2006 CR 914 Region 1 Championship Regatta Report

Eleven boats raced 20 heats in beautiful Spring weather. The fresh NNW wind above the tree tops was great. However on the surface of Redd’s Pond it was somewhat different. Calling it a variable wind does not adequately describe the challenge offered to the brave skippers. Submarining was seen while at the same time other boats were in a flat calm.

As an example of the challenges, Sarra Tubbs was on a run at one start but was OCS (over early). As she returned behind the line she was again on a run. After restarting she was back on a run.

Frequently a boat starting at the back of the fleet could sail through the fleet to finish near the top because of the variable winds. Other times a boat had an insurmountable lead only to yield it and finish well back. The conditions were called maturing. There were other words used, too.

The same course was used all day except for one change when the start and finish lines were moved. The objective of the change was to achieve a windward start. With rare exceptions windward starts were not achieved. Most legs of the course contained windward, reaching and running mixed with strong gusts and calms.

It was racing at Redd’s at its best (or worst). Chuck Luscomb

was quite articulate expressing his feelings about the conditions.

REDD’S POND

Because of serious filamentous algae a 10  days before the regatta, Marblehead MYC decided to reschedule to the Fall. It was our good luck that clairvoyant Chuck Luscomb suggested we wait and decide on the Thursday before the regatta. He was right! The Sunday before the regatta the algae had completely disappeared. Chuck, we all thank you.

LUNCH AND BEVERAGES

Cheryl Emmons, continuing the tradition, created the excellent lunch. The sandwiches were delicious turkey and cheese roll-ups. The sinfully good cookies and pastries was perfect dessert. Biff Martin supplied the selection of iced water and soft drinks to assure we remained hydrated.

Race Officials

Chuck Winder with the excellent help of Jessica, Fran Cichowski’s daughter, ran the regatta.

REGISTRATION

Jackie Winder registered the boats, happily taking money from the skippers.

RADIO PROBLEMS

No radio “glitching” problems were reported. There were no 23-channel combinations. A few skippers had to replace depleted batteries. John Storrow, 3^rd place, didn’t race the last three races when his Tx batteries expired. He had no spare pack.

Toilets

This year Marblehead MYC members donated the funds to pay for a portable toilet at the pond all season. It’s a very civilized utility. It’s especially appreciated by women, not to mention the adjoining boatyard. Skippers had been known to steal off into the boatyard when necessary. Tch, tch.

REGATTA RESULTS

The table shows the final standings. Also shown are how many firsts each boat managed. Listing the worst finishes illustrates that even the top boats suffered in the difficult conditions. The top three boats were awarded plaques and AMYA red chevrons.

It Was A Long Day

The away skippers all arrived early at ~9 am after a 2 ½ hour drive. The first race was at ~10 am; the last race ended ~3 pm.  Each race skipper at Redd’s walked 1000 feet along the edge of the pond to be close to their boats. There were 20 races for 20000 feet of walking while not looking where they were going. A 3.8 mile walk is probably not a normal day’s activity for most of us. Yep, most were tired at the end of the day.

See you all at Redd’s for the New England Championships on Sunday, September 2.