Guest reporter for this week's column is Andrea Watson

Sunday, March 19, was a glorious, sunny day, with a bright blue sky to tease us all into thinking about the delights of springtime. Crocuses are sprouting and daffodils have been sighted. Families, walking through their neighborhoods after a winter of hibernation, are catching up on their neighbors' latest news. Boatyards show signs of activity as a few boat covers have already been removed in preparation for launching. Out on the bay, seven teams of sailors enjoyed the brisk, almost springtime weather. Five races and one crew race were completed in 10-12 knot NE winds. As the afternoon progressed, the wind became lighter, with some wind shifts that are typical of a northerly. Top skippers and crew: 1. Steve Moore/Jerry Morea (#510), 2. Doug Morea/Jason Hill (#653), 3. Ralf Steitz/Colin Fitzpatrick (#537). Doug Morea won the crew race. The team of Steve Moore and Jerry Morea has come on strong in the last few weeks. Out of the five races on Sunday, they won all but one of them. The Sunday before, March 12, the Moore/Morea team came in first overall. Congratulations to both.

Several IC dinghy sailors were absent from this week's competition as they were either sailing and/or competing in southern waters. They will return to Manhasset Bay for the 2000 Interclub Dinghy National Championships, April 15-16. About 40-50 teams are expected to offer great competition. Spectators will enjoy watching the many tiny white sails as they dot the horizon come mid-April.

Several of the IC dinghy teams have young crew sailing with them. David Cornachio and Nichols Silbersack, are two of the fleet's youngest sailors. David sails with Bob Kirtland (#707), a longtime frostbite dinghy sailor. Nichols sails with his father, John (#007). The Silbersacks have sailed with the fleet the past two years. Both crew have braved the freezing cold winter weather and, at times, very strong winds. But they arrive down at the dock, ready to go, every Sunday afternoon. Readers take note, as we'll be hearing more about these two competent sailors in the next few years.