For our inaugural year, we have two class regattas scheduled - the Region 4
Championship and the National Championship. The region #4 champs were held two
weeks ago up in the windy city of Minneapolis. Terry Mackey and several of the
competitors contributed a summary of the events:
FAIRWIND REGION 4 CHAMPIONSHIP AUGUST 17,2002 -
HOSTED BY THE EDINA MODEL YACHT CLUB (EMYC) - EDINA, MINNESOTA
Our inaugural AMYA Fairwind Regional 4 Championship was a
great success. Although only seven (7) of the eight (8) boats registered did
participate (all from Minnesota), it was the beginning for what we hope to be
an active and competitive national future for the Fairwind class.
All seven boats met at the Edina Model Yacht Club Centennial
Lakes north pond in Minnesota on Friday afternoon August 16 for practice. It
was sunny with sustained winds around 10-15 knots. A front would be moving in
that evening making race day a completely different situation. Saturday’s
forecast was for rain and winds 25-40 knots, so we experimented with additional
keel weight. There was a lot of activity with rounding buoys, starting
sequences and tuning. As the sun went down, we all felt confident that Saturday
would be our day.
Race day was a little kinder to us than expected. At 9:00 am
temps were in the upper 60s winds about 10 knots and the rains moved through
leaving us with only damp conditions. Not bad so far - then the winds started
to build. The entire day proved to be challenging with 25 knots of air with
gusts nearing 35! The water was streaked with lines of wind, often running the
entire length of the windward-leeward course. Due to the extremely strong
sustained wind gusts, mast cranes were seen dipping into the water. Why were
the wind forecasters correct for once? All seven skippers braved the weather.
Needless to say, boat weight was a factor. All hatches were
off and additional ballast was added if they had it. Boats were measured and
weighed in. The lightest boat was 9 lbs. 12 oz., the heaviest was 11 lbs.; we
were ready for the day.
The racecourse had to be set only once. Race Director Tom
Weigel informed us we were going to run a modified W-2 windward/leeward as long
as the weather held out. Scoring would be by the low point system. The marks
were in; the skippers’ meeting was at 9:35 and the first heat started at
10:00 as scheduled.
Six of the seven boats were plagued with equipment failure
from time to time. Three boats asked for their official 5-minute break between
heats for repairs. Everyone was helping each other to keep the races going,
such camaraderie! Boats suffered broken forestays, disabled rudders, snapped
boom vangs, wet receivers, shorted switches, bent masts and copious amounts of
bilge water. But the boats kept appearing on the water race after race. These
men and woman were tenacious and competitive.
At noon we had completed 5 races. A few points separated
most positions. We broke for lunch - many stayed at the pond to make additional
repairs or perform disaster prevention. Others left and brought back food for
the ‘mechanics’.
Five minutes was announced before the 1:15 afternoon start.
We still had five boats for the sixth heat. As the afternoon progressed, more
and more DNSs started to appear on the score sheet. Breakdowns were taking
their toll. Heats 9-12 had only 3 boats finishing. The disappointed skippers
that were forced to drop out remained at the venue to watch the end of the
regatta. Some cheering, others wishing they could have finished out the day,
still others relieved that their boats hadn¹t sunk. This was a harrowing
experience for all of us - only 2 of the 7 skippers had ever been in an AMYA
sanctioned regatta before.
There were no major penalties or protests and all participants received a
framed photo of them and their boat as a reminder of this meet. The top four
were awarded metal plaques for their photos: (1) Tony Johnson, (2) Terry
Mackey, (3) Richard Valentine and (4) John Bishop, and the top three left with
red chevrons from AMYA.
Congratulation goes to all those who competed and wouldn¹t quit regardless
of the mishaps - until there was no other recourse. It was exciting to see so
much enthusiasm and encouragement by the participants and helpers during the
entire event.
Thanks go to Tom Weigel, Fred Ferris, John Dodson, Mike Ross
and Jerry Bell for their support and contribution. I also want thank Will
Gorgen for helping post this event and his club for hosting the Fairwind
Nationals in Ann Arbor Michigan September 27-29. Be there!
And last, but not least, I want to thank the Edina Model Yacht Club for
their support, patience and for hosting this first Fairwind Region 4
Championship.
This is not the last you¹ll hear from us.
Terry Mackey,
EMYC Fairwind Fleet Captain
PS. Some quips from participants:
“Winds began with what could be
described as very strong, and by the time the fleet regrouped following a one
hour lunch - conditions were ‘Smokin’. The challenge was manifest in
keeping together mentally and physically. This type of sailing required extreme
concentration, as the sailors not only were struggling to maintain control of
their boats but also were continuously watching for wind shifts. Tactics were
in constant play to retain position or gain advantage over other boats.
Dependable electronics and servos often separated competitors.”
T. Weigel RD
“Had a great time battling the winds,
but definitely needed more experience in those conditions. If it wasn¹t for a
broken rudder, broken stays, hull half filled with water, a shorted-out switch
that had to be bypassed and if I’d had more practice standing up in straight
line winds - I would have had a better chance. Next time! However, thanks to
all my competitors for their support.”
J. Jentzsch #3737
“My boat took a beating in the high
winds. It held up well for the first four races, but continual water in the
hull led to electrical problems for the rest of the day. I had fun, but wish it
hadn¹t been as windy. It seems as though the sailing limits for my Fairwind
are set at the point at which 1) I can no longer come about and 2) hold a
downwind heading. All in all, I had a great time with a great group of people.
Thanks for your efforts.”
J. Bishop #88
FINAL RESULTS: Fairwind Region 4 Regional Championship Regatta August 17,
2002
Edina Model Yacht Club Centennial Lakes, Edina MN
RD/Scorekeeper: Tom Weigel
|
Skipper |
Sail # |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
Total |
Place |
|
Tony Johnson |
77 |
DNF |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
1 |
|
Terry Mackey |
05 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
18 |
2 |
|
Richard Valentine |
104 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
DNF |
3 |
3 |
44 |
3 |
|
John Bishop |
88 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
DNF |
DNF |
3 |
3 |
DNF |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
51 |
4 |
|
Jason Jentzsch |
3737 |
DNF |
5 |
6 |
5 |
DNS |
3 |
4 |
4 |
DNS |
3 |
DNS |
DNS |
57 |
5 |
|
Judd Morgan |
06 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
DNF |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
58 |
6 |
|
Jennifer Morgan |
117 |
5 |
7 |
DNF |
4 |
4 |
DNF |
DNF |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
74 |
7 |
|
Fred Ferris |
71 |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
DNS |
90 |
8 |
Low-Point System: 1st =1.0 pts, 2nd=2.0 pts, 3rd=3.0 pts, 4th=4.0 pts, etc.
Two Throw-out Races
The results and pictures will be posted on the EMYC website at http://www.emyc.org/.
Sounds like a great regatta despite the conditions.
National Championships
As you all should know by now, my club, Ann Arbor MYC, is hosting the
National Championship on September 28th and 29th in Ann Arbor Michigan.
The NOR for this regatta is posted on the AMYA site: http://www.amya.net/fairwindnor.doc.
This regatta is going to be held at Gallup Park here in Ann Arbor. This is a
beautiful park on the Huron River (we will be racing in a pond rather than the
river itself). There are biking trails, paddleboats and canoes for rent and
play areas for the kids. Feel free to bring the whole family to this event -
there is plenty to do for everyone. The deadline for getting your entry form to
me is this Saturday, so get them in the mail soon. We would like to have a
great turnout.
Next Seasons Regattas
I know it is a bit early to think about next summer, but it is a good time
to start planning where the major regattas are going to be hosted next year.
The AMYA encourages classes to hold their national championships in a different
region each year. Since Region 4 has hosted the only two regattas this year, we
should try to find somewhere new to hold the nationals next year. We are still
pretty lean on clubs, but we do have some groups in both California and Florida
(you know who you are!!!) that should be able to host the Nationals next year.
I encourage each of you that belong to a club to talk with your club members
about hosting this event next year. Let me know as soon as possible if any
clubs are interested in hosting this. This is why we all worked so hard to
become a recognized class - so that we could get together for organized
regattas. Hoefully next years regattas will be even better than this years.
Bakersfield Racing:
Hi
Bakersfield Rio Bravo Fairwind sailing event
yesterday (9/1/2002). We had 15 Fairwinds racing in two fleets. The air was
5-10 mph. Gale Enstad hosted the event and did a
great job. About 60 people showed up. Besides the racing we had a
great BBQ and a full day. The 103 degree temp didn't keep us from having
a great time. I'm ready to go again.
I'm sure glad Gale was putting on the event or he might have concentrated
even more and bumped off Allen and I.
|
Result |
Captain |
Sail # |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
Total |
|
1 |
Allen Whitten |
111 |
0.75 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
0.75 |
13.50 |
|
2 |
Rick Moynahan |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0.75 |
5 |
0.75 |
3 |
15.50 |
|
3 |
Gale Enstad |
78 |
6 |
0.75 |
2 |
0.75 |
2 |
5 |
16.50 |
|
4 |
John |
32 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
19.00 |
|
5 |
Stan Ogden |
74 |
2 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
21.00 |
|
6 |
TJ |
68 |
0.75 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
7 |
22.75 |
|
7 |
Don B. |
71 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
6 |
40.00 |
|
9 |
Joe |
75 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
16 |
42.00 |
|
8 |
Jim |
88 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
16 |
9 |
46.00 |
|
10 |
Gary |
62 |
3 |
0.75 |
0.75 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
52.50 |
|
11 |
Richard |
72 |
16 |
3 |
16 |
0.75 |
16 |
8 |
59.75 |
|
12 |
Audie |
67 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
61.00 |
|
13 |
Bob |
82 |
7 |
16 |
5 |
16 |
7 |
16 |
67.00 |
|
14 |
Broon |
m72 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
5 |
16 |
16 |
85.00 |
|
15 |
Don |
76 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
16 |
96.00 |
I show 16 points for DNR (did not race). I used 3/4 points for a win. Some
columns show two winners because we were split in A and B fleets.
Thanks again guys, and gals.
Rick Moynahan
Visalia CA
