Southern Chesapeake Bay Leukemia Cup Regatta at the Fishing Bay Yacht Club, July 10-12,  June 30 deadline for early registration is fast approaching.  Lock into the discount now by registering early at www.fbyc.net and have your boat's name imprinted on the official Regatta T-shirt.  Registrations after June 30 will be accepted through July 9, 1800 hours - save money - DO IT NOW!  Info on the regatta, entry requirements, etc. all available at www.fbyc.net. 

 

Mobjack Nationals Reach 50th Anniversary!  The International Mobjack Class will hold it's National Championship Regatta  August 21-23 at Ware River Yacht Club.  This will mark the 50th anniversary of  of the event.  This, of course, will be a wing-dinger event with all the trimmings.  If you have ever loved a Mobjack, or think you might, you need to be at this gathering on the Ware River.  For info contact Tom Roberts at (804) 843-2682 or email him at  Mobjack451@cox.net.   

THE SCREWPILE LIGHTHOUSE CHALLENGE - July 19-21, 2010 - Solomons, MD  This is a season highlight for most southern Bay racers.  This is where racing and party-ing skills are honed to the finest point.  It is a Chesapeake Bay signature regatta!  The competition is Bay-wide, boats coming from all over the Chesapeake and beyond.   It is where legends are made!  

SCREWPILE NITTY-GRITTY:.  Entry forms and info are available at the event website - www.splc.us   The deadline for avoiding the $75 late fee is Noon, Wednesday, JULY 1st.   No entries accepted after Noon on July 15th.  Regatta Headquarters is at the Holiday Inn Select Solomons - (410) 326-6311 .  In addition to the HI Select,  you can check out the Comfort Inn right next door and other motels, hotels and B&B's in Solomons, MD.   The key is to make your ressies NOW!  Registration (check-in)  at Regatta Headquarters and goes from Noon to 5pm on Saturday, July 18, with the SKIPPERS MEETING at 5:15PM in the main  tent in the courtyard (just beyond the swimming pool) .  The key is to make SCREWPILE a priority - it is a racing and regatta experience every southern Bay racer ( along with family and friends) will enjoy! 

 

FLYING SCOTS ANNUAL REGATTA sponsored at Rappahannock River Yacht Club is all set all set to go June 27-28, in Irvington, VA, on Carter Creek (north shore of the Rappahannock River).  Entries are due next Monday, June 22.    For regatta detail contact Lew Thatcher, Captain Flying Scot Fleet 185, (804) 436-1606 or check out www.rryc.org  

The Annapolis to Newport Race started Friday, June 5, and one of the boats,  Vela Veloce  grabbed up southern  Bay racer  Mark Wheeler at the last minute, when her regular navigator unexpectedly could not make the trip.  Vela Veloce is a brand new R/P Southern Cross 52 owned by Richard Oland (St, Johns, Canada).  The boat is like a TP 52, but  optimized  for IRC. It is hull #2.  Dr. Robert Razenbach, Vela's main navigator, was unable to make the trip due to professional responsibilities.   Seems there is more to it than "just turning left at Cape Charles!"

 

Familiar faces at regattas in the southern Bay are the Savage brothers, Doug and Tim.  They have teamed up, Doug as skipper and Tim as navigator, on Reprisal, their S2 10.3, in  the PHRF fleet for Annapolis-Newport.  Lawrence Cohen, who calls Gloucester, Virginia, his home is racing his Swan 48-2, Dawn Treader, in the Annapolis-Newport.

 

BLACK SEAL CUP WINNER:  WAIRERE,  Pete Hunter, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina 

    Day #1 (Sponsored by Winters Sail Loft):          Ocean View Course -  WAIRERE  (Hunter)      Buckroe Course - PUFF CARD (Boatwright)

    Day #2 (Sponsored by North Sails, Hampton):  Ocean View Course -  #999 (White/Ballard)     Buckroe Course - WIKI WIKI  (Paice)

    Day #3 (Sponsored by Doyle Sails, Hampton):  Ocean View Course -  INEVITABLE (Karn)     Buckroe Course - USA !93 (Behm)

 

On the OCEAN VIEW COURSE:  Day 1, three races sailed;  Day 2, one race sailed;  and Day 3, three races sailed.

Boats racing in each fleet:  PHRF A1 -  5;  PHRF A2 - 9;  J-105 - 5  PHRF B1 - 12;  PHRF B2 - 10

 

WAIRERE,  Pete Hunter's Thompson 30 from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, sailed great throughout the regatta and took home the top overall award, the Gosling's  Black Seal Cup.  The team in the red shirts finished with a string of  2-1-1-1-1-2-3  over 7 races in PHRF A1 to win their fleet, holding off hard charging, locally based  Meridian 2, Sledd Shelhorse, (Hampton, VA Beach) who won Day 3 in their fleet by one point, but could not overcome Wairere's  overall lead.

 

Sea Star, Dave Eberwine's J36, (Hampton/Suffolk) and John White's and Tom Ballard's (Annapolis, MD)  purple hull #999 Beneteau FC10 went at it hammer and tong all three days of racing, .  The two teams did a masterful job of employing match-racing tactics within the PHRF A2 fleet,  exchanging the lead throughout the event.  When all was said and done, Sea Star sailed their best in the first race of Day 3 (Race 5) to take a bullet that turned out to be the linchpin for the top spot in PHRF A2.

 

In the J105 one-design fleet,  Mike Karn (Fishing Bay/Richmond) and the Inevitable team hammered the fleet on Day 3 with 3 bullets to take the top spot from David Clark's (Fishing Bay/Mechanicsville, VA) Corryvreckan, who had held big dog position for the first two days of the regatta.

This is MEMORIAL DAY, the day set aside to remember and thank those members of our Armed Forces who have laid down their lives for us and our freedoms.

 

60th  DOWN THE BAY RACE FOR THE VIRGINIA CRUISING CUP - great racing, great turnout, great fun!  The actual racing began in Annapolis on Friday when  co-organizing authority Storm Trysail Club, Chesapeake Station,  got the boats started and  co-organizing authority Hampton Yacht Club, began the vigil for their arrival.   Capturing line honors, Jim Muldoon's  Donnybrook crossed the finish line off Hampton / Fort Monroe at  04:23:56  on Saturday morning.  The beautiful Santa Cruz 72 was the only racer to finish during the dark hours; dawn beat everyone else to Hampton.  Registration for the event far exceeded organizers' expectations, given the 2009 event  was preceded by a 10 year hiatus.  Forty-one (41) boats actually entered 2009 DTB, with 38 making it to the starting line and 36 crossing the finish line.  The last boat to finish crossed the line in Hampton at  17:24:27 on Saturday, giving the finishing boat team more than half an hour to spiffy up and get to the awards presentation soiree set for 1800 at HYC - and they made it with time to spare!  A lovely sea breeze kicked in late to give an assist to the last half of the fleet.  One skipper declared as he crossed the finish line, "On the nose all the way except for the last 9 miles when we flew the 'chute!"  He and the crew finished smiling!  RESULTS:  PHRF A (18 Boats):  1.Donnybrook, Jim Muldoon; 2.Kahuna, Sandford Richardson; 3.Meridian 2, Sledd Shelhorse; 4.Wairere, Pete Hunter.  PHRF B (10 boats):  1.Family Tradition, Tripp Behm; 2.Callinectes, Ben Cuker; 3.Age of Reason, Stovy Brown.  PHRF C(3 boats): 1.Bowmovement, Martin Casey; 2.Schiehallion, Brad Miller.  PHRC Non-Spin (7 boats): 1.Black Widow, Leo Wardrup; 2.Coyote, Griner & Coffey; 3.Prevail, Mark Shaw.  Annapolis Race Officer:  Dick Neville, STC;  Hampton Race Officer: John McCarthy.

 

SOUTHERN BAY RACE WEEK - counting down to opening night, this Thursday.  Racing begins Friday and goes through Sunday.    Preliminary Scratch Sheet is posted at the website now.  As of today there are a total of 76 boats entered. Note that PHRF A Fleet as well as PHRF B Fleet  each will be split  to improve the quality of racing.  Watch for a special SBRW edition of SBRNYCU  for details on splits as well as event updates.  For info and entry forms: Lin McCarthy at (757) 850-4225, or email at mcbear@earthlink.net  or check out the event website at www.blacksealcup.com  or www.hamptonyc.com (click on SBRW website).