Saturday night Fishing Bay Yacht Club wined and dined in fine fashion 60+ CBYRA High Point award winners, friends, and families in their new clubhouse.  The snow outside made the event even more memorable and the blazing fire in the fireplace even more comforting.  Special kudos to FBYC Commodore Dick Cole and event honcho Tom Roberts.  The thermometer near the Little Sue Exxon on Fishing Bay Road read 13 degrees when the party broke up.

Congratulations! CBYRA Region 4 High Point Winners John Hanna, Leroi Lissenden, Rusty Burshell, Dave McConaughy, Bill Peach, Meg Roberts, and Mark Wheeler.  REGION 4 AWARD RECIPIENTS:   North Division - PHRF Spinnaker:  1. Leroi Lissenden (RSA), Voodoo Chile; 2. Waddy Garrett/Thompson (FBYC), Whiskey Tango; 3. Case Whittemore (FBYC), Patriot. South Division - PHRF A: 1. John Hanna (HYC), Battlewagon; 2. Bumps and David Eberwine (HYC), Sea Star; 3. Robert Mosby (HYC), Cyrano. PHRF B: 1. Rusty Burshell (HYC), Cool Change; 2. Dan Smoker (SYC), Smoke; 3. Bill Chandler (HYC), Rhumb Line. PHRF C: 1. Dave McConaughy (HYC), Ulysses; 2. Bob Archer (CCV), About Time; 3. John Blais (HYC), Stardancer. PHRF Non-Spin: 1. Bill Peach (HYC), Surprise; 2. Jeff Rogers (OPCYC), Halaha. CBYRA (One Design Classes, Bay-wide Awards):Hampton One Designs: 1. Mark Wheeler (HYC); 2. Latane Montague (PRSA); 3. Devon Sweeney. Mobjacks: 1. Meg Roberts (FBYC); 2. Len Guenther (BBSA); 3. Mark Arnold (BBSA); 4. Jim Butler (BBSA); 5. Tom Roberts (BBSA).  Optimist: 3. Brett Baker (HYC).

And They're Off! at Key West Race Week: Today is the official start of racing for 290 boats at this favorite January event.  Southern Bay racers known to be there in addition to those mentioned last week include Ken Saylor and Freddie Sage (on Javelin, Farr 49) as well as Hampton University sailing team coach Carolyn Grant, who will be on Paul Andersen's J/29, Titillation.  Peter Davidson's (West Point, VA) J/29, Fast Lane, will be racing in the one design class too.

Be advised, one never knows when one may be assigned a(nother) nickname.  Joe "Cool" Hallissy was informally so dubbed at the CBYRA Region 4 awards dinner.  Joe received a special "thank you"  from CBYRA for his excellent, long, and faithful service in race management to Chesapeake Bay racers.  Bob Rutsch, current president of CBYRA made the trip from Chevy Chase, Maryland, to Fishing Bay to present the award to Joe.

US SAILING's NATIONAL SAILING PROGRAMS SYMPOSIUM is coming to Baltimore, February 5-9.  This is a great opportunity for anyone responsible for or involved in sailing programs at any level. Take advantage of the expertise and talent connected with this group without high travel cost.  The symposium usually does not come so close to our area. For additional information contact Kirk Culbertson, at (410) 727-0722 or email him at admrkirk@erols.com.  For detailed info on the seminar check out the US Sailing web page at http://www.ussailing.org/training/nsps/2003/Agenda.htm

Notice of Race (NOR/flyers) Writers, Here's Some Important Info:  For the PHRF Non-Spinnaker Class, PHRF of the Chesapeake now recognizes only the 2 headsail non-spin fleet at sanctioned events. HOWEVER,  IF A CLUB WANTS TO HAVE A NON-SPINNAKER CLASS RESTRICTED TO SINGLE HEADSAILS IN ITS EVENT, ALL IT HAS TO DO IS SO STATE IN ITS SAILING INSTRUCTIONS.  PHRF says, "The effect of this is that all PHRF racers may assume that they may use 2 headsails in non-spinnaker events unless the sailing instructions specifically state only one headsail is allowed." [emphasis added].  And, non-spinnaker racers, whenever you enter a race that allows for a class limited to single headsail, be sure to indicate single headsail ON YOUR ENTRY FORM if that is the class in which you will sail .

Phil and Arabella Denvir, owners and operators of Premier Sailing School in Irvington, Virginia, were at the CBYRA Region 4 awards soiree.  With business booming at the Irvington/Tides Lodge location, watch for Premier expansion to Deltaville in the coming season.  Whenever possible, Arabella races on the women's match racing circuit.

News from the Far Side:  Greg and Lynda Cutter, currently in Palo Alto, CA, are crewing on San Francisco Bay area boats and having a blast.  They left their C&C 30 XL, Gremellyn, at Norfolk Boat Works for the duration.

Laser-gram!  Laser sailors - it is definite.  The 2003 District 11 Laser Championships will be hosted by Hampton Yacht Club, Hampton, Virginia, May 31-June 1, 2003.  Contact George Panayides at   panayid@spawar.navy.mil   or Leigh Morgan at  leigh morgan@msn.com  for detailed info.

Joe and Susan Bousquet will head for St. Petersburg to race their Moth boats this coming weekend.  Joe was a collegiate racer at ODC "back in the day".

It's official - Alingi has won the Louis Vuitton Cup and the right to challenge team New Zealand for the America's Cup.  The actual racing begins on February 15th.  TV coverage will shift to ESPN (expect the sailing media ace, Gary Jobson, to be on your screen).  Most racer-viewers agree that the OLN coverage of the Louis Vuitton series was horrible when it began, but much improved by the end.  However, OLN has a way to go still before they capture the emotion of AC racing as Jobson and ESPN have done so well in the past.  No commercial breaks at mark rounding or crosses would be a start. Really!

MURPHY'S LAW:  What's this thing about the plot to steal the America's Cup trophy and hold it for a ransome of onemillion dollars?  Better re think that, Mr. Trophy Terrorist. Ellison, Conner, and a googob of others have each spent way more than that.  Better up the ante before you go trophy-napping.  This ain't eBay and your M-Card won't do it. Cost of the America's Cup?  Priceless. Living to race, racing to live. /s/ Murphy the Racing Beagle

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                 SOUTHERN BAY RACING NEWS YOU CAN USE, Lin McCarthy, Editor