#145 SOUTHERN BAY RACING NEWS YOU CAN USE
on Monday March 31, 2003 09:01AM
These days this is good info for any event or RC chairman to have handy - especially in the Hampton Roads area.
J/30 INVASION: There's another J/30 on the way to the southern Bay. Mike Mastracci, previously a J/24 guy, has a J/30 he recently bought in Annapolis. He has renamed her Four SeaSons. Mike has 4 young sons, hence the clever name, and will be sailing out of his home club, York River Yacht Club. Word is that another York River Yacht Club racer, John Boon, planned to be in Charleston lthis past weekend looking at a J/30 there. So, add these to Dave McConaughy's and Region 4 may pick up 3 in one fell swoop. Could we see a real one-design fleet, maybe at Black Seal Cup - Southern Bay Race Week?!
COMING UP VERY SOON: The CCV Tune Up Races are this coming SUNDAY, APRIL 6th. Open to all mono-hull, keelboat, PHRF racers. Starting Line expected to be in vicinity of CCV Harbor Mark A. Starts for PHRF A, B, C, and Non-Spin (2 HS). Warning signal for PHRF A is at 1100. It is the RC intention to run two short races, time and weather permitting. The first race will finish at Mark A and the second at the HYC dock. For info contact: John McCarthy (757) 850-4225. Buk Lawrence's Islander 36 Slowdance expected to serve as RC signal boat. Also, Old Point Comfort Yacht Club opens their 6 race spring series, Saturday, April 5.
Race Season Is Here - Remember your class flags and remember Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 am, Sunday, April 6 (that's BEFORE the ham biscuit at the drive-thru on your way to the Tune Up Races)!
Pride of Baltimore headed this way: The Schooner Virginia folk have helped the Pride find a yard to haul her for her annual checkup. Word on planning is that TODAY she will be hauled at Ocean Marine Yacht Center in Portsmouth, VA. This will be a great chance to get an idea of how Schooner Virginia will look once she is finished. Anticipating a good natured schooner showdown race between Virginia and Pride could lead Virginia backers on flights of fancy. It is, however, probably too early to consider covert action to fasten crab pots to Pride's keel. Pride should be in OMYC for a week or so.
J/24 Fleet 71 Sunday racing was "frozen" out. As Rocket J's skipper, Bert Johnson, said in the launch area, "This [the weather] is bad, but that's ok ... because it's gonna get worse!" And, sure 'nough, it did. Temps dropped, wind built, and the sun did not shine. The racing has been rescheduled for this coming Saturday, April 5 - skippers meeting set for 10:00 am, same place (J/24 - J/22 section of the HYC north annex on Bridge Street).
Two J/24s did do an impromptu race yesterday in Hampton River between daymark '12' and daymark '14'. Alan Bomar, roundabout, and Mike Veraldi, Quickie, got the jump on the rest of the fleet with, as Alan described it, "...good practice in puffy and gusty wind under the lee of Black Beard's Point."
Willoughby Racers watching TV coverage of the war in Iraq saw a familiar friend. The mine detection sled drawn slowly across the water by a training Navy helicopter has been a common participant in the WR Thursday Night series scene for a number of years.
Competition for the ALTER (as in Hobie) CUP will be sailed next week (April 5-11) in Clearwater, FL. Southern Chesapeake Bay racer W.F. Oliver will be crewing with defending champion Matt Struble. W.F. and the rest of the competitors will be in, on, or under (hopefully not) Bimare Javelin 2 F18HT catamarans. The Alter Cup is US Sailing's Multihull Champion Trophy.
When the weather folk put the BREEZY graphic on the screen, we know it is blowing pretty good. Proving the point Saturday were two Lasers: 2 full rigs went out, 1 and 1/2 returned - one got severely bent. Sometimes, ya just can't mess with Momma Nature.
Sponsorship-itis Bites: 2003 WORRELL 1000 is cancelled according to a release issued yesterday by event organizer Mike Worrell. The release further stated, "A key investor defaulted on his financial commitment to fund the acquisition of charter boats and subsequent efforts for alternate financing simply ran out of time. Neither Bimare Catamarans, the North American Bimare Distributor, W.F. Oliver, nor the F-18HT class share any responsibility in the matter." Planning for the 2004 event continues at full pace. Worrell indicates 2003 entrants may receive some relief from already paid fees toward the 2004 event. For information contact Mike Worrell at (757) 422-1000.
Reminder: Yankee Point Yacht Club is offering a "Suddenly Alone" Seminar this coming Saturday, April 5. The price is more than reasonable and includes lunch ($7). For info contact Dwight Timm at dtimm@crosslink.net or call (804) 462-7119
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS THIS COMING SUNDAY, APRIL 6, AT 2:00 AM
Steve Hunt and Mike Miller, the USA #1 470 class team, were feted Saturday evening at a gathering of local folk to help raise bucks to support our homies' "drive to the Olympics" in Athens in 2004. Steve sticks around for tomorrow night's CCV Annual Rules Clinic happening (see info above) before meeting up again with Mike and heading for Spain on Wednesday for one of several up coming European circuit regattas.
Fleet Prep Activity: Saturday Bob Mosby's Cyrano is back in her slip; Mike Veraldi and crew got Quickie together in the J/24 yard; About Time, Bob Archer, poked her nose out the Creek; Richard Payne's Miss Anne Thrope seen also on Hampton Creek; Bill Chandler and fellow racers were tweaking things on Rhumb Line. Also, messing about their boats, Dave Bouchard, Ganar!, Louis Lewis, Incentive, Tom Peddy, Impulse, and Sanford Richardson, Kahuna. Reports also abound that the Feather, Phil Briggs, crew is bottom blue after a significant wet sanding encounter. RC signal boat juggernauts, Dick Boykin's Might As Well and FBYC's Mr. Roberts, report ready to go. The beat is building.
MURPHY'S LAW: April 1st, April Fools' Day, is tomorrow. Some call it the Sailboat Racers' National Holiday. We can all celebrate being absolutely foolish about our boats, our skippers, our crew, our ratings, our sails, our bottom jobs, our gear, and our sport. Go nuts! Go racing! Living to race, racing to live. /s/ Murphy the Racing Beagle
To subscribe directly, hit your "reply" button, give your
name, and say "Sign me up!" SBRNYCU is free.
You may reprint or forward all or any part of this publication,
but please give credit to:
SOUTHERN BAY RACING NEWS YOU CAN USE, Lin McCarthy, Editor