SOUTHERN BAY RACERS "REQUIRED" ATTENDANCE:  - You just gotta be at this!    The CCV RACING RULES CLINIC is an annual happening, FREE AND OPEN TO ALL.  It is also the distribution site for the CCV 2003 Racing Guide.The Mariners Museum (Newport News, Virginia) will host the event. World class racer Steve Hunt will conduct the rules clinic - APRIL 1 - Tuesday - 6:30 pm. Steve and his teammate Michael Miller are in the  #1  470 spot on the US Sailing Team and top contenders for the Olympics in 2004.  US SAILING TEAM head coach Gary Bodie will be on hand. Bring your copy of Racing Rules of Sailing  2001-2004. If you do not have a copy of RRS, a limited supply will be available for purchase at cost ($10).  This event is where every racing season on the southern Bay actually begins for most racers.  See your competition in real clothes - maybe for the last time for several months! For information  call  (757) 850-4225 or email McCarthy  at  mcbear@earthlink.net  DOWN AND DIRTY DIRECTIONS to The Mariners' Museum:  From I-64, take Exit 258A for Rt 17 South / J. Clyde Morris Boulevard.  You are now on the rhumb line to The Mariners' Museum.  JCM Blvd/Rt 17 South becomes Museum Drive. Park to the right of the building and enter at the right back side of The Museum.Lasers Race in Hampton Roads:  Henry Amthor took first place in the tightly contested Laser fleet during the Annual Spring One Design Regatta hosted by Hampton Yacht Club.  Henry, who refers to himself as a FOG (Fat Old Guy) among Laser racers, is anything but and proved it.  Pete Wallio finished first among the masters group. Kudos to PRO Mark Wheeler, scorer Cheryl Weeks, mark boat driver Dave McConaughy, and organizer/mark boat skipper Leigh Morgan.  Unlike at the America's Cup, light air did not result in even one day of delay.

Early Bird Action:  Well, the early bird regatta boats are getting bigger.  This past weekend  the dinghy season opened, and this coming weekend  J/24 FLEET 71 sails their first 2003 season event in Hampton Roads, Sunday, March 30. For info contact:  Alan Bomar at (757) 229-6852  or Chris Duer at (757) 638-4825.

JavaScore Works!  Dick Boykin, official scorer for Region 4 (South), posted the official results of the HYC Annual Spring One Design Regatta at the CBYRA web site in the "News and Notices" section yesterday, thus becoming the first JavaScore posting for the entire Bay. The site address is www.cbyra.org.  Dick thanks PRO Mark Wheeler for his JavaScore submission of the results.  All done electronically and posted within 24 hours of the last boat's finish.

Donnybrook crew coordinator, John Dodge, heads to St Thomas with the black boat for the Rolex Cup Regatta this week (March 28 - 30).

HOMELAND SECURITY INFO REGARDING PORTS:  For port safety, closure, and opening information, you can dial the US Coast Guard Maritime Safety Operation Information  Line at 1-800-682-1796.

Gary Jobson, at the recent kick-off event for the Southern Chesapeake Volvo Leukemia Regatta, said that there will be two of the America's Cup 12 meters match racing at the Annapolis NOOD Regatta in early May.  The plan is that the two 12 meters will be the first start each day.  Expectations are that the boats will be driven by a couple of guys named Hood and Turner. And, speaking of the NOOD - the J-30 formerly owned by John White, will meet her new owner (Dave McConaughy) and crew (from Dave's Ulysses) at the big Bay one-design event.  Registrations are just beginning to heat up, and hopefully other NOOD regulars from the southern Bay will be going (Stardancer?, Patriot?)

Rudy Lotz and his crew which includes son Jerry seen rinsing the winter rust off Faith Sunday, reaching along off Chesapeake Avenue (Hampton-Newport News).

Chris Duer, Cavitation, J/24, attended a recent gathering at Portsmouth Boat Club.  Chris is helping Alan Bomar, roundabout, set up the August J/24 regatta and other Fleet 71 events.

Like a lot of racing sailors, Lonnie Joyner, Stinger, is a multi-faceted "human bean".  Lonnie has had a lot to do with the design and installation of the new copper top bar going in at the HYC lounge.  And, Buk Lawrence, Slowdance, is building the HOD half-hull, 50% model to go over Lonnie's bar top.

Sunday Bert Johnson poked his head up from inside his J/24 Rocket J, much like the beloved groundhog in February, and declared intentions of readiness for the J/24 Fleet 71 March 30th Regatta.

Looked like Ben Cuker had Callinectes on the water Saturday, but she was not quite free to frolic, since she was serving as the race committee boat for the Hampton University Regatta. Paul and Michelle Garn generously served on Stormy Weather on Sunday.

Still need some de-frosting time?  The Palm Beach Boat Show opens this Thursday.

The Cool Change-ers (Rusty and Naomi Burshell's J/30) used the warm weather to re -commission the 2002 B Fleet champion.

Something's happening in C Fleet:  Karl and Senta Petersen's Valkyrie and crew were underway Saturday. Louie Lewis (Incentive, O'Day 25), Bob Archer (About Time, Capri 25), and Bill Peach (Surprise, Alerion Express 28) stayed dockside, but were readying their boats for the newly expanded C Fleet contests.

Getting It Together: Well done! Fishing Bay Yacht Club, the Volvo Southern Chesapeake Leukemia Cup regatta organizers, and The Mariners Museum all came together to hear Gary Jobson opine on the recent America's Cup, enjoy some of Gary's "private video stock," and sip and nibble wine and cheese.  Approximately 125 attended, including a bus bunch from Richmond.

Steve Hunt and Michael Miller were once "ankle biters" racing in junior sailing programs (Hampton YC and Fishing Bay YC respectively).  Now, they are real contenders for the 2004 Olympics.  Racers, old and young alike, will take something special away by seeing them, hearing them, and shaking their hands at the CCV Racing Rules Clinic on April 1, at the Mariners' Museum. (see clinic information above.)

APRIL CALENDAR - And, so it begins!
Sun    March 30         J/24 Fleet 71 Regatta
Tue    April 1            CCV Racing Rules Clinic
Sat    April 5              Yankee Point YC "Suddenly Alone" Seminar
Sun   April 6             DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME begins
Sun   April 6             CCV Tune-Up Races
Wed    April 9            HYC Wed Night Series begins
Fri-Sun   April 11-13  National Hospice Regatta (Annapolis)
Sat-Sun  April 12-13  FBYC Opening Day Regatta
Sun       April 13       CCV Spring Series #1
Thu       April 17        BBSA -Willoughby Racers Thur  Night Series begins
Fri-Sun  April 18-20   J/29 Invitational (FBYC) racing
Sat       April 26        Azalea Festival Regatta (NNSA)
Sat-Sun April 26-27   FBYC Spring Series Day 1 and Day 2
Sat       April 26-27   Hampton Boat Show (Downtown Hampton)
Sun       April 27       CCV Spring Series #2
Wed     April 30         BBSA-Little Creek Wed Night Series begins
Sat       May 3            RRYC/FBYC Spring Series Day 3
Sun       May 4          CCV Spring Series #3
Sun       May 4            Worrell 1000 Start at South Miami Beach
Fri-Sat   May 2-4        Annapolis NOOD

Portsmouth Boat Club  and commodore Don Wade opened their doors (literally) to 33 racers who attended John McCarthy's "The Start Comes First" presentation on Saturday.  The audience included both ends of the spectrum, for example long time club racers Bootie Baker (Klimax) and Mitch Doughtie (Sea Saw) shared the room with Sea Scout, racing novice Brian Wheyland, and all in between.

Laser District 11 Championships  May 31 - June 1.  Contact George Panayides at  gpanayid@wrsystems.com  or  Leigh Morgan at   leigh morgan@leigh morgan@msn.com

MURPHY'S LAW:  A new acronym, BOLO, has come out of the war in Iraq.  BOLO means "Be On the Look Out".  So, here's a common BOLO alert for this time of year:   BOLO Alert for barefooted people in short pants, wearing gloves, and sometimes puffy vests, yelling and laughing, and trying to make man's slowest means of transportation go fast while almost always returning to the same place they started. 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