Yaeso won the third race by a large margin. At this time, the racers returned to the pits to swap parts and tune up. Hyslop changed to a blade sail, Yaeso aligned runners, Whitehorse moved pulleys.

M197 and V737 returned to the race course starting line. Yaeso remained in the pits where he assembled two Ice Optis, one DN, and one Renegade. Two thumbs up for Jay for supporting and building the local club! HOWEVER short track Skeeter racing waits for no one and shows no favorites. U311 fails to make the start of race four. Race four is won by Whitehorse, second by Hyslop, and DNS for Yaeso.

Race five: The wind, now northerly at 18-21 mph. Whitehorse gets off to a jack rabbit start. At each leg of the race Yaeso skillfully reels in the leader. On the last lap to weather, U311 and M197 round with a complete overlap. Both push sheet as both were in a five foot hike with Whitehorse to the leeward. THE TRAP WAS SET! Both yachts carried a starboard runner aloft and each mast blew out three feet to the leeward. Yaeso put on a sail racing clinic as he used the windward position and hiked across Warrior’s bow to win the race.

Race six: Northeasterly wind at 22 mph. There was a 3 boat overlap on the first leg to weather. WARRIOR was in the favored windward position, then U311, then V738. M197 had a 100% overlap over U311 yet somehow U311 caught a lift, turned left, and forced M197 up the lake. M197 was losing speed and was forced to dive below U311’s stern in an effort to freshen. The maneuver worked! M197 gained tremendous boat speed! Now it was time to use the Shake and Bake tactic and slingshot by U311. Yaeso was ready for it and he rolled over the WARRIOR and tacked to starboard. WARRIOR could only watch as Yaeso disappeared. Whitehorse desperately needed a favorable wind shift to get back into the race. BUT WAIT…HE GOT IT! Brother wind and sister sky blew a mighty 30 mph gust straight out of the east. Some may call it luck and same may call it “an old Indian trick”. No matter, the mighty blast threw U311 into the top mark. Her nine foot long cold steel runners were no match for the slashing fury of Mother Nature. Whitehorse wins race six, Hyslop takes second, and Yaeso scores a DSQ. After the race, Yaeso approached the other two racers with a dazed look of confusion as if to say, “what just happened out there?” Whitehorse looks back with and gives Yaeso the slight Paul Krueger grin.

At this time, Hyslop, Director of Competition for the Wisconsin Skeeter Racing Alliance (WSRA) assembled the racers for a driver’s meeting. Tom is a walking library of sailing rules, regulations, and tactics and the WSRA is fortunate to benefit from his expertise. He proceeded to inform the skippers of a seldom used racing rule designed to manipulate for a more keen competition. The rule states in part “…if six races are completed before 2:35 PM, a yachtsman is allowed a throwout. Yaeso throws out the DSQ.

Race seven: Thus the stage is set. The tournament is an even tie between the 2017 Battle Lake ISA Champion and the 2017 Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club Skeeter Champion! It appears Yaeso had his fill of that day’s antics as his 6” 11” 285 lb. frame of tendon and muscle pushed the teal green U311 to the line. Yaeso lays the flawlessly prepared U311 off to maximize the now 25 mph northeast wind. He digs in with his 2.5” long razor sharp spikes. CRAAAACCCCK! At the sound of the starting gun, Yaeso was an automaton equal a Duramax Turbo Diesel. His thousand foot pounds of torque spun and churned a trench leaving a two foot high shaved ice drift behind. Whitehorse, just as willful, used less torque but ever increasing RPM on the slick starting surface. The start was an even sprint at the five yard mark, then ten yards, then twenty yards. Both racers glared at one another, neither ready to conceded the foot race.

POW!!! THUD THUD THUD

At twenty five yards, Whitehorse blew a moccasin! Even so, both entered their yachts in unison. Now, it was a boat race. Folks, you just can’t make this stuff up!

Yaeso wins race seven. Little big red and white from Four Lakes is no match for big jet green from Suamico. Congratulations to Jay Yaeso and U311 the 2018 short track Windjammer Skeeter racing champion.

Article..unknown author Fact checked by no one!