The CCV RACING RULES CLINIC will not cost you any "green".  The annual event is FREE AND OPEN TO ALL. Tuesday, April 1, 6:30 pm at The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Virginia.  Guest clinician is Steve Hunt, #1  470 sailor in the USA and Olympic hopeful. For information contact: call  (757) 850-4225 or   email McCarthy at   mcbear@earthlink.net  If you race, seriously or casually or somewhere in between, this is one event you cannot miss. And, the 2003 CCV Racing Guide will be available.  Steve will talk tactics as they relate to the rules - he is a current world class racer who has truly valuable info to share.  (Bring your RRS, if you have it;  a limited supply will be available for purchase at cost at the clinic.)

The kick-off event for the 2003 Southern Chesapeake Volvo Leukemia Cup Regatta (July 12, Deltaville/Fishing Bay), is this Friday, March 21.  Gary Jobson will present his Amercia's Cup review in conjunction with a wine tasting and special tour of The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA.  For info contact Sandy Thurston at (800) 766-0797.

TRIPP 26 racers and all event organizers - Please NOTE the following correction on the point of contact email address:  Don Zinn  at  dzinn@artesianrx.com  The Tripp 26 is now a CBYRA COD sanctioned class and a great group to include in any regatta plans.

This coming Saturday, March 22, the HYC Spring One-Design Regatta marks the opening of the 2003 dinghy racing season. For info contact Leigh Morgan at (757) 726-9640 or Mark Wheeler at (757) 460-5844.

The Battlewagon brigade is getting ready to head up to Annapolis for the National Hospice Championship Regatta April 11-13.  Skipper John Hanna is allowed to bring four crew members with him to compete in a provided J/105.  Going with the skipper are his son, John, Carey Hardesty, Jimmy Collins, and Eddie Williams.  Collins often sails his J/24 Liquid Courage in Hampton Roads area races along with Hardesty.  Eddie Williams and the John Hannas (the younger and the elder) are well known as accomplished racers up and down the Bay.

The racing fleet dance begins:  Early racing rumbles say PHRF C fleet loses Dave McConaughy's two time high point champion Ulysses (she's sold and going to Solomons), but Dave and the Ulysses crew will be racing a newly acquired J/30 in PHRF B as well as doing some one design events.  Moving up to PHRF C from PHRF Non-Spin is multiple fleet champion Bill Peach in his Alerion Express 28, Surprise.  Another new comer to PHRF C is Martin Casey's Sweet Isolation (Catalina 27).  Add to those Ben Cuker's Callinectes, Bob Old's Beowolf, and Karl Petersen's Valkyrie moving to C from B because of Region 4 fleet split changes for 2003.  The Non-Spin fleet picks up newcomers Mark Shaw, Prevail, and Wayne Ward's Pearl, along with the return of Ed Andrews' No Problem.  And, C Fleet early bird, About Time, Bob Archer's Capri 25, splashes today.

Russell Coutts, Dennis Conner, Dean Barker, Paul Cayard, Chris Dickson - America's Cup helmsmen all.  Now add one more - Buk Lawrence.  Recently, while on an island hopping tour, Buk drove Stars and Stripes.  He said he much prefers the helm of his own Slowdance (Islander 36).  "Those 12 meters handle like a truck," Buk said.

CCV-HYC Race Management Seminar wrap-up:  74 current, past, future, seasoned and neophyte racers,  race managers and event organizers spent Saturday morning reviewing the vagaries of managing sailboat races.  Participants represented more than 14 clubs in the southern Bay region.  Kudos to the seminar team of presenters, Dick Boykin, Glenn Giles, John McCarthy, Joe Hallissy, Ben and Cheryl Weeks and support staff Barbara and Louie Lewis, Lin McCarthy, and Kathy Brady.  Special thanks to the City of Hampton Library staff and head Librarian Doug Perry, who assured the event had an appropriate space for such a large turnout.  Nearly 200 donuts and gajillion cups of coffee fueled the attendees.

Word comes that Rick Gaston, a familiar face on the southern Bay racing scene, has passed on to Fiddlers Green.  Rick crewed on a variety of race boats including Cash Flow, Liquid Courage and Bellaris.  Rick's untimely passing, particularly at this time of year, makes his absence even more strongly felt by racing friends and acquaintances.

Racing Crew Training Opportunities:  Two established programs on the southern Chesapeake are cranking up for the 2003 crewbies: (1) MORC Station 70 and Fishing Bay Yacht Club begin their program on March 20 (THIS THURSDAY).  For info contact: Mason and Julie Chapman at email   2nautichapmans@attbi.com    or go to the web site   www.fbyc.net  (2)  CCV is in the process of setting their dates for their Annual Crew Training Courses.  For info contact Neal Garrett at (757) 727-0742 or Anna Smith at (757) 869-3061.

Yankee Point Yacht Club is hosting two seminars:  March 29, "Basic Navigation and Nav/Com System Integration," and on April 5, "Suddenly Alone".  For information contact: Dwight Timm at dtimm@crosslink.net or call  (804) 462-7119.

MURPHY'S LAW:    Ahhhhhh... at last, it's that time of year.  Long awaited and anticipated.  Everyone in a frenzy.  We have been pointed at this day all winter.  It is here - the racers' pre-season warm-up - the epitome of bar hopping, pub crawling, green beer drinking party-ing - St. Paddy's Day!  Burp!!  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