SERC Fall Regatta, September 8, 2012
Jack Detweiler reports:
It was great day weather wise for our last regatta of 2012. With winds gusting in the upper teens, three races were held on an Olympic course. Race Committee work by AYC was again excellent. Three Alerions competed, Caroline, Escape and Skimmer. Congratulations to Amanda McNeil for winning the Alerion Fleet. Complete results are as follows:
EYC/CRAB Boatyard Bar & Grill Regatta, August 25, 2012
Jack Detweiler reports:
It was a great day on Saturday, overcast with northerly winds of 10 to15 knots with puffs to 20. We sailed a 7.5 mile triangular course and the downwind leg from G87 to the can below Thomas Point Light was particularly exhilarating. It was a perfect day for AE-28's and the four of us that raced, Amanda McNeil on Caroline, Jim Kizziar on Escape, Dick Franyo on Juice and Marti and I on Skimmer, had respectable finishes among the 51 boats racing.
Dick Franyo, his crewmate, Dave Gendell, and four youngsters on Juice took the honors in our Alerion Fleet with Skimmer finishing close behind in second. Juice was 6th out of 29 non-spinnaker boats and 17th overall. Caroline and Escape finished third and fourth, respectively.
The after race party was a lot of fun. The band "Misspent Youth" played loud and long and good drinks and delicious burgers were provided by the Boatyard Bar & Grill. Awards were given to the CRAB Freedom 20's (Kevin Detwiler won, no relation), spinnaker and non-spinnaker fleets and our Alerion 28 fleet.
More great photos of the race and Alerions racing at this SpinSheet site: http://www.spinsheet.com/Crab-regatta
Summer One Design Regatta, July 21, 2012
Jack Detweiler reports:
It was another great day racing Alerion Express 28's on Chesapeake Bay. The steady rain kept the racers cool during one of the hottest months on record. The AYC Race Committee did a great job getting in four windward/leeward races. The wind was good, ranging from 8 to 15 knots. Thanks to Jim Kissiar and his crew Jonah Seiger on Escape, Bob Spann and crew Matt Hansen on Resilient and to Marti D. and Bill Sutton on our boat, Skimmer. Despite the raindrops, it was a really fun day for the three of us racing.
Complete results were as follows:
Annapolis Leukemia Cup, June 2, 2012
Friday’s severe weather brought tornados, thunderstorms, heavy rain and high winds. But race day dawned bright and sunny as the storm marched out to sea overnight. Unfortunately, no one told Aeolus the god of winds it was time to leave. At the start of the racing, winds were 20 knots gusting to 25 from the northwest and the ebbing current was roaring.
Jack Detweiler reports:
Eastport Yacht Club Race Committee set the starting line nearer the eastern shore than the western shore and once they got the Leukemia Class, multi-hulls and PHRF N off on their Government Mark Course, they shortened the line and set out a 3/4 mile weather mark with an offset buoy and ran 3 windward/leeward races. The order of start was PHRF C/D, Cal 25's and AE-28's
Seven Alerions started the first race (a windward/leeward course, twice around) with reefed mains. Six boats finished as Dave Cochran’s Ergo suffered a broken pad eye for the jib outhaul fairlead and had to retire. Marti and I on Skimmer finished the race but had a similar failure just before the finish line. The pad eye just ripped out of the deck and, when I tried to tighten the outhaul using the fairlead, it too parted. The jib was useless. (For more on this issue, see here.)
With the equipment damage and challenging conditions, only three boats in our fleet sailed the last two races. Congratulations to Jimmy and Dan Attridge on Blue Moon, Jim Kizziar sailing his Escape and Amanda McNeil helming Caroline for finishing the series.
Complete results are as follows:
Awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place were handed out by Gary Jobson at the after race party at EYC. As this was also the annual Rendezvous regatta, Dan Attridge retains the Perpetual Trophy for another year. Congratulations to Dan and Jimmy for their stellar sailing again this year.
Be Prepared. The Boy Scout Motto says it all. Watch the video of Magic and Ergo sailing out the Severn in perfect conditions to the start of the first race. Went downhill quickly from there.
SERC Spring Regatta, May 12, 2012
Jack Detweiler reports:
What a great day on the water and what fun we all enjoyed. Bobby Frey and the AYC Special Events Race Committee ran three great races. The southerly breeze filled in nicely and we had good competition on the triangle plus windward/leeward courses. Here are the results:
Thanks to Mike Craft and his son who came all the way from Baltimore to race Hot Tub. Bob Spann brought Resilient up from Harrington Harbor; his wife Beth and friend Matt sailed with him. Also, special thanks to Kevin McNeil, Commodore of the Annapolis Yacht Club and owner of the AE28 Caroline, who opened the club to us for the after- race party and Bobby Frey, Race Committee Chairman, for doing the awards.
And thanks to the Annapolis based sailors who made it such a great day -- Kevin’s wife Amanda McNeil who skippered Caroline, David Gantz and Cate Fagan on the oldest AE28 in the race, Orion, Walker Johnson in Rosebud, Dan and Jim Attridge, last year’s Rendezvous regatta winners in Blue Moon, and Jim Kizziar with Escape.
Left: Blue Moon leads Skimmer and Hot Tub around the leeward mark. Center: Bobby Frey discusses the races with Bob Spann and Beth Whiteley. Right: Skimmer slides by to leeward as Orion luffs up.