VITAMIN J Prescribes J/24s, JEROBOAM Clubs J/30s
(Marblehead, MA)- This year's Sperry Top-Sider Marblehead NOOD Regatta
could either be seen as an atypical Marblehead regatta, or a typical
one. However one saw the conditions for the three days, it was certain
that many teams had tales of euphoria and those of seeming despair,
too. Winds on Friday were in the southerly quadrant with grayish skies
and 4-10 knots winds shifting 15-25 degrees; Saturday a spectacular
showcase of classic northwesterly, shifty 15-30 degree winds 10-20
knots; and Sunday a complete and utter discombobulation of breeze from
what should have been yet another "classic" southerly sea-breeze day
(shifts ONLY swinging a total of nearly 140 degrees- from East to
Southwest!). There's no question the top teams were challenged by the
conditions, some rolling the dice more than others, some winning that
roll and others losing the odds badly.
Forthe J/105 class, it was a tightly fought group amongst the top six for
the entire weekend. The characters were not entirely unexpected, with
the leaders after two days of sailing being Stew Neff/ Henry Brauer on
SCIMITAR from Marblehead, MA tied with by Bernie Girod on ROCK &
ROLL from Santa Barbara, CA for first place; they were followed by Bill
Lynn on SHOOTING STAR from Marblehead, Brian Keane on SAVASANA from
Buzzards Bay, Ken Colburn on GHOST from Marblehead, Matt Piek on GOT Q?
from Hingham, MA and Sean Doyle on KESTREL from Larchmont, NY. Going
into the last day, anyone could mathematically win. And, faced with
what looked to be a "normal" sea-breeze day, it was likely the standings
wouldn't change too appreciably. Instead, the fleet was faced with an
unusual day, the top five went topsy-turvy and even the local sailors
were somewhat perplexed by the crazy conditions with winds shifting in
total over 140 degrees!
Out of the fray, the winner that emerged was local Marblehead sailor
Bill Lynn and team on SHOOTING STAR winning the J/105 class by a
whisker-length with 23 pts. Having rounded the weather mark in the first
race of the last day in 12th place, down in fifth place in the
standings at the start of the day, SHOOTING STAR opted to gybe away onto
port away from the fleet on a "Hail Mary" play into shore, all by
themselves. It paid off, winning the fifth race. Yet another even
crazier sixth race saw SHOOTING STAR pull yet another rabbit out of the
hat! The last race saw a 75 degree shift roll through the course and a
wildly erratic RC finish line (45 degrees off the posted course) that
threw the fleet into disarray, ultimately enabling SHOOTING STAR to
finish 7th in the last race, safely securing their tenuous lead to take
both the J/105 class but also the coveted Sailing World Overall Best
Performance Trophy-- earning Bill and crew a trip to the British Virgin
Islands later in the year for the SW NOOD Championship Regatta in 42
foot cruising tubs equipped with Jacuzzi's and twin-blenders. Second
was Matt Pike on GOT Q with 24 pts only one point back, third was Bernie
Girod on ROCK & ROLL with 25 points only one point further back,
fourth was Henry Brauer/ Stew Neff on SCIMITAR yet another one point
back with 26 pts and fifth was Ken Colburn on GHOST with 28 pts!! Tight
racing- only six points separating the top seven boats! And a fun group
of sailors to race against! The J/105 Northamericans will certainly be a
challenge amongst this group when you throw in several J/105 champions
like Bill Zartler on SOLARIS from Houston YC, Joerg Esdorn on KINCSEM
from American YC, Damian Emery on ECLIPSE and Bruce Stone from St
Francis YC on JOUSTER.
Forthe J/24s, it was the team of of VITAMIN J led by Ted Johnson that ran
away from their competitors finishing with a total of 18 pts. Second
was John Denman's AIRODOODLE with 21 pts and third was Matt Herbster on
HIGH FIVE with 33 pts. Fourth was Chris Clancy on LITTLE MARTHA and
fifth was Mike Taber on XINGU.
In the J/30s, it's obvious this group not only has fun, but they've
mastered the party, too! Wow, smoking hot this crew is! Mt Gay may
sponsor this fleet next year! Leading the pack home with an awesome
display of talent was Key Deyett and crew on JEROBOAM, simply smoking
the fleet with five 1st, two 2nds and tossing 4th! Ouch. But, a
popular crew nevertheless amongst the J/30 sailors! Giving them a run
for the money was Luke Buxton on EVELYN with four 2nds, two 3rds, first
and a toss 5th! Third was Jon Lacks on VIVA from Hull YC. For more Marblehead NOOD sailing information. Sailing Photo Credits- Tim Wilkes/ timwilkes.com
