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What a terrific weekend! Thanks to everyone who raced, crewed,
volunteered and hosted. We only ended up with 9 boats (2 had to
drop from the roster and 2 more, I expected did not make it).
But it was extremely competitive racing in big winds.
We started out by most of the Cal 25 fleet attending the memorial
service for Cathi Riggs, Dennis Riggs wife and long supporter
of Fleet V activities. It was a sad affair but, standing room
only. Art Melendres spoke on behalf of the friends of Dennis'
that know him from his many years of sailboat racing in Long Beach.
Art did a great job and I thank him for speaking so eloquently
about a person who was an absolute delight to be around. Our heartfelt
wishes continue for Dennis and his family.
By that night it was clearly time to go racing. And I made the
mistake of telling the One-Time crew that we we're racing for
a bottle of Patron. Well, they did a "horizon job" on
everybody and then shared the loot at our dinner that night. Thanks
to LBYC for the buffet dinner outside in about 75 degree weather.
By the skipper's meeting, Saturday morning, it was clear it was
going to be a busy day. We approached the starting line with 9
boats and a pretty solid 12+ knots of breeze. For the first time
that I can remember, I started a race with a No. 2 genoa and never
took it down. And the breeze just built from there (15-18 with
gusts of 25). Then Sunday was more of the same. By the end of
the weekend there were 4 "man overboard" calls and too
many broken parts to list. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.
It was clearly the biggest, most consistent winds of any 2 day
regatta in recent memory. I know it doesn't sound like San Francisco
but, these are nearly 40 year old boats… it does make it
thrilling.
Cheap Date sailed a fantastic Saturday and it became even more
fantastic when the Fleet learned that they had broken their gooseneck
and lashed it to the mast for the 2nd and 3rd races and won one
of those. One Time was very strong and Discovery was in the hunt
with a couple of 2nds along with Jane's and Nemesis.
On Sunday, for race 5, the race committee gave us a long "3
lapper" that was both good (we rarely get them) and bad (my
boat couldn't make it). One-Time seemed to have the whole thing
locked up. Then, the unimaginable happened. At the windward mark
of the 1st leg, One-Time became tangled in a slew of boats, crash
tacked and lost a man overboard and snapped a strand of the side-stay.
Discovery was leading with Cheap Date close in tow and for one
brief moment, with One-Time in 7th, the National Trophy was up
for grabs. I knew Art and Scott Melendres, and their seasoned
crew wouldn't stay back there for long, but, hey, I can dream
can't I. That was until the 2nd windward mark where Discovery
sky'ed both halyards and lost the ability to fly a headsail. We
we're still sailing 6 knots dead at the leeward mark on the main
and a genoa raised on the topping lift but, damn that race committee,
we had one more lap to go. Cheap Date ended up winning the last
race and One-Time came all the way back to 2nd place to hold on
to the title. Final Standings:
| Art/Scott Melendres | One Time- | LBYC | 8 | 1 |
| John McBrearty- | Cheap Date- | LBYC | 11 | 2 |
| Warnock/Willingham | Discovery | HHYC | 19 | 3 |
| Steve/Jane Horst | Jane's Addiction | DRYC | 20 | 4 |
| Bob Daniel- | Nemesis | ABYC | 26 | 5 |
| Don Albrecht-- | Valkyrie | SSYC | 31 | 6 |
| Landeau/Carver | Gemma | ABYC | 33 | 7 |
| Donald Reiman | Rhyme N Reason | ABYC | 35 | 8 |
| Ted Zelmer | Caliban | SBYC | 45 | 9 |
See you on the water.
_________________________________________
Brad Willingham
