Larchmont Model Yacht Club

2001 Spring Invitational Regatta

The fifth annual LMYC Spring Invitational was held at the Larchmont (NY) Yacht Club over the April 7-8 weekend.  Considered by many as the finest model sailing regatta in the country, this year’s regatta exceeded all expectations.  A total of 43 CR-914 skippers were registered representing six of the class’ most active fleets traveling from as far away as Marblehead and Annapolis. 

Racing on courses set around docks moored in the middle of the harbor, both courses avoided the effects of the land on the wind.  Saturday’s racing was in 5 – 10 knot winds from the southeast with a slight chop to keep things interesting.  The courses were windward-leeward configurations with offsets at both the top and the bottom of the courses -- preventing boats on different legs from becoming congested.  This has proven an effective means to avoid unnecessary crossing situations, resulting in cleaner, happier sailing.

The regatta consisted of two separate days of racing.  On Saturday, the fleet was divided into four mixed-skill divisions of eleven boats.  Each division then sailed a total of 14 races to determine qualification for Sunday’s championship divisions.  This is about the optimal size for a division as it provides a balance of competition and a congested course.  And, by sailing in four divisions, with two assigned to each course, those sharing a channel with another sailor were able to coordinate when their transmitters were on. 

While the big gun racing was the next day, the Saturday racing was quite good.  Mixed divisions often resulted in a few boats rising to the top while others lag behind.  While this may seem like uninteresting racing, the result was often a series of mini-races in all sections of the spread-out fleet as sailors found themselves using boat-to-boat or match racing tactics playing to help determine in which division they would sail Sunday.  In the Blue division, Marblehead’s Chuck Winder, Jamie Grunel from Essex and the host club’s Buttons Padin races some real squeakers with the lead often changing hands with the last tack.  Padin ended in the lead over Winder by a mere two points after the 14 races. 

It should be noted that, in fourth place in Blue, was Hugh Fletcher from LMYC.  Now, for those readers who don’t know Hughie, he travels with his own back-up electrical equipment…a wheelchair.  Always a great sportsman and ready to share a quip or a chuckle, Hugh had a career day on Saturday nipping the lights of Carl Olsson (of both LMYC AND Cottage Park).  Hugh qualified for the second division on Sunday and is to be congratulated by all!

The Red division saw CBMRA’s former national champion and overall class big dawg, Dave Ramos, establish an insurmountable lead.  However, LMYC’s Peter Sweetser, back in the water after a year’s hiatus, his club mate Hank Buchanan and Cottage Park Yacht Club’s Peter Brown were separated by only four points.  Sweetser, always a gregarious fellow, sailed the model regatta of his life, finishing second behind Ramos.  Nice sailing PJ!

Green saw the other CBRMA racer, and current national champ, Dave VanCleef do a “Ramos” (or did Ramos do a “Van Cleef?”).  Green’s real competition found LMYC’s Howie McMichael and Marblehead’s Biff (What do you mean I have to wear socks) Martin neck and neck.  The sockless guy also brought some wonderful wooden models he is building for all to enjoy.  Thanks, Biff!

Finally, in Yellow, the lead two boats took it down to the wire with LMYC’s Ted Spencer nipping Cottage Park’s Hatch Brown by four points.  Dick Maise from Essex’s Dry Pants Model Yacht Club (don’t ask), sailed consistently to also make the cut for the championship division with the eleven other top-three finishers.

Saturday

Place, Name, Score

Blue Division

1, Padin, Buttons, 20

2, Winder, Chuck, 22

3, Grunel, Jamie, 36

4, Fletcher, Hugh, 57

5, Olsson, Carl, 59

6, Beck, Rick, 67

7, Mehlich, Bob, 75

8, Merritt, Knight, 84

9, Langone, Nick, 105

10, Dubuc, Paul, 132

11, Freeland, Ernest – DNC

Red Division

1, Ramos, Dave, 13

2, Sweetser, Peter, 37

3, Buchanan, Hank, 39

4, Brown, Peter, 41

5, Campanelli, Rocco, 55

6, Clayton, Mike, 83

7, Monte-Santo, Bizzy, 89

8, Kavs, Sasha, 96

9, Hodgson, John, 113

10, Clark, Stephen, 120

11, Hunsinger, Hugh, 121

Green Division

1, VanCleef, David, 14

2, McMichael, Howie, 26

3, Martin, Biff, 29

4, Lynn, Dave, 54

5, Gahan, Mike, 61

6, Lull, Wendy, 67

7, Watt, Dave, 98

8, Lawrence, Bruce, 101

9, Cika, Robert, 111

10, Maise, Mark, 125

Yellow Division

1, Spencer, Ted, 22

2, Brown, Hatch, 26

3, Maise, Dick, 48

4, Sullivan, Tim, 52

5, Whalen, John, 56

6, Wullschleger, Sears, 58

7, Ellison, Lars, 60

8, Mesani, Bob, 76

9, Fontanella, Joe, 88

10, Armstrong, Michael, 113

11, Wey, Tom, 126

Before going on to Sunday, it should be noted that the race officiating for both days was superb.  As predicted, there were a total of no protests heard.  Judges made calls on the spot and nary an eyebrow was raised.  Each racecourse had a line caller and a recorder as well as a judge.  On Saturday, Bill Kelly, Hans Owen and Rich DuMoulin took turns standing atop ladders, peering over the heads of the sailors, proactively officiating the event.  Doug Lynn, Dan Ronan, Rob Daily and Ted Ferrarone replaced them for Sunday.  For anyone familiar with racing on or around the Sound, big boats or small, these seven guys are top flight sailors, all have direct or indirect links to LMYC and are to be thanked.  Further judging capabilities were provided by LYC’s Mary Savage, intergalactic judge and the regatta’s uberjudge.  Thanks to all.

While the judges may have the glory role, there were over twenty others supporting the event…most repeating their roles for the fourth consecutive year (if it’s not broken, don’t fix it).  Kudos to Pat Guerin who drove the shore-side logistics.  Pat’s wife, Betty, along with Hank’s wife, Melanie, Rocco’s wife Ruth, Eva Spelman and the proverbial Uncle Marty Zavell (“You’re already over, Chuck.   Buttons, that will be ten bucks!”) managed the fleet as the races went on and on.  Sara Lynn and Joan Watt were there both morning to check everyone with Sara’s pal Dave managing channel changes.  Thanks also go to Tom Spelman and Jim Fleming for driving the launches to and from the race docks and Rick Estabrook and John Irving for driving the crash boats for the two days.  I don’t think Rick’s son Jake ever saw his dad so chilled as when he finished Sunday.  And we all thank LMYC’s own Prize Patrol, Penny Langone for helping with all the awards.

A special thanks goes out, yet again, to Jaye Natawashy from Marblehead.  Jaye, the better half of Sasha Kavs, has been the class of the class for years, providing scoring for the fourth time for LMYC.  Perhaps the best aspect of these LMYC regattas is that, within minutes after arriving ashore after a heat of races, you know the score for your division.  Yes, Jaye did get another bottle of Mt. Gay as thanks.

Sunday morning came with 15 – 20 knots of easterly whipping up the harbor pretty seriously.  At about 8:30 that morning, Howie and Hank were about to go out and set the marks around the two docks.  Just as they were about to shove off, Sockless Biff piped-up and offered “Why don’t we sail off the front and east wing dock rather than fighting the seas out in the harbor?”  With the wind from the east, we were able to sail off the right side of the main dock and the left side of the wing dock.  We got off a good twelve races for all four divisions.  The racing was more balanced as the divisions were comprised of the respective quartiles of the Saturday divisions.

So where did it all end up?  It was a battle of the CBMRA, national champion, big dawg and Annapolis guys.  After two sets of six races each, the two Daves were nip and tuck.  It came down to throw outs and Dave Ramos took it by a slim three points.  Following the Dave’s were Hatch, Howie and Biff.  A bunch of LMYC sailors and Chuck came along.  And, breaking the record of three times finishing second in the second division, Jamie Grunel and fellow Dry Pants sailor Dick Maise completed the Championship division.  The overall results are as follows:

Sunday

BLUE

1, Ramos, Dave, 18

2, VanCleef, David, 21

3, Brown, Hatch, 37

4, McMichael, Howie, 49

5, Martin, Biff, 52

6, Buchanan, Hank, 58

7, Spencer, Ted, 58

8, Winder, Chuck, 59

9, Sweetser, Peter, 76

10, Padin, Buttons, 88

11, Grunel, Jamie, 89

12, Maise, Dick, 119

RED

1, Whalen, John, 16

2, Sullivan, Tim, 25

3, Wullschleger, Sears, 32

4, Campanelli, Rocco, 39

5, Brown, Peter, 41

6, Olsson, Carl, 53

7, Gahan, Mike, 63

8, Fletcher, Hugh, 76

GREEN

1, Ellison, Lars, 15

2, Kavs, Sasha, 17

3, Merritt, Knight, 35

4, Clayton, Mike, 38

5, Lawrence, Bruce, 49

6, Lull, Wendy, 49

7, Mesani, Bob, 50

YELLOW

1, Maise, Mark, 16

2, Fontanella, Joe, 27

3, Hodgson, John, 35

4, Armstrong, Michael, 41

5, Langone, Nick, 53

6, Hunsinger, Hugh, 56

7, Wey, Tom, 69

8, Dubuc, Paul, 85

9, Clark, Stephen, 92

Three final notes.  The fourth competition for the LMYC Challenge Cup was sailed by 4-sailor teams placed throughout the Saturday divisions.  After taking it the first year, and loosing to Marblehead and CBMRA the two following years, the host team of Buttons Padin, Ted Spencer, Hank Buchanan and Howie McMichael took the club vs. club competition by a wide margin finishing Saturday with two first places and two seconds.

The final award presented Sunday was the sportsmanship trophy.  This was an interesting year as Greg Worth turned-over the U.S. CR-914 distributorship to Dave Ramos.  Dave came to the event with all sorts of parts, suggestions and cooperation.  He shared, helped, cooperated and encouraged and, in addition to winning the whole enchilada, he took home the sportsmanship trophy, too.  Congratulations again, Dave.

Capping off the awards ceremony was the second annual bagpipe solo and seawall walk by Marblehead’s Tim Sullivan.  Firing-up his pipes on the porch, Tim’s dulcet tones gave the people brunching in the dining room quite a start.

Thanks to the volunteers, thanks to everyone who housed visiting sailors, to John Suhler and Javier of the Club staff, thanks to our beer sponsor Sierra Nevada, our liquor sponsor Mt. Gay Rum, Rip’s LYC marine facilities team and all the others that went into making this as competitive, fun, efficient and memorable weekend.