2008 REGATTAS
2008 M-16 North American Regatta.
Date: July 26-27 2008
Location: Pigeon Lake Yacht Club,
Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada
All the sailors that sailed in Canada were very impressed with the natural beauty of Pigeon Lake. Those that traveled to Pigeon, want to come back.
The top five boats were all from Barnegat Bay in New Jersey.
Ted Jewett and Jack Zimmershied represented the ILYA at this regatta, and finished just outside the top ten. Former E scow National Champion and former ILYA M scow champion won this regatta. He also won the 2008 Eastern’s
(See regatta report below.)
Top Ten Results from twenty-one boats:
1st John Applegate LA 150
2nd Tom Welsch LE 11
3rd John Harkrader BH 11
4th Mark Lewis MA 18
5th Curt Morton MR 22
6th Rob Anderson PI 20
7th Ken Inglis PI 44
8th Joe Bowland PI 1
9th Richard Wilms PI 58
1
0th Phil Maguire PI 111
Eastern M-16 Championship Regatta Report
October 9, 2008
September 13th was a beautiful day on Barnegat Bay, so 21 M-Scows assembled at Lavallette Yacht Club for the district championship.
The competitors came from all over New Jersey but Bob Cole traveled all the way from Keuka Lake, NY. The fleet measured in and sailed out to the race course on a dying northerly.
Morning racing was postponed and the lunch boat flying the knife and fork flag was a welcome sight. The sea breeze filled in for the afternoon and the race committee moved East to meet it.
The windward mark was placed near the Sedge Islands that surround LYC. PRO Bill Scheyer managed four races in shifty conditions with velocities in the 5 to 10 mph range.
For the first two races, the wind oscillated more to the left especially near the mark, where boats on port caught a nice puff from the Ocean Beach side.
The second race saw a hard left shift right before the start. All the courses were windward-leeward, making position changes frequent on all legs. The wind clocked to the right in the last two races, which favored the right side and passing lanes evaporated.
John Applegate with crew Natasha Pizzarello won all the races. They even had time to recover a whisker pole without losing a place, as they put on a clinic in boat speed. Sail maker Skip Moorhouse was second with crew Melissa Stevens. Bill Nolden was third with crew Mike Brandes.
The M-Scow fleet enjoyed the pleasant weather for a change, especially after the squall that swept through the National regatta last year and the severe weather at the North Americans in Canada last July. We needed a break!
Thanks go out to Tim Faranetta, Regatta Chairman, Del Kusma who headed up patrols, and all the volunteers from Lavallette and other clubs who made the day possible.Lavallette sailors showed their stuff in their home waters, taking four out of the top six places.
This regatta capped off another great year for M-Scow sailors. We had two major events with 20 or more boats, We had the most qualifiers in the Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association series, and fleets are active all across the country. This class is truly ready to take its place in the Sailing World.
Click here for results
ILYA M-16 Regatta
August 10,11,12, 2008
Written by JRG
At Oshkosh in 2007, the M fleet had 19 boats, stronger than the MC fleet of 11 boats. That year saw John Applegate from New Jersey win the title. This years turn out was very disappointing, but the racing still fun for those who showed up.
This years regatta was held at Lake Okoboji located in northwestern Iowa. Lake Okoboji is a great lake to sail on. The yacht club has one of the nicest facilities in the ILYA, and the people are very helpful and kind to the visiting sailors. (Make it a point to make the drive next time the regatta is there!)
Normally, the winds can blow strong at 'Boji, but the ILYA regatta is scheduled the early part of August when the winds can be fluky and light. The M-16 fleet this year had two races on Sunday, two races on Monday, and the last day us showed lake thermals where none of the fleets got a race in. So four races were sailed of the six that were scheduled.
Old man Jan Gill with his much younger wife Debbie, from Springfield, Missouri (home of Homer Simpson) took home the title this year. Sailing their yacht WL111 Riff Raff, they won each race, putting a new twist on string theory. Gill has been racing Ms since 1968 and even though he doesn’t get to sail as much as he would like, the old man still enjoys the little he can sail.
The standard starting script for large fleets, is to be conservative with clear air and pick the correct side. The script for small fleets is to be bold (less to lose). For smaller fleets yet, the race becomes almost match race, so wisdom would be to cover the fleet - if they don’t split to each side of the course. This last situation is the one we found at Okoboji, and this is what the Gill team did – cover both boats after they had the lead. Only in the last race did they sail the western shore, tacking on the five degree lifts and headers they found there.
Race one on Sunday had 4-8 from the east. The weekend motor boat chop was terreeblay, causing the boats at times to have to point off five degrees or more to carry any speed and avoid being stopped by undulating chaotic waves. WL 111 took an early lead in the race, but with both Jack Zimmerschied and Carly Eckert nipping at the Gill’s heals all around the course, with the trio ending up in that order. Race two was more of the same with the same results. A loose foot on the boom improved speed through the chop.
Monday provided a change in weather and motor boat traffic. Motor boats decreased, wind increased. The wind was blowing from the south at 16-25. Racing was fun and fast, and a bit closer in race three. The duo of Carly Eckert and Patti Schmidt, sailors from Cedar Lake Wisconsin, moved into the lead going downwind. They later lost the lead, but they showed their true speed potential on that run. This race finished Gill, Eckert, with Jack Zimmershied and crew Linda closing the gap in third. Race four was Gill, Zimmerschied, Eckert.
Race three and four were wet for the crews due to wave spray, and the fleet decided not to race the scheduled fifth race because people were very cold. Tuesday provided no wind, and races were canceled at 11:00 a.m.
The Okoboji Yacht club provided good racing, good food, and warm hospitality. The regatta will be remembered by all who attended – may more boats attend next time so more can remember, and to experience the great natural resource that Lake Okoboji is. But the club is the sailors and members, and they treated all well and were servants to the sailors and to the sport they love. And all lived happily ever after.
The fleet looks forward to next year when we expect participant numbers to be higher, and the racing fierce. Until then, prepare, start well, and finish great.