#249 SOUTHERN BAY RACING NEWS YOU CAN USE

Lin Mccarthy on Monday May 16, 2005 02:19PM

If you are interested in seeing some of the best match racers in the nation ply their trade, check out the US Match Racing Championship Area ABC South Quarterfinals this weekend (May 21-22) on Hampton Flats.  This US SAILING Championship event is hosted by Hampton Yacht Club.  Racing will be done in J/24's.  For info contact: John McCarthy, (757) 850-4225.  The event is a round robin format - lots of very short races (quarter  mile legs - umpteen starts) - umpires on the water - pre-start "dance", like in the America's Cup!
 
Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 17, the schooner Virginia's masts are scheduled to be stepped.  Call (757) 627-7400 or check the web site at www.schoonervirginia.org  for details.
MERIDIAN, COOL CHANGE, CALLINECTES, and CHECKS-IN-THE-MAIL take home CCV Spring Series Silver:  The final day of CCV Spring Series proved perfect for racing.  Two scheduled races, fairly steady breezes, and flat water.  And, all ahead of the impending thunder boomers that arrived long after the racing was done.  Preliminary Series results:  PHRF A (9 boats competing)  1.Meridian, Sledd Shelhorse; 2.Sea Star, David Eberwine; 3.Cyrano, Bob Mosby.  PHRF B (6 boats competing) 1.Cool Change, Rusty Burshell; 2.Strega, Neal Garrett; 3.Bad Habit, Bob Archer.  PHRF C (10 boats competing)  1.Callinectes, Ben Cuker; 2.Roundabout, Alan Bomar; 3.Stardancer, John Blais.  PHRF Non-Spin ( 7 boats competing)  1. Checks-In-the-Mail, Jim Williams; 2.Impulse, Tom Peddy; 3.Virginia H, Andy Armstrong.   PRO:  John McCarthy; Official Scorer: Dick Boykin; Mark Boats:  Bill and David Gibbings; Glenn Giles and Chris Rasmussen; and, Tom and Jane Fowler.
 
Picture your globe.  Remember your 7th grade geography teacher telling you that some scientists think that Africa and South America might once have been one land mass?  "They are like pieces of a puzzle," she may have said, encouraging you to, in you mind, "push" them across the Atlantic toward one another.  Well, this morning, right there between the two continents, in the Atlantic, is southern Bay homie JD Scott sailing in the Global Challenge aboard Pindar.  Check out JD's progress toward Boston on the event website at www.GlobalChallenge2004.com   When he's home, JD races Prevail in the PHRF fleet with co-owner Mark Shaw.
 
Area J/24 owners who have loaned their boats for the US Match Racing Championship event (see item above) will be on board their boats during the racing (in the companionway).  Talk about getting a lesson or two from the experts!  Kudos to owners Alan Bomar, Mike Veraldi, Robert Newell, Bert Johnson, Chris Johnson, and Dave Taylor - for their generosity to the sport, may all their tacks be lifted !
 
The schooner Virginia's  crew and captain have been named.  Among the handpicked crew of eight are two southern Bay homies.  Deckhand Clyde D. Sundberg, Jr, of Hampton.  As part of his extensive qualifications, Clyde helped build the Susan Constant re-creation tall ship.  And, Keith Kavanaugh, of Virginia Beach, will be Virginia's cook.  Keith has managed a bundle of food and beverage related operations, dining rooms, kitchens, B&B's, and most recently the historic Freemason Inn in Norfolk.  Captain Nicholas Alley of Baltimore, will "man the helm". 
 
Southern Bay racer homie, John Ritter, is in world traveler mode.  For the last few months  John has been in Africa.  He has become an "expert" on cheetahs.  In Kiswahili, among game preservation professionals, the code name for cheetah is "spots on the ground", that's "Madoadoa ya Chini".  The word for water is maji. Watch for a burgee on John's boat when he returns in June with a cheetah on it and the motto "Madoadoa ya Maji"  (Spots on the Water). 
 
Arabella and Phil Denvir will be bringing their Premier Sailing School summer base to the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Centre (intersection of Great Neck Road and the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on Shore Drive between Lynnhaven Inlet and the First Landing Seashore State Park), in August.  Here's an opportunity for adults and kids to learn to sail without leaving home.  Call Arabella at Premier at (804) 438-9300.  
 
Don't forget - this coming Saturday,  CBYRA sanctioned events - BBSA's Cape Henry Cup and FBYC Spring Series #4
 
There were 5  J/24s in the PHRF C fleet start for the CCV Spring Series, Roundabout, Rocket J, Quicky, Cavitation, and Punctuation (@#$%&!!!).  From the looks of the tight racing and aggressive starting line activity, they are all getting ready to see one another in their one-design starts at Southern Bay Race Week.  Nice to see good racers "molding" and "gelling" tactically.  It's  J  Jell-O!    [Jell-O@]
 
MURPHY'S LAW:  So there's going to be a burgee out on the race course honoring a quick,  spotted cat-family creature.  John Ritter's "Spots on the Water"  does sound fast.  Now, I need a burgee honoring my prowess.  I think  "Spots under the beer truck" has a nice ring to it!  /S/ Murphy the Racing Beagle, the sailing spirit in us all.
Fishing Bay Yacht Club
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