly Father keep them safe,
The men who sail our ships."
She often writes and tells him of,
The things gone wrong ashore,
His oft reply "I love you dear,
But I must sail some more."
So oft she stands out on the pier,
A kiss upon her lips,
Reserved for him who holds her heart,
Her Sailor on the ship.
His final day along the rail,
"Request to go ashore,"
"I love you dear, I’m home to stay,
In ships to sail no more."
Going 19 knots downwind in Key West. Mike is the farthest right standing
Miami standing with Rod Weston, Nancy Caldwell, Rob Ramerez, Mike Pearson, and Doug Scheibner
Yes that is Mike water skiing on a bunk board
Chicago Mac
Mike and Marian loved to ski
Always active here they are with their bikes
A day to remember!
Winner overall Bayview Mac with Rod Weston, Nathan Caspers, Nancy Caldwell,
Fred Rozelle, Steve Rozelle, Colleen Flanagan, and Bob Declercq
At BMW school with Rob Ramirez and Dave Rodrigas
with Rob Ramirez
with Henry Mistele in Key West
On the way to Nassau, Bahamas
Lynn Kotwicki, Bob Declercq, Colleen Flanagan, Karl Kuspa, Mike Kirkman in Nassau
Partying with crew of Hot Ticket at Mackinac Island
I love my car!
Race from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West January 2010 - Chuck Bayer is also in this video
We had Kurt Hahn on this race with Rod, Amy, and Michele returning. It was a nearly perfect downwind start right at the right pin. Spinnaker went up fast. We even managed to stay on the outside of the dumping grounds and rounded first.
The second leg of the giant triangle was a tight reach so there were no passing lanes.
On the third mark we got caught underneath a J105 and a T10. There is an old racing philosophy that we all fall for is to never, never get caught under a slower boat. Ticket tacked behind us while we were stuck going slow. Unfortunately she got a lift and more wind ahead and all we managed to do is lose a place. At this point we were managing to hold off Jay and Ihnsanity but punched a hole in the head sail. 
