October 12, 2018
In the aftermath of hurricane Michael, the Choptank was too churned up for racing today. Both the wind and sea state were rough and the race committee deemed it best to wait for tomorrow to complete the series. The forecast for tomorrow is for 7 knots increasing through the mid afternoon to 12 knots from the north. It will be cool and crisp.
A doubleheader on the final day! Lots of opportunity.
Paul
photos by Mark Hergen
Oxford, Maryland
First of all, let me apologize about last nights’ post. My technological skills are not up to par.
Two races were held today on the Choptank ( yes, that’s the name of the part of the Chesapeake we are in) in a dying, but persistently left shifting wind.
In race three, it was the Melleby and Zarif show again as they went 1, 2. Zarif got the win this time. I made a mistake up the first leg tacking to the right while sailing next to Melleby heading left. The left was the place to be and we got to the first make in the teens. From there we managed to claw our way back to 8th. We seem pretty fast fortunately which helps when you are not smart. Augie Diaz had a nice race finishing 5th to close the gap to us after three.
The wind continued to drop further for Race 4. After a couple of general recalls, the fleet got away under a black flag. 6 knots was all that we had and by the finish, it was down to 3 knots. Those are trying conditions.
I can’t remember all the ups and downs. It was very difficult and tricky. We were at huge risk of losing 20 boats at one point up the second windward leg. All I know is that I had my Notre Dame hat on and felt the luck of the Irish with me. (Yes, I drank the Koolaid?) Arthur and I managed to come away with the win!
In after hours racing, Melleby/Revkin were disqualified from race 3 for not avoiding a collision with Zarif. By virtue of that, Arthur and I are 2nd overall behind Zarif.
The regatta is back on schedule. Tonight, hurricane Michael will pass through the region. 40 knots are forecast for 05:00 tomorrow morning. All boats were taken out of the water. The start has been postponed by 2 hours. Looks like we will race and it will be fun to have one breezy race.
For complete results go to: https://www.regattatoolbox.com/results?eventID=66N5cTLxgd
Paul
Gull Lake
No wind for two days then 3 races yesterday made up the second annual Vintage Gold Cup. GEM IX belonged to a mentor of mine, Sir Durward Knowles, when he won gold in the ‘64 Olympics. GEM IX is now part of the Cayard family and It was extra special to share this year with my third generation Star sailor son. Winning made it that much more special.
Gull Lake Country club has both sailing and golf. Golf was heavily subscribed on Thursday and Friday.
Don Parfet and Jon Vandermolon continue to grow this classic Star event with the addition of 9 boats making a fleet of 21 for this years Vintage Gold Cup. The Star class is over 100 years old and Vintage Gold Cup is for wooden Stars that are 50+ years old. A big thanks to those two men for their passion and efforts!
The Vintage Gold Cup-Honoring the past!
Photo by Bronny Daniels
Marina del Rey
The final two races of the Star North American Championship were held today in identical conditions to the other days, 7-8 knots from the southwest and choppy seas.
While Arthur and I had great starts and were up front in both races, we could not match the speed of Eric Doyle. We got a 2, 4 to his 1, 3.
There was a lot of up and down and back and forth with other players but the championship boiled down to just that.
Next Star event for me is the Vintage Gold Cup in Gull Lake Michigan, where I will be Sailing with my son Danny in our 55 year old wooden Star, GEM. More on that later.
The Star World Championship in mid October is next on Arthur and my schedule and we will be working hard on a good result there.
For complete results go to: www.starclaas.org/NorthAmericanChampionship
Paul
photo by Mary Stuyvesant
Marina Del Rey
Race 5 and 6 were held today in 7-8 knots of wind and very sloppy seas. On weekends, Marina Del Ray gets a lot of chop from all the recreational boats that come out of the harbor and head up to Santa Monica and Malibu.
In Race 5, Tutu and I had a great start and good speed. We managed to win the race with Eric Doyle in a close second and Steve Gould with Greg Seek in third.
Race 6 did not go so well for Tutu and I. We weren’t fast and I went the wrong way almost all the legs. We finished 12th. Mark Reynolds with Roger Cheer crewing won the race. The left side of the course was good and Nick Madigan of Newport got over to that side on the second windward leg, sailed well and finished 2nd. Eric Doyle again was strong with a third place.
After 6 races, Doyle/ Infelise are leading by 4 points over Arthur and I with Vasella/Trinter 9 points back in 3rd. Mark Reynolds is in 4th wirth Carlie Buckingham sailing well today to move up to 5th.
Races 7 and 8 will be tomorrow to close out the Championship.
For complete results go to: http://results.calyachtclub.com/RaceResul…/2018/star-na.html
Paul
photos by Mary Stuyvesant
Marina Del Rey
Today was day 1 of the Star North American Championship in Marina del Rey, California. The conditions were beautiful for Star sailing; 7-9 knots with a moderate sea.
In race 1, Eric Doyle, with Payson Infelise up front, held a narrow lead of Arthur Lopes and I. Eric had a bad start but dug his way out by playing the left side of the course and it worked. Rick Merriman, Vasella/Trinter and john MacCausland with Arnis Baltins rounded out the top 5 and things pretty much stayed that way around the 6 mile race track.
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In Race 2, I was a bit late at the start and was just barely able to get a clean lane. We were forced to the right pretty quickly and rounded the first mark 8th. Benny Mitchell with Patrick Powell crewing held a comfortable lead at the first mark after a 1.7 miles windward leg. Eric Doyle was second, with Vasella, Andy Mac Donald, and Merriman in a tight group. Mark Reynolds, out sailing for the first time in a while rounded just ahead of Arthur and I.
Arthur and I had a good downwind leg to round the gate 4th and all but caught Doyle and Mitchell by the second windward Mark. We could not quite get around them and the three of us finished within 3 boat lengths with Mitchell taking the win, Doyle 2nd and Arthur and I third.
So after Day 1, Doyle leads with 3 points, we are second with 5, Vasella is third with 9 and MacDonnald and MacCausland are tied on 11.
6 more races are scheduled for the championship which will end on Sunday.
For Complete scores go to : http://results.calyachtclub.com/RaceResults/2018/star-na.html
I am also posting on my FaceBook page. Trying to move into the 21st century.
Paul
www.cayardsailing.com
Coming to the windward mark in USA8466-GEM
Coxonut Grove
The two final races of the 2018 Star Western Hemisphere Championship were held today in 15-18 knots of wind from the southeastz. Jorge Zarif of Brazil was on fire winning both races today. It was very physical and the conditions suited the 25 year old Finn sailor perfectly.
Tutu and I had the second best scores with a 3, 2. Lars Grael had finishes of 2, 4 which was sufficient to protect his lead and win the Championship. At the last mark of the last race, Grael was 8th while we were second. Finishing in these positions would have given Tuto and I the Championship. But Lars and Samuel sailed very fast down the final run to pass 4 boats. I am happy with our performance considering it was our first time sailing together.
Jorge Zarif moved up to third for the series with his great finishes today and Augie Diaz with Bruno Prada crewing finished 4th. Tomas Hornos finished 5th.
The only sailor not from Brazil in the first three teams was myself. Brazil has always been a strong sailing country and they are producing more good young sailors like Tutu and Jorge Zarif.
Leaving the windward mark…in a hurry!
This was the last event of the winter series here in Miami which started in November. The next Star Championship will be the Eastern Hemisphere Championship in two weeks time in Trieste, Italy. After that we will be racing on the west coast for several regattas including the North American Championship at Marina Del Rey in August.
For complete results Go to www.yachtscoring.com
Paul
Start of race one today-Ken Batzer photo
Coconut Grove
Another perfect day in Miami, if you like Sailing. 10-14 knots from the southeast with a moderate chop.
In race one, the left side of the line was favored and Tutu and I grabbed the favored spot. That was the highlite of that race for us. From there, I managed to go the wrong way on each leg and even get a bit of kelp on the keel on the final run to finish 12th. Tomas Hornos sailed fast and smart to win the race followed by Augie Diaz and then Jorgen Schonherr of Denmark. Lars Grael had his worst race finishing 4th.
The wind built a bit for race two and we got off to a bad start. We were forced to clear our air by sailing out to the right and the right was good. Tomas Hornos led at the first mark, while we rounded tenth. Lars Greal had started early and had to restart so he was deep. Tutu and I went fast downwind passing 8 boats to round 2nd at the end of the first lap. John Dane, the Star representative of the USA at he Olympics in 2008- Beijing, has sailed well all week and was third at that point.
Up the second windward leg Tutu and I were just plain fast and the wind was steady. We passed Hornos to take the lead near the final mark and stretched our lead downwind to the finish.
Action coming into the top mark
So going into tomorrow’s final races, Grael leads with 11 points, we have 16 and Diaz/Prada have 26. The forecast for tomorrow is fairly strong with winds in the high teens. These have been long, hot, days on the water with four hours of racing each day. The Star is very physical in these 10-14 knot conditions.
For complete results, go to https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=4468
Paul
Photo by Ken Batzer
Coconut Grove
Two more races were completed today enroute to crowning the 2018 Western Hemisphere Champion in the Star Class.
More postcard conditions today…8-12 knots from the East Southeast.
In race 1, after a tricky battle with various adversaries, Arthur (Tutu) and I won the final sprint to the line to take the win. Luca Modena of Italy pushed us hard and finished second while Lars Grael maintained his consistency with a big comeback to finish 3rd. Diaz had a tough race and finished 10th.
In race two, Tutu and I had a good first lap as did Grael. As we went up the second windward leg, Greal got left while we were out to the right. The wind shifted 30 degrees left. Large windshifts have been happening both days but it always comes back. It didn’t this time and Tutu and I lost 500 meters to Grael and 4 other competitors. We stayed focused and ground are way back to 2nd. It could have been much easier than that!
Our speed upwind and downwind seems very good. We tried a different job today which was good to learn about.
Grael and his crew Samuel Goncalves have a strong grip on the championship, with 7 points, at the half way point. Tutu and I are in second place with 15 points. Jorge Zaria Ian third with 19. It will be tough to reel the Brazilians in and tommorrow will be decisive.
For complete results go to www. Yachtscoring.com
Paul
Sailing Scuttlebutt
