Today is the IDES of APRIL – April 15th is federal income tax filing deadline day.  YIKES!

Twenty (20) of the FBYC Off Shore Division boats  raced on Saturday in a non-sanctioned mid-distance race at the FBYC Opening Day festivities.  Craig  Wright’s J109, Afterthought won the race, followed by Sam Mitchener’s Double Eagle, and Drake Johnstone’s Cat’s Pajamas in 3rd.

FBYC Spring Series opened yesterday with twenty-two (22) boats in  two races.  The first day of “serious” racing followed on the heels of Saturday’s FBYC Opening Day mid-distance race, designed to shake off rust, bless the fleet, and enjoy a great dinner and a live band.  SPRING SERIES DAY 1 RESULTS:  PHRF A (5 boats) – 1.Craig Wright, Afterthought; 2.Sam Mitchener, Double Eagle; 3.Utley/Whittet, Wavelength.  PHRF B (9 boats) – 1.Bob Fleck, Mad Hatter; 2.Dennis Hannick, Goin’; 3.Dave Hinckle, Elancer.  PHRF C (5 boats) – 1.Sam Marshall, Play it Again; 2.Paul Wash, Cheeky Monkey; 3.Brad Miller, Schiehallion.  PHRF Non-Spin (3 boats) – 1.Mike Dale, Juggernaut.  Principal Race Officer – Brooks Zerkel.   FBYC Spring Series will continue on Sunday, April 21st.  For info, please check www.fbyc.net.

Heading to Charleston Race Week from the Southern Bay and beyond.  Southern Bay racers and some of their North Carolina friends will be representing our area at CRW this coming weekend.  Racing starts this coming Friday and wraps-up on Sunday.  More than 300 boats have entered CRW; here are the southern Bay racers registered to date:  J24 class – Clark Dennison, Kobayashi Maru (Richmond/FBYC); Chip Till, Murder, Inc. (Wrightsville Beach/CYCNC); Ron Medlin, Bash (Wilmington, NC); Bob Cowen, Nugget (Wilmington/CYCNC).   J70 class – Noel Clinard, Loonatictu (Richmond/FBYC); Ron Thompson, USA 68 (Yorktown, HYC);  Blake and Lud Kimbrough, Nostalgia (Richmond/FBYC); Ken Corsig, Lucky Charm (Charlotte,NC/LNYC); Vortex Racing- Wilbar and Rowland, USA 210 and USA 219 (Virginia Beach);  Travis Weisleder, Lucky Dog/Gill Race Team (Richmond);  PHRF A class – Robin Team, Teamwork (Lexington, NC);  Tartan 10 class – Mary Piepenbrink & David Lorenz, 10-Acious (Wilmington,NC).  Good luck to all!

CCV Spring Series opened in Hampton Roads harbor with  thirty-three (33) boats banging lay lines and fighting strong Spring currents.  Sailing in fluky wind in the first race, the competitors were rewarded with a nice 10-12 knot breeze in the second.  The only boat to win both races outright in her fleet  was Rocket J (Neil Ford and Lis Biondi) in PHRF C.  In PHRF A, Dave Eberwine’s Sea Star won the first race, but shared a corrected time tie with Bob Mosby’s Cyrano for first place in the second race.   RESULTS: PHRF A (10 boats) – 1. Dave Eberwine, Sea Star (1,1.5); 2.Leroi Lissenden, Voodoo 2 (2, 3); 3.Bob Mosby, Cyrano (5, 1.5).   PHRF B (13 boats) – 1.Ben Weeks and Michele Cochran, Rumble (4,1); 2.Bobby Whitehouse, Fat Bottom Girl (2, 4); 3.Rusty Burshell, Cool Change (1, 7).    PHRF C (8 boats) – 1.Neil Ford and Lis Biondi, Rocket J (1, 1); 2.Alan Bomar, roundabout (3, 2); 3.Pete Wallio, Not So Blue (2, 5).  PHRF Non-Spin (2 boats) – 1.Leo Wardrup, Black Widow (2, 1); 2.Jake Brodersen, Midnight Mistress (1, 2).   Principal Race Officer – John McCarthy; Mark Boats – Bill Gibbings and Tom Fowler; Official Scorer – John Ritter.    CCV Spring Series (Day 2, Race #3) resumes this coming Sunday, April 21, with a single middle distance race in the harbor.  This race also counts in the BBSA administered Southern Bay Distance Racing Series.  For info, please contact John McCarthy at 757-850-4225 or mcbear@earthlink.net.
 
To Fiddler’s Green.  The southern Bay racing community lost a long time and valued friend this past weekend.  Robert W. Nunn (84) passed quietly, unexpectedly, in his sleep early Friday, April 12th. He was recovering from surgery at a local medical rehab center.  Bob raced for many years, most recently in his beloved Catalina 30, One-O-Five. He left behind his wife, Shirley, children and grandchildren and many, many friends and acquaintances. Bob’s wife Shirley will continue to operate their marina in Merrimac Shores, a Hampton landmark.   Bob was not a man who touted his own accomplishments, which were significant, and neither did he desire that he be memorialized in a grand or gaudy way.  Bob Nunn will be missed in many quarters as an honorable, intelligent man who tried to leave things better than he found them.  Requiescat in pace.
 
Builder Contract Legal Issues and the Laser.  Plenty of problems and ramifications due to a situation that has arisen between Bruce Kirby, the designer of the Laser and main laser builder, LaserPerformance.  The messy conflict is itemized and summarized in the April 10 issue, #3814, of Scuttlebutt Sailing News.  Scuttlebutt says: Drama: Goodbye Laser, Hello Torch.  As the designer of the Laser, Bruce Kirby was forced to pursue legal action to hold the primary builder of his boat – LaserPerformance - accountable to the agreements that they signed.  The result of the action has now led to the launch of the Kirby Torch boat.  And, from there Scuttlebutt provides links and details.
 
Southern Bay Collegiate Update:  The Old Dominion University coed sailing team took 3rd place in the America Trophy Race at Annapolis this past weekend.  So, the Monarchs have earned a spot in the 2013 Coed Dinghy National Championship Semifinals which will be held here in Hampton Roads April 27-28, hosted by ODU and Hampton University.   Georgetown finished 1st and USNA  2nd among the 18 top MAISA teams.  ODU skipper Dillon Paiva sailed with crew Chloe Constants and crew Cooper Paiva to take 3rd in A-Division.  In the B-Division race, freshman skipper Esteban Forrer with crew Julia Weisner also took 3rd.  The  University of Virginia  team finished 5th and, since the top 8 teams in the MAISA Conference Championship Regatta for the America Trophy qualify for the 2013 Coed Dinghy National Championship Semifinals, the Wahoos will also be racing in Hampton Roads April 27-28.  Christopher Newport University was among the 18 teams racing in Annapolis and finished 15th overall in the MAISA championship.  MAISA includes 53 Mid-Atlantic college sailing teams.
 
NNSA Around the Light Race.  On Saturday, a band of ten (10) Norfolk Naval Sailing Association boats, skippers, and crew, endured the “creepies” during 2 hours of 2-3 knots while heading to Middle Ground Light. Then, they encountered the adverse current after rounding MGL and heading for the finish line.  The wind gods did come up with 14-16 NNE to E, though, and wind is always a good thing.  Tim Dull in Skymark (Tartan 34) won the NNSA racing fleet and John Bouma in ¾ Time (Pearson 32) was the top Cruiser and first overall.  This is the 3rd annual rendition of this event.
 
HYC Trapeze Regatta and Clinic.  Seven (7) boats, including 505, J24, and J70,  turned out to race on Saturday in Hampton Roads.  A clinic was scheduled for Sunday.
 
One More Than a Baker’s Dozen set for DOWN THE BAY RACE.  Fourteen (14) boats are now all in for the 120 mile dash from Annapolis to Hampton at the beginning of Memorial Day holiday weekend.  The race starts on Friday, May 24th and finishes on Saturday May 25th.  Of the 14 now entered, 9 are southern Bay boats who will make the trip to Annapolis for the race down the Bay; they are Ben Cuker (Callinectes),Glenn Doncaster(Nanqu); John Wandling (Eclipse);  Bob Howell (Cymru); Jim Forrester (Anjalei); John Blais (Stardancer); Sledd Shelhorse (Meridian X), line honors in 2012; Victoria Zimmerman and Bill Barnes (Bona Dea); and Bob and Lisa Fleck (Mad Hatter).  Coming out of Maryland are Richard Griner (Coyote) and Maury Niebur (Bump in the Night) and from northern Virginia, John Anderson (Wind Dancer) and Martin Howell (Truculent Turtle).  And, from farthest away, Cape May, New Jersey, is Brian McEwig, Hooligan.  Race organizers have made some significant improvements in the event for 2013.  For example, the upgraded pre-race welcome party, check-in, and Skippers Meeting will be held at Severn Sailing Association’s clubhouse in Eastport.  On the course, the start area has been moved back outside the harbor, where it was for many years until recently, and, to combat a possible dearth of wind at the start, there is special provision allowing for the RC boat to move the starting line further south.  There is a time limit for all boats of 2200, on Saturday, May 25th.  Information and details are available in the NOR posted at the event website www.hamptonyc.com , click on the DTB logo.  Look for SI to be posted early May.
 
The SBRW Early Bird entry special, a $140 entry fee and 10 FREE regatta drink tickets, will run out on  APRIL 26th   only 11 days from now.  And, remember, all returnees from SBRW 2012 and/or 2011 also may take the $40 TOWNEBANK TORNADO DISCOUNT off of their entry fee (even if it is an Early Bird entry).  For forms and additional info, www.blacksealcup.com or call Lin McCarthy at 757-850-4225.    SBRW entries update:  Three (3) more J70s have joined Noel Clinard’s Loonatictu – from Vortex Marine, Jay Matteson will sail Vortex and Basil Rowland will skipper Getmyboat.  And, Ron Thompson, owner-skipper of J70 hull #68 is entered.  Two southern Bay regulars have joined the PHRF A fleet – Leroi Lissenden, Voodoo 2, and John and Beverly Blais, Stardancer.  A pair of PHRF B entries arrived recently, Louie Lewis’ Incentive III and Greg and Carie Cutter’s Gremlin.  Justin Morris brings his Hunter 26.5, The Hunter, to race in the PHRF C fleet.  Y’all come racing!
 
MURPHY'S LAW:  Yrs Truly, the Racing Beagle, joins all the southern Bay racers who opened the season this weekend by sailing their brains out.  Here’s a suggestion for opening the work week with tired brains and achy bodies – a caffe mocha vodka valium latte to go.  Take one for the boss, too!  Ahhh-oooo! /S/  Murphy the Racing Beagle, the sailing spirit in us all.