Former junior sailors take on leadership roles:   William Bomar and  Ben Buhl  have been named as coaches of the Opti Development Team at Fishing Bay Yacht Club.  Will Bomar is just finishing his freshman year at the University of Alabama, is well known among the southern Bay J24 crowd, raced for Walsingham Academy in high school competition, and has a year of instructing juniors already under his belt (at HYC last year). Ben Buhl has been around and an important part of the FBYC Junior Program since he was an "ankle-biter" back in 1997.     He has collected numerous awards and given countless hours to the program and now will be one of the two Opti Development Team coaches.

ROCKET J   Wins  J24 APRIL FOOLS REGATTA.  A day of one-design racing forced a one lap, winner-take-all tie-breaker to determine the overall winner of the season's first southern Bay regatta.  Neil Ford, Liz Biondi and the  Rocket J  crew, tied with Mike Veraldi's Quicky after 4 races, won the 5th race and the regatta.  The four J24s, the kernel of the J24 Fleet 71, raced from mid morning to mid afternoon in ideal conditions, sunny with moderate breezes and a nice carpet , on Hampton Roads.  RESULTS: 1. Ford-Biondi, Rocket J (3-2-1-2);  2.Mike Veraldi, Quicky (1-1-3-3);  3.Alan Bomar, roundabout (2-3-4-1);  4.Rodney Paice, Chop-Chop (4-4-2-4).   The regatta was also an opportunity for race committee folks to get in some practical training.  Four participants of the March  "Nuts & Bolts RC Seminar" , Philip Kenny (Fishing Bay YC), Walt Ulbricht (Seaford YC), Al Lambert (Hampton), and Donna Noonan (Norfolk Y&CC) performed  RC duties with guidance from John McCarthy and Buk Lawrence on the signal boat and Bill and Dave Gibbings on the mark boat.  J24 Fleet 71 is based at Hampton Yacht Club; for information contact Alan Bomar at (757) 810-4518.
 
SOUTHERN BAY RACE WEEK   EARLY BIRD ENTRY SAVINGS - $10 off the standard entry fee + 10 FREE regatta drink tickets - runs ONLY until APRIL  23.   Don't let the Early Bird fly away before you enter.  In addition to Early Bird savings, racers who raced in SBRW 2011, may deduct another $5  "returnee loyalty discount" from their entry costs.  Be an Early Bird - save $$ on your entry and $$ on your party drink tickets!  Y'ALL COME RACING!      Please click on www.blacksealcup.com for regatta details, list of current entries,  and entry form or call (757) 850-4225.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  to APRIL FOOLS DAY BIRTHDAY BOY, ALAN BOMAR.  Alan is skipper of J24 roundabout and the glue of  J24 Fleet 71.  He raced his brains out on his 50th birthday yesterday.  Many happy returns to Alan, a southern Bay racing do-er.
HAMPTON ONE-DESIGN CLASS expecting . . .the HOD Class has two new /renewed boats in its future.  Getting ready to join the class racing in 2012 are Will Roberts and Joe Morgan.  Will Roberts is completing his boat restoration with help from Eddie Williams, and Joe Morgan is working in his boat-shop in Gloucester on #412's new mahogany plywood deck.  Spring is in the air - Hamptons getting ready.
 
Getting ready for the coming season.  There was lots of preparation activity on the southern Bay this past weekend.  The boatyards saw the usual final prep of bottoms and crush of launch appointments, crew hopefuls and skippers shared brewskies and contact info at the Spinsheet Crew Listing and Sock Burning in downtown Hampton at Marker 20, and Fishing Bay YC finished their classroom and on-the-water crew training program.  The CCV Annual Racing Clinic and CCV Racing Guide distribution  was Tuesday night at host Hampton Yacht Club.  Rob Overton covered all the requirements and nuances of Racing Rule 18 and the racers enjoyed the brew and vino and a chance to renew summertime friendships.    This coming  week a number of mid-week series will begin (see April calendar in this issue) and racing gets underway in earnest after next  Easter weekend.  Here we go!
 
SBRW 2012 Entries Update:  Two more returnees have joined the SBRW Cruising Fleet: Barbara Saunders of Norfolk, sails her Pearson 35, Stargazer, out of Hampton, and Larry Bryant of Suffolk, brings his Hunter 40, Whisper, also out of Hampton.  Joining the PHRF A fleet is Martin Casey, new owner of the Olson 30, named by previous owners Incentive + and Namesake. Martin has yet to announce a new name for the boat and is going with OLSON 30 until-if-when he settles on something else.  The first entry from York River Yacht Club is complete - George Jones has entered his Wavelength 24, Poco Loco in the PHRF B fleet.   Tim Dull has entered his new-to-him Tartan 34C, Skymark, in the PHRF NS fleet in place of Dart.  Entry forms and info available at www.blacksealcup.com
 
Tune up the tunes!  Bring your racing shoes and your dancing shoes  to  SOUTHERN BAY RACE WEEK (June 1-3).  Regatta officials have lined up a full slate of music for SBRW racers and their friends.  Live bands will be featured on both Friday and Saturday nights.  The extremely entertaining  L.F. Edwards Band will play on Friday, after the first day of SBRW racing.   And,  the Saturday night party will spotlight the ever popular PHOEBUS RIO, acclaimed by those who dance, those who listen, and those who know how to enjoy a good time!  DJ Eric Emerson will get the SBRW music underway at the Thursday evening Welcome, Check-in, and Skippers Meeting and Tom Boltze will cap-off the regatta on Sunday at the final awards presentation.  SBRW - 3 days of great racing and 4 nights of great parties!   NOTE: PHRF and One-Design fleets race on Friday, Saturday and Sunday;  the SBRW Cruising fleet (special price package) races on Saturday and Sunday.  Everyone is invited to all the regatta parties.    www.blacksealcup.com
 
APRIL SOUTHERN BAY AND BEYOND RACING SCHEDULE:     Here we go!
April  4    Wednesday    Hampton YC Wednesday Nights open
April  4    Wednesday    BBSA Little Creek SA Wednesday Nights open
April  5    Thursday        BBSA Willoughby Racers Wednesday Nights open
April  8    Sunday           EASTER
April 11   Wednesday   York River YC Wednesday Nights open
April 13   Friday             Portsmouth Boat Club Barnacle Series opens
April 14  Saturday         MORNING WITH MURPHY at Yankee Point Racing and Cruising Club
April 14  Saturday         Fishing Bay YC - Opening Day
April 15  Sunday           Fishing Bay YC - Spring Series Day 1
April 15  Sunday           CCV Tune Up Races
April 15  Sunday           2012 Bermuda race entry deadline
April 20-22 Fri-Sun       Sea Scout Academy - 2012 at US Coast Guard Base - Portsmouth
April 21  Saturday         Fishing Bay YC - Spring Series Day 2
April 22  Sunday           CCV Spring Series - Races #1 and  #2
April 23  Monday           SBRW  EARLY BIRD  ENTRY DEADLINE ($10 savings+10 free regatta drink tix)
April 25  Wednesday    Yankee Point Racing & Cruising Club - Wednesday Nights begin
April 27  Friday              Norfolk Yacht & Country Club - Friday Nights begin
April 28 Saturday          Yankee Point Racing & Cruising Club - Modern Navigation Systems
April 28  Saturday         Fishing Bay YC - Spring Series Day 3
April 29  Sunday           CCV Spring Series - Race #3
May  4    Friday             DOWN THE BAY RACE ENTRY DEADLINE ($50 late fee kicks in)
May 4-6  Fri-Sun           Annapolis NOOD Regatta
May 6     Sunday           CCV Spring Series - Races #4 and #5
 
JUNIOR SAILING PROGRAM COORDINATORS/OFFICIALS:  In the next issue SBRNYCU will list junior sailing programs on the southern Chesapeake  Bay.  If you would like your program included, just send the pertinent information (club name, point of contact, phone and email, brief description of the program, and important program dates).   Please submit your info no later than Wednesday, APRIL 6th.  Send to mcbear@earthlink.net   [No charge, no strings for this service]
 
GOOD NEWS sort of . . .  Federal income tax payers get two (2) extra days, until  April 17th , to file this year.
 
MURPHY'S LAW:  Yrs Truly, the Racing Beagle,  has come upon some interesting insider information from the entertainment world.  A first cousin, WEGO (pronounced wee' go) McMurphy, is considering a beer truck gig with Southern Bay Race Week.  Regatta officials and entertainment agents are knotted in negotiations.  Stay tuned - developments as they occur.  Here we go!      /S/  Murphy the Racing Beagle, the sailing spirit in us all.
 
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SOUTHERN BAY RACING NEWS YOU CAN USE,  Lin McCarthy, Editor