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2010 Masters Championship 2010 Orlando Webb Regatta 2010 Spring Shakedown Regatta 2010 Cowtown Classic Regatta 2010 Carolina Yacht Club Easter Regatta 2010 Zenda University 2009 Augusta Halloween Regatta 2009 Blue Chip Championship 2009 Nationals 2009 ILYA Championship 2009 Orland Webb Memorial Regatta 2009 North Americans 2009 Midwinters 2009 George Washington's Birthday Regatta 2008 Grand Rapids Spring Shakedown 2008 Scowabunga Regatta 2008 North Americans 2008 Midwinters 2008 Zenda University 2008 George Washington's Birthday Regatta >> Read also:: 2007 Reports | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2010 MC SCOW MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIP Overall 1,2,3,4 powered by North! Congratulations Richard Blake! Report by Jeff Annis First of all, we knew that Okoboji, Iowa was the most northern and most western corner of our MCSA universe as far as sanctioned regatta venues are concerned.  It was awarded due to their ability to put on a great event, their valiant efforts to attend regattas themselves, and their ability to provide the necessary qualifying paper work on time.  This was my 4th regatta at OYC, so I was not at all daunted by the distance of the travel necessary to attend.  Also, the weather at OYC in June is just about perfect for sailboat racing.  Our goal might have been 45 boats on the top end.  We came in at 30 boats which was our lower end as far as expected turnout is concerned.  However, it was a successful event.  I would happily return to OYC again for a regatta.  OYC did their job in the way of providing boats in the course with 10 in the field.  OYC folks finished first and second in the Grand Master division, third, fifth, and sixth in the Master division, and first and second in the Women’s division. And second, third, fifth and seventh overall for 4 of the top 7.  PRO Phil Peterson and his race committee team did a great job on the water, and off the water.  Here are a few highlights from that effort.  1) The proper use of radios for communicating with the competitors.  2) The information was always right on time and useful.  3) They switched to the RC channel during the race so that we did not have to endure the typical RC chatter so common, and distracting.  4) They promptly called back the OCS offenders.  5) The radio talk we heard was concise, professional, and appropriate.  And, they radio talk made us all feel as if they knew precisely what there were doing.  That gives the fleet confidence about the whole racing program when the communication is right. The club members and management (Brad Farrar) do a great job.  The bar was open for business and the free beer that came with registration was well used by many.  The other adult libations were reasonably priced and served very quickly and well prepared.  Plenty of water and soda were plentiful throughout the event for the sailors.  The food was very good throughout as they hosted 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 2 major dinner parties.  The cost to the competitors was very reasonable.  The registration was quick and easy.    The grounds were immaculate, and the landscape was well groomed, and the grass was beautiful.  The chairs under the trees and the picnic tables were laid out just the way you would want them. The parking was well handled in advance.  Everybody knew where to park and 8 boats were on lifts at the club.  Another 7 were within a few yards of the hoist for easy in and out.  And just a few were in the cross-street parking lot. The competitors cooperated with the launching and retrieval with the hoist, and the club provided adult supervision to facilitate this.  Final Day Report Wind was expected to be at 6 mph this morning, but instead it was blowing 18 to 25 mph at 8 am.  We postponed on shore.  It was monitored until 10:15 am when it was determined that it was time to pull the plug.  So, there was to be no racing on the final day. The results were as follows: Mega Masters Jack Kern  (6th overall) Bob Miller Dick Booth Mike Flannigan Hardy Will Phil Ecklund Grand Master Steve Avery  (2nd overall) Larry Jensen  (3rd overall) Peter Toumanoff Ron Stryker Dave Bedau Harvey Protzman Brian Norwood Masters Richard Blake  (Overall Champion) Eric Protzman (4th overall) Jeff Annis (8th overall) Marty Palmer Craig Brownlee Gerry Dorsey Danny Zeigler Woody Woodruff Chris Brooks  (New fleet 91 member in attendance) Bill Nolte Scott Baker Tom Maser Darrel Daniel Darcy Berglund Women Kelli Farrar           (7th overall) Susie Brantley Steve Avery won the first and the third races.  Eric Protzman won race number 2. Richard Blake sailed a perfect three races by getting good starts and keeping his eyes on the places to be on the course.  He was the most consistent, so he won.  The key to Richard’s fast move up the leader board this year has been a few years of very steady hard work.  He has listened, learned, and put time into being in the boat as much as possible.  Earlier in the year, he won the Scowabunga Regatta at PYC.  He has been making rapid improvements in his speed and in his ability to pick the places to be on the starting line and on the course.  With great certainly, I can proclaim that Richard Blake has been the most improved sailor the last two years.  He makes a great champion for our fleet.  He is a fantastic sportsman, and a very enthusiastic promoter of our class.  He teams with Ron Stryker at Hoover to keep things on the move in Columbus, Ohio for our class.  It was a great regatta and everybody felt well served by their attendance.  I look forward to sailing there again soon. For more information on the fastest MC sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.     MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2010 MC SCOW ORLANDO WEBB REGATTA Top Grand Master: North! Top Woman: North! Top Master: North! Top Junior: North! Top Under 50: North! Report by Eric Hood   DAY 1 Report: Wow, 64 boats entered, 54 boats actually made it out to the line.  Missouri Yacht Club pulled out all the stops this year promoting the regatta with clinics, boats being loaned out, housing and lots of great networking.  Many thanks to Gordon Hannebut and his large team who put all of this together for the second largest regatta of the MC season.   3 races held on this first day with winds that started out in the 8-12 mph range and increased through the day.  Some shots at 18mph.  The story of the day where huge shifts, big up and downs on velocity.  So quick tacks and boat handling allowed the forward ten boats in all three races to be successful.  It was a rich get richer story with this many boats today.  Lots of fun, very exciting starts that went across the width of this long lake that is skinny running north and south.   Here are the top ten.  One more race tomorrow with big winds and some storms predicted later in the day.    Andy Fox, Scott Tillema, Mark Long, Danny Ziegler, Steve Everist, Dave Mooring, Jeff Surles, Eric Hood, Drew Ziegler, Austin Chamberlin. FINAL DAY Report: Day 2 at this 2nd largest MC regatta of the year (64 entered-57 actually sailed) brought some Crazy Ivan winds and a flip to the northwest. Light , challenging , fluky winds were the order of the day .   With only one race scheduled for the day we started early at 9 a.m. .  This is always a tradition at Lake Lotawana because of the famous Lotawana Champagne Brunch.  Actually I think a lot of folks come to this event for the three great parties (Friday night, Saturday night and the Brunch).  All in all this was one of the most fun events of the year.  Some new traditions started this year with racing clinics being incorporated into the event so a lot of teams came in on Thursday night for coaching by Andy Fox, Scott Tillema, David Mooring and then Eric Hood closed it out on Friday with some classroom final thoughts before the big event on Saturday.  Put this event on your MC bucket list it will not disappoint you.  And for those of you wondering can you really fit 57 MCs on Lotawana the answer is Yes J , no problem.   Probably the big lesson learned at Lotawana this year or re-learned is that you need to get off the line with some speed and need to have the ability to make two quick tacks probably in the first 1-2 minutes.  Because the lake is long and skinny it is a “rich get richer scenario”.  Clear air is huge and is probably the number one mistake skippers and teams would be making.  You have to have clear air, passing lanes and always be looking for the new fresh breeze coming in quickly over the high hills of Lotawana.  Much of this event was a boat handling event.  Being able to make those quick moves to get into those lanes of clear air and pressure really made a difference.  Probably the top 6 boats did that the best this past weekend.    Andy Fox from Lake Eustis , Florida put a string of races together making no mistakes and that was key.  He was not always in front during many of the races but one by one with much patience he picked off boats one by one.  Andy really did a great job and clearly was the champ for this weekend.   A fun three way tie that went down to the wire for second.  Last year’s runner-up Mark Long of Lake Winnebago sailed with his bride Aimee for the first three races and then made a huge comeback on the last leg of the last race to secure second.  Danny Ziegler of  Windycrest really put together some great race finished third and Scott Tillema who finished third last year finished fourth this year.   Here are the top ten and some category winners.  Andy Fox, Mark Long, Danny Ziegler, Scott Tillema, Steve Everist, Jeff Surles, Dave Mooring, Austin Chamberlin, Eric Hood, Drew Ziegler. Top Overall and  Master – Andy Fox Top Under 50 and 2nd Overall – Mark and Aimee Long Top Woman – Julia Lentz Top Grand Master – Jeff Harriman Top Mega Master – Jack Kern   Some great images , several hundred were taken by Geri Mullen.  You can contact her at flygeri@yahoo.com and she will let you know how she is going to post. Full official results will be posted at www.mcscow.org For notice of race, scoring systems for your next MC regatta please take advantage of all the tools provided by the class at our website.   Get ready for all the majors coming up.   Masters next then Inlands, Nationals and more.  Practice , practice , practice.   One more shout out for the way things were done this year at MYC.  Lots of training , lots of great food and connection time.  So good to see such a wide age range of sailors too. Many thanks to Gordon Hannebut , his wife and over 25 volunteers who raised the bar once again on how to throw a great regatta.  Way to go Team Mizzou Yacht Club. Thanks from all of us who sailed this fun event this year.   For more information on the fastest MC sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.   MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2010 MC SCOW SPRING SHAKEDOWN Top Overall: North! Top Woman: North! Top Master: North! Top Youth: North! Top Grand Master: North! Report by Eric Hood Winds were good on Friday for the team MC skippers who came in early for some MC Scow training from EHood and Coye Harrett. EHood did the classroom and post race discussion and Coye Harrett helped with pacing by sailing with the group for the four practice races and five starts held. Lots of fun with great questions. Very cool to see all the clinics this year - many thanks to Ted Keller, Coye Harrett, Jeff Annis, Scott Tillema, David Mooring, Andy Fox, Ron Stryker and the volunteers who are making this happen at many of the events. The racing was some good ol'fashion light air Crazy Ivan stuff on Saturday with two races in 0-5 m.p.h. that saw lots complete flips in positions for almost everyone in the group. I think everyone came home after the two tough drifters and could claim at some point " Hey there I was leading the race today". After all the challenges of these two Saturday races in the end both Curt Miller -race 1 and Cam McNeil - race 2 could say "There I was first at the finish". The wind went away 100% by 3-3:30pm and the group of 29 MC skippers along with their entrourages' proceeded to the GRYC deck for some cool drinks. By the way you should see the Home Improvement makeover they did to GRYC. Very , very nice for sure. Sunday with temps in the low 80s and some S.E. breezes ranging from 4-10 m.p.h. we had three good W 2&1/2s. No Crazy Ivans (180 wind shifts) like Saturday. Some good Reeds Lake specials though with 20-30 degree shifts that you really needed to watch for. With the high hills and tree tops surronding the smallest lake on the MC circuit (Harriett and Winnebago are close in size) you had to be ready with good boat handling to react , tack-gybe and get in that new breeze quickly. Starting lines were good and different each start. Sometimes leeward and sometimes windward end favored so that was fun trying to figure all that out with the shifty breeze. Only one general recall all weekend. A few folks got busted by the line cops :-). Some of the lakes we sail are clean and some lakes are challenged with weeds. This was a spring with a early weed launch at Reeds Lake and it was one of those things you had to pay attention to making sure you were not sporting weeds on your boards on longer tacks or on your rudder both upwind and downwind. Had some folks doing 720s and some mark maulers doing 360s - sportsmanship was great and everyone was laughing . Talent was off the charts for a spring regatta of 29 boats . Many thanks to Regatta Chairman Rob Easley, his large volunteer team , our PRO team and all those who helped out at GRYC this weekend. The group here really want to see the Shakedown Regatta return to its old glory days of 40-55 boats and it feels like they are on their way. Some cool shirts and hardware (frames with your picture already in place. Here are some scores. - Official will be posted soon on www.mcscow.org 1st - Cam McNeil 2-1-2-5-7 = 17 2nd - Jamie Kimball 4-7-3-3-4 =21 3rd - Coye Harrett 5-8-8-1-2 =24 Top Youth 4th - Rob Kimball 17-2-1-10-1= 31 5th - Eric Hood 19-8-6-2-3 =38 Top Master 6th - Brien Fox 3-4-11-17-5 = 40 ( Liam Fox age 4 - youngest sailor in event crewing with his dad . Best races when Liam was on board and worst races without Liam -hmmm) 7th - Chris Craig - 14-3-7-6-11 =41 8th - John Knape 6-19-4-11-6 =46 (sailed really well with old boat and sail - watch out if he gears up) 9th - Lara Lanka 7-11-10-9-19 =46 Top Woman 10 - Thor Sorrenson 12-6-13-7- 12 = 50 11 - Jeff Cornetet 58, 12- Jeff Minore 61, 13 - Andy Rundquist 66 (Top Grand Master) 14- Ken Bandstra 68, 15th- Mary Vorel 80, 16 - Chris Lopez 80, 17- John Erdman 83, 18- John Kroggel 85, 19- Dave Bedau 92, 20- Brian Horwood 94, 21- Curt Miller 105, 22 - Stephen Streeting 109, 23- Dave Bloye 112, 24- John Merritt 114, 25- John Ebers 115, 26 - Karel Vorel 120 ( had a great 2nd race maintained 2nd place for almost two full legs ), 27 Gary White 123. That is the latest from I-94 (while my chaueffer Coye drives and I try to type on the rough road). Couple of great regattas coming up after all the club regattas this coming Memorial Day weekend. Check out www.mcscow.org and www.melges.com for all the latest info on MC Scow regattas, news and boats. For more information on the fastest MC sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here. MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2010 COWTOWN CLASSIC REGATTA North Powered Boats: 1,2,3,4! Report by Eric Hood Wow, 6 great races at this year’s 14th Annual Cowtown Classic!!!! Also, record attendance of 35 boats with the previous best being about 27 boats. So great growth. On Friday, Ted Keller and EHood worked a ½ day clinic hosted by Ron Stryker and the Hoover Sailing club . That group had five hours of classroom and sailing with 5 races. So about 15 of the MC skippers actually sailed 11 races. The weather reports were ominous and we actually had reports coming on Friday that it was possible we might not sail on Saturday or Sunday. Then even though it was dark and spooky at times the winds were great. The range through the 6 races was 7mph with a couple of shots coming through in the 18-19 m.p.h. range. Most of the time we sailed in 10-14 m.p.h. which was great. A solid workout but not crazy. Solid race committee work from Mark Anders who is in the Flying Scot fleet and MC Scow fleet made it nice for the group this weekend. Many thanks to Mark and all the volunteers who gave the MC skippers and teams a great weekend of racing. Race winners for the weekend: Scott Harestad a new member for Hoover Sailing Club but still living down in Tennesse . Scott attributed the race 1 win to practicing on Friday. Race 2 was won by Andy Molesta of Spring Lake, Michigan. Local Hoover skipper Jeff Clark sailed a great race 3 and won that race. Race 4 won by champion swimmer Brett Hatton from Spring Lake. We say champion swimmer only because Brett had a spectacular death roll in our one windy race which was race 2 and while in second place at that. Race 5 was by Andy Molesta of Spring Lake for his second regatta race win. Then the last race was won by Jeff Annis which moved Jeff up quite bit in his final standings from the previous day. The top three boats in this spring regatta really had a leg up on everyone all weekend. The eventual winner was Andy Molesta with 21 points, 2nd local favorite Ted Keller with 29 points and third to Scott “Harry “ Harestad. Top Master was Jeff Annis who finished fourth. Top Grand Master was Doug Kiser who finished 5th. Sixth went to local sailor Richard Blake, seventh to EHood, eight to Top Junior Stuart Fisher , ninth to Sean Treacy of Keuka and tenth to John Hans from Michigan and DLYC. Top Woman was Judy Hearn from Lake Cowan. This regatta was all about boat handling. I say that because if your boat handling was not good you could never put your boat in the right spot. The lake is long and skinny running north and south. The wind direction for all six races was perfect varying from 170 to 210 all weekend. Pretty steady from race to race but just enough change that you had to be quick with your tacks and react quickly as the breeze came across the dam (where the weather mark was) and eventually dropped down to lake level and would show itself. All of it happened very quickly so boat handling and tacking quickly upwind were a big deal. Downwind not a lot of passing but correct leeward gate selection was critical. Some passing happened here with again good boat handling moves making the difference. That is what is so great about our spring regattas and our club sailing early summer is getting a chance to work on your boat handling before the big events come up later in the year. Several of us got to practice our 360s and 720s with some sticky and tight mark rounding’s which if you do not get to practice live at regatta you should practice in practice before you go to any of the big events this year. So in closing I would just encourage all of you to stay in touch with www.mcscow.org . Also use the system in place for your Regatta NORs, use the MC Class scoring system that is available for free (huge help to the class in calculating national rankings and Blue Chip points). I would also encourage you to network with all of those in sphere of influence to make sure everyone in your group is feeling good about being connected to the class, connected to learning and wanting to try some MC regattas. It always takes as many leaders as possible to keep things moving and up to the right with growth and our new sailors. For more information on the fastest MC sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here. MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2010 CAROLINA YC EASTER REGATTA Report by Eric Hood The setting Charleston, South Carolina and one of the most challenging and fun venues we have for E Scows and MC Scows.  This year we had over 60 boats participate in the three classes that consisted of the MC Scows and E Scow plus Lasers. For those of you who have not sailed in Charleston Harbor just do a Google Earth and take a look.  You have two major rivers in the Ashley and Cooper rivers that feed into Charleston Harbor and then a tiny choke point in the shallows and single large ship channel out at Ft. Sumter where the tides can go in and out from the Atlantic. So the tides and current not only help drive the wind but obviously also a big part of your race strategy.  Tons of fun when you add this dimension of current in boats where we do not normally sail with current. For crew members who might not sail in lighter winds or for family members who come along on Easter weekend there are a ton of things to do right near the Carolina Yacht Club.   The house tours, Market Street, College of Charleston, The Yorktown, The Citadel, Plantation tours not far out of town, great restaurants, Ft. Sumter, the Atlantic Ocean and more.    Here is the easy part you all, the date is easy to remember – Easter weekend and we do not race on Easter Sunday for those going to different services around town.  The most popular being on the High Battery at Sunrise on Sunday morning. The team from Carolina Yacht Club has been running this great regatta for a long time now and they did a great job with our race courses during this full moon week and big tides.  PRO Harvey McCormick and Tommy Harken led a large volunteer team both onshore and out on the water.  Their hard work allowed us to get all six races by mid-afternoon Saturday.  The conditions could not have been better.  Races 1,2,3 were held in 7-10 mph and race 4 in 8-12 mph then races 5-6 in 11-15 mph.  Lots of spectator boats, mark boats and water boats on the course.  Perfect, safe, fun and fast sailing. In the E Scow Class Robbie Wilkins sailing SC27 won the first 5 races in his fleet allowing him to come in and cool down that hot tiller hand for race 6 and not sailing with the drop in play.  Boats from Michigan, New Jersey, Georgia, South Carolina, Colorado and New York came in for the event.  Check out the E Scow website and newsletters for those full results to be reported soon. Sunfish World Champion David Loring won the Laser class.  Charleston will be hosting the Laser Masters Championship later this year and many were in town preparing for that event. In the MC Class it was great racing and went down to the last race much like the Midwinter Championship.  Just goes to show you that the regatta is not over till it is over.  Race Winners were Eric Hood winning race 1 and 2,  Jeff Annis race 3, Kurt Stadele race 4, Lenny Krawcheck race 5 and local M24 and MC sailor Reggie Fairchild winning race 6. You certainly can tell the Nationals are coming to the south as the game seems to be notched up already early in the season with the tough sailing at Eustis and now here at Charleston.  Folks are fighting for every position which is really exciting to see.  Lots of spring regattas coming up soon so make sure you start prepping now for the big dance in October. Here are some final race results. (Six races held and one throw-out) EHood 2516                           1-1-6-3-2-2  = 9 Lenny Krawcheck 2453          3-7-2-2-1-4 = 12 Jeff Annis 2481                      4-4-1-5-3-5 = 17 Mark Marenakos 1950            2-2-9-7-4-3 =18 Reggie Fairchild 2049             14-5-3-4-10-1 =23 Kurt Stadele 2067                   10-6-4-1-7-6 = 24 Will Sloger 1721                     8-raf-7-6-8-12 = 41 David Helmick 2393               7-17-8-10-11-7 =43 Charlie Laffitte 2482              9-9-12-15-9-8 = 47 Oliver Humphries 1712           11-16-10-11-6-10 = 48 Guy Mossman 2486                12-15-16-9-5-11 = 52 Bob Wynkoop 2402                15-14-11-8-13-9 = 55 John Bowden 2002                 5-3-15-DNC-DNC-DNC = 63 Bob Miller 2460                      13-13-14-12-12-13 = 63 Justin Walling 1774                6-12-DNS-13-14-DNS = 65 Bull Schmidt 21                      18-8-5-DNC-DNC-DNC = 71 Brian Swan 1940                    17-11-13-14-DNF-DNS = 75 Brian Slater 1800                    16-10-18-DNC-DNC-DNC = 84 Jennifer Jones 1853                 19-19-18-17-16-15-DNC = 85 A HUGE shout out and THANK YOU to Sonny Meevers one of great sailing friends from Charleston who always hosts the Easter awards ceremony at his mansion on the battery at 17 E. Battery (Google Earth to see ).  If  nothing else you want to come down to meet Sonny and go to his party at Easter just for the great friendship with him and the history of his home that he shares with all of us. Okay, last some class family news.  Take a good look at your calendars, get your ducks lined up in a row and plan out your championship season.  I would highly encourage all of you to put the National Championship late in the year at Lake Lanier on your schedule.  Watch for the NORs and registration page to go live shortly for the National Championship.  Our goal is 100 boats this year.  If all the northern folk saddle up this can happen.  Word on the street that the West Michigan group is secretly gearing up, changing the oil in their motor homes and bringing a big group down to take all the candy home back to West Michigan.  So there is your challenge New Jersey, Florida, Iowa, Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee , North Carolina, New York, Illinois, Louisiana, Washington, Alabama, Mississippi  and any other states I failed to mentioned that normally come to the big dance. Also, congratulations to David Helmick who purchased 2543 and is hoping we have a good summer of MC selling so he can sail his boat at the Nationals.  Right now the factory is around 2525.  If you have not tried the new boat just let Andy Burdick, Harry Melges, Charlie Harrett, Jim Gluek or myself know and we will arrange for  you to try one out. Lots of great spring regattas coming up.  Check out www.mcscow.org Remember the best way to grow our class is to help out our new sailors and those who are working hard at trying to get better.  All of us benefit when we take care of all ends of the fleet. MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2010 ZENDA UNIVERSITY Congratulations Rob Terry - winner! Report by Andy Burdick The 14th Annual Melges MC Zenda University Training course just concluded.  As you can see in this photo – smiling faces as all graduated!  Lake Eustis Sailing Club is the site for the event.  For 14 years now Melges Performance Sailboats and North Sails Zenda have put on a fantastic training session for MC sailors.  This takes place 2 days prior to the Midwinter Championship.  Two days of intense learning takes place.  On land discussions, video review and demonstrations along with on the water coaching, racing and practice drills.  The atmosphere is positive, reinforcing, fun and rewarding for the students.   Most of all it is fun for the instructors as we get the opportunity to see instant results.  Every sailor improves.  Every sailor gets faster and every sailor becomes more comfortable in their Melges MC.  After the two days of coaching they get to roll right into the Midwinter Championship which features over 80 boats this year! “Last year Rob Terry from Crystal Lake, Michigan finished 2nd in the Zenda University Racing Clinic and then went on to win the Midwinter Championship.  The course works. It really improves the students sailing”, says  Instructor Eric Hood.   How far reaching is this event?  Jerry Roloson drove for a full week from the state of Washington to attend Zenda University and the MC Midwinter Championship.  Why?  Because he wanted to improve in the boat, take lots of notes so he can help his fellow fleet members back home and so he could trailer a new boat home in order to grow his fleet.  How many boats do they have in his area?  Nearly 35 boats now!  The Melges MC spreads across the USA. Come to Zenda University in 2011.  Sign up now though – we limit the class to 20  boats so that everyone receives personal attention! Instructors were Eric Hood, Ted Keller and Andy Burdick Top Five in the ZU Racing Clinic: Rob Terry – Crystal Lake, Michigan Bob Cole – Kueka, New York Richard Blake – Hoover, Ohio   Steve Everist -  Okoboji, Iowa   Bruce Patterson – Palo Alto, California Most Improved:  Jerry Roloson and Tim Marvil For more information on the fastest MC sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here. MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2009 AUGUSTA HALLOWEEN REGATTA Congratulations David Mooring! North1,2,3,4,5! North Z Max sails Won all races! Report by Eric Hood 48 MC Scows with 19 of those driving over 300 miles attended this year's big southeast event of the fall the famous Augusta Sailing Club Halloween Regatta. This multi-class regatta had four different courses on big Lake Strom Thurmond Lake out in front of ASC. Tons of young sailors in Optis, Sunfish and a wide variety of boats. The MC Scow Class was the largest once again in this 50 year old plus regatta. We also had 8 E Scows sailing this year. 5 races were held in a variety of conditions that included a real light, a light, a medium light, a medium and a heavy. PRO Bob Harkrider did a great job getting in the five races under very shifty conditions. Huge weather system moved in on Saturday but broke up just west of where we were and it made for some big shifts throughout the event. Before we get into some detail I have to mention that this is a destination spot for many on their yearly calendars. Great spot for families and to bring crew. The food is great, the parties, the hospitality. ASC has a great and massive volunteer force that I wish you could duplicate. Check it out on Google Earth or go to the club website sometime and mark down your calendars for next year. It will come just after the MC National Championship at Lake Lanier near Atlanta. This was regatta was won by less than 1' after 5 hard fought races. Just imagine if you could improve your sailing by say 1' for every minute of sailing. Most races are about 75 minutes long. 75' would be gained. In this crowd this past weekend that could be anywhere from 5-8 boats or in the case of 1st and 2nd just 1' in the last second of the last race. Lots of folks came early and practiced on Friday which was great to see. Jeff Annis our host for the MCs rolled out the red carpet with valet trailer service, save the date signs everywhere for next year's great MC schedule and much more. We had some happy campers for sure this past weekend at Augusta. Now on to some racing. Race winners Robert Newland (Lake Eustis race 1), Jeff Annis (Augusta Sailing Club race 2), Eric Hood (Lake Eustis race 3), Richard Blake (Hoover Sailing Club race 4), Robert Newland (Lake Eustis race 5). All five races were W2 courses so the PRO and RC group could kick off new races right away. So this was a whole new strategy to think about for many folks and that was finishing downwind. The secret to four of the five races was being in the pressure and being a big lake it was easy to stray for some and literally sail right out of the obvious pressure on the lake (that is obvious if you were wearing polarized sunglasses). I know I took mine off for a brief time and could not see the breeze on the water nearly as well. The one heavy air race was all about picking up on a slow but very persistent left wind shift that started shortly after the starting gun on that race. If you were not on the left side you for this it would be hard to recover. Velocity in the big wind race was all that everyone could handle. Downwind was really interesting with all five races finishing downwind. Lots of talk back at the club about who was fast and what was working. The fast boats were constantly searching for more breeze, working their mainsheets and hunting the wave patterns. This was a tough crowd actually probably nearly 1/2 of the same folks who will be at our two biggest events next year both in the southeast the Midwinter's and the Nationals. We are shooting for 100 boats at each event. Watch www.mcscow.org for the date announcements and plan early. Division Winners: Top Woman - Amy Larkin from Lake Lanier who really sailed well and had a third in race 3. She will be a threat to win the Nationals next year. Top Under 50 - David Mooring sailing his brand new Melges MC 2510 certainly he is a threat to win one of the big dances next year. Top Master - EHood sailing 2511 Top Grand Master - Lenny Krawcheck from Charleston and always a serious threat Top Mega Master - Dr. Jack Kern We have some new nicknames for a couple of our MC sailors. You know like one we all know is Dan "Squad Car" Fink well Dan has some new company with two MC sailors with new nicknames. Don "Gas Card" Francher who won the 100 gas card in the drawing for the 19 - 300 mile plus drivers and then Bob "Toga Toga" Cole from Lake Keuka who dressed up and did the Halloween revue this year. So overall it came down to the last race and at the line David Mooring inched out EHood by 1' to take the title. 3rd place went to Robert Newland. 4th went to Richard Blake who really sailed well and also won a race. Regatta chair Jeff Annis who had his hands full with onshore activities did very well considering everything on his plate and a couple of light air races to deal with. Jeff won by a country Georgia mile in his race victory. 6th went to Rob Seidelmann who was consistent in the shifty breezes. 7th went to Chris Craig who is planning on a upgrade in boats for 2010 which will make him or better yet Julie his wife very tough to beat. Stan Stanton also looking to get a fresh new boat for 2010 and the big year of racing in the southeast sailed very well finishing 8th. Bob "Toga Toga" Cole had a couple of strong races that kept him in the top ten finishing 9th. Dr. Jack Kern sailed really well all weekend but had a sticky fifth race but still stayed in the top ten. Many thanks to our friends at Augusta Sailing Club for an outstanding job. Way to go ASC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For full results check out www.mcscow.org One more big event to sail this year and that is the Southeast Championship down at Lake Eustis in November. MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2009 MC SCOW BLUE CHIP CHAMPS Congratulations Cam McNeil! North1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10! Report by Eric Hood Just after a week after our great MC National Championship down in Tulsa we have 31 of our Blue Chip Championship qualifiers here at Spring Lake, Michigan for the 2009 event.   There were 100 plus qualifiers through 50 plus events held across the U.S. this year.  Everyone here at the event is a champion or some sort at some level so it is a tough event.  Sort of like the Nationals .  While smaller in size there is no lack of talent.  One new face this year that we have not seen in a while is Doug McNeil from from White Lake, Michigan.  Welcome back to the class Doug.  Some folks thought he was the Mystery Guest J Regatta co-chairs Glen Walborn and Brien Fox welcomed the group with a a 10 am skippers meeting today and then introduced our great PRO Steve Schiller , along with Pete Price, Nancy Price, Midge Verplank, Happy Fox and some more team members to help run our races.  Many thanks to all of these volunteers first as these events just do not happen without a lot of help from high capacity volunteers like I just mentioned above. The racing started with a 3-7 m.p.h. wind out of the southeast which actually works okay on this long river like lake .  As the locals say “ Where nature smiles for seven miles”.  A good starting line was in play for the first and only start we had today.  4 of us including yours truly were busted by the line cops and had to deal with getting back in light air to restart.  The  course was  a W2 so it would be a downwind finish so that we could restart a 2nd race right away.  This race was all about pressure and staying in the dark water.  That was your tactic.  Remember in light air “velocity rules over direction” where as when the breeze is up (you are on the high side consistently) then going correct direction rules.   Jamie Kimball sailing his new 2478 led the group for a good part of the race having a good leeward end start , being covered by the over early boats and tacking to port right away in pressure and taking a long port tack up towards the 1/3rd mile beat.  Jamie led most of the race only to be nipped out by Andy Molesta on a downwind finish. The breeze went flat and in for lunch.   Race 2 started in a light southwest wind of say 4-7 m.p.h.  and we saw different look as we went to the east end of the lake and raced to a weather mark just up in front of the club which is in the center of the southern portion of the lake.   Andy Gehl had a great start on the very good starting line up in the upper 1/3rd towards the committee boat, did two quick tacks and never looked back.  He led this race bell to bell.  Ted Keller , Cam McNeil, Doug McNeil and Rick Trester finished in that order behind Andy. Race 3 .  Okay, so we have had two light air races and we start race three but this would end up being our light, light race.   One of those spooky races where the 31 boats come around the top mark pretty well spread out from 1st to 31st but by the time we made it down to the leeward mark it was one big group except Brien Fox and Andy Gehl who were pretty well out in front of the group by a couple of hundred yards.  This race was shortened much to everyone’s liking.  Squad Car Fink finished up third followed by Brian McMurray and EHood. Next up was our Blue Chip dinner.    Host Glen Walborn recognized past Blue Chip Champions, past National Champions, past Class Commodores plus current board members and future board members.   A great dinner – early group out at 9pm , late group closed the restaurant and moved over to the north shore of Lake Michigan for further tactical discussions late into the night according to one of our , actually both of our regatta co-chairs :-o ??? Sunday.  Big winds moving in just ahead of a big cold front hitting the Great Lakes on Sunday night.  The early southwest fill at 10 a.m. gave us our first good medium air race followed by two very windy races for race 5 and 6.   It was a great day of racing.  Completely different race strategies today.  It was all about being on the big lift and also trying not to cross from one side of the lake to get to the other side.  The fast boats always committed.  Far right, or center right, middle was tough, center left and far left.  You had to be in one of those zones, tacking well and quick with the  shifts.   Many or most of the top group took crews for race 5 and 6.   The starts this week were great because we  had people winning from the left end , winning from the right and some from the middle.  Steve Schiller, Pete and Nancy Price along with Midge Verplanks crew did a great job of giving us good lines that really made you think about where you should start.  Race winners today were Jamie Kimball with two hot races in race four and five. Race 6 went to Cam McNeil. The top two boats in this regatta had on the last all important day of racing a  Cam McNeil 2-4-1 and Brian McMurray 4-2-4 in a tough crowd. Top Master (welcome to the club) Rookie Master Douglas McNeil also 5th overall Top Woman Lynn Walborn 24th (she also beat her brother co-chair Glen Walborn who may have strategized to much on Saturday night) Top Grand Master Terry Mestan (19th) Top Mega Master Bob Miller (17th) Top Youth Chris Lopez  (22nd) Score range 1st to 10th (21 to 59).  6 states represented.  Oh, and the all famous Gutter Ball awarded to the sailor who does in fact sail all races but has the highest score went to Jennifer Jones of Lake Eustis , Florida.  Jennifer did great in her first big event on a really small lake compared to her home lake of Lake Eusits where we hold the Midwinter Championship each year.  Jennifer runs a great junior program at LESC. For complete race results go to www.mcscow.org .  Also, be watching for the NORS for the 2010 Midwinter Championship and U.S. National Championship coming out around the first of the year.  We have a great calendar for 2010 with no conflicts anywhere.  Masters at Okoboji in June, Nationals in early October at Lake Lanier, of course the Midwinter’s in March.   Then you have the Westerns and Inlands the first two weeks of August.  This year we still have the famous Halloween Regatta at Augusta on Oct.10-11 and then the S.E.Championship in November at Lake Eustis.  Plan your calendar out a year in advance and don’t miss the Nationals for sure.  It looks like we could have 100 boats at both the Midwinter’s and Nationals based on what we are hearing from lots of folks we have talked to already who are making plans. Here is the finish order for this week .  Cam McNeil, Brian McMurray, Jamie Kimball, Brien Fox, Doug McNeil, Andy Molesta, Ted Keller, Pat Flood, Rick Trester, Eric Hood, Dan Fink, Andy Gehl, Chris Craig, Todd Bosgraaf, Peter Toumanoff, Richard Blake, Bob Miller, Brett Hatton, Terry Mestan, Don Fancher, Bob Wynkoop, Chris Lopez, Dave Bedau, Lynn Walborn, Glen Walborn, Zach Grant, Doug Kiser, Jack Sanderson, Jim Grant, Julie Craig, Jennifer Jones. TOP 10 POWERED BY NORTH SAILS!   Pl Sail Skipper From 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tot 1 2166 CAM MC NEIL  U50 WLYC 4 3 7 2 4 1 21 2 1888 BRIAN MC MURRAY  U50 WLYC 5 7 4 4 2 4 26 3 2478 JAMIE KIMBALL  U50 SLYC 2 6 13 1 1 7 30 4 1928 BRIEN FOX  U50 SLYC 3 13 1 3 7 3 30 5 2131 DOUG MC NEIL  M WLYC 7 4 16 6 6 6 45 6 2187 ANDY MOLESTA  U50 SLYC 1 10 10 15 5 5 46 7 2421 TED KELLER  U50 TLYCC 6 2 22 5 11 2 48 8 1963 PAT FLOOD  U50 OYC 8 9 8 7 9 8 49 9 2446 RICK TESTER  M CLYC 16 5 6 11 8 9 55 10 2510 ERIC HOOD  M LESC 17 8 5 8 10 11 59 Thanks so much again to everyone at Spring Lake Yacht Club.  Next year the 25th Annual Blue Chip Championship .  Be There! For more information on the fastest MC sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.   MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2009 MC SCOW NATIONALS Reports by Eric Hood FINAL DAY: Jeff Annis and I were going back through the years after the final and 7th race today figuring it had been since Augusta in 2002 that we had the full schedule of races for the National Championship.  Gil Greenwood and his team put together 7 great races through a variety of wind speeds but generally a consistent wind direction with some small variations over the 3 day event.   For the final race number seven the wind died down to 5-7 mph and shifted slightly to the left coming from the north northwest.  This gave a new course we had not seen in the previous windy days.  The new wind, new course  added to the mix of a drop race coming into play made for an exciting day with lots of possibilities for many on the course to improve big or go the wrong way with their scores.   Right from the start the velocity was coming from the left side of the course.  In practice before the race it was there all morning.   We had a leeward end favored line which drew a lot of folks right to that area.  So lots of excitement and action during this start.   EHood, Jeff Annis were about 15 boats back from the pin but about a boat length to weather of everyone with the sag and had great starts.  Probably 20 seconds into the start both E and Bugman tacked and escaped quickly going up on the favored tack to the mark with good pressure and clean air.  This was the scene for all seven races.  You did not have to be in the absolute perfect spot but you had to have speed and clear air and most importantly a solid plan.  I tried something new that I had watched for years back in the 90s and in early 2000 done by Greg Gust and that was to sail the boat really flat.  Jeremy Pape from Georgia is the only other person I have ever see do this well too.  Well I am not sure if it is the pressure of the wind or just great boat speed but I tried it and it really worked well.  I had a big lead by the first mark followed by Dr. Jack Kern, Justin Adams from Windycrest our host and Brad Farrar from Okoboji.  The four of us worked out along with Scott Tillema in front of the group quickly.  I think new board member Scott “Harry” Harestad was with us too.  Going up the third beat I got the good ol’ split from Tillema going left , Kern going right , me in the middle and Kern ended up with  a big lead going into the final run. Adams moved to second, Farrar to third and me in fourth.  Going into the final beat Kern did a classic 50-50 with his lead going 50% of the available time on starboard as 2nd place  approached the mark, then 50% on port.  That put him in good approach position to the π mile beat up to the shortened last leg. I got by Farrar just before the leeward gates.  As Adams, myself, Farrar rounded the last mark with a pretty substantial lead over the larger fleet the three of us put the hammer down going left into some pressure and we were all just trying to beat each other.  Adams was in second and tacked at the port layline, Hood lee bowed Adams and won that battle then Kern came in from the right without the pressure we had on the left lee bowed Hood but lost that battle.  So in the end MC 2505 won the last race.   Now back to the guys who really dominated the week.   Greg Gust won the National Championship with 15 points after 7 races and a drop.  That is an amazing score.  That put Greg in that special club of 3 or more National Championships along with Andy Burdick (cannot count that high) and Justin Hood (3).  Way to go Greg and welcome back to the class!  Newcomer Andy Fox finished second with a great performance.  Andy had 28 points after his drop.  Both Greg and Andy were way out in front of the other 49 boats with their low scores.  Congratulations to both Greg and Andy along with their crews.   Race winners for the week  Annis 2 wins, Gust 2 wins, Fox 2 wins, EHood 1 win.   Other good stories.  3rd place  Noel Neuman sole representative from Minnesota was the top single-hander with an outstanding performance and very consentient scores. Jeff Annis was all over the course and probably got the mileage award for distance sailed.  Big fella had two race wins and finished 4th .Local favorite from Windycrest Sailing Club fleet 32 Kenny Baggett  had a great event finishing fifth.  New board member Mark Tesar from Clear Lake , Iowa had a great series finishing 6th, new board member Dan Fink finished 7th as one of two Wisconsin representatives.  Board member Eric Protzman and his wife Nancy had their best national championship ever with an 8th place finish.  They were very fast.  I got on them for not sailing aggressively downwind the first day and wow, what a change from race 3 on.  Watch out Eric Protzman is fast downwind besides being really quick upwind.  From the great state of Texas Drew Mize had a very good regatta at 9th.  Rush Creek Yacht Club member Jeff Grinnan really sailed well finishing 10th.   Trophy presentation was fun with lots of goodies donated Melges and several others.  Lots of ribbing and joking around during this time.  Really a nice way to get folks settled in as you get ready for the awards.  Danny Ziegler then handed out the awards.   Some other category winners – Top under 50 and Single-Handed goes to Noel Neuman, Top Master – Greg Gust, Top Grand Master – Harvey Baker from Windycrest, Top Mega Master Dr. Jack Kern.  No women or juniors this year for skippers (let’s fix that for 2010).   So a few good regattas left this year.  The Blue Chip is next week at Spring Lake.  The big and always fun Halloween Regatta at Augusta is October 10-11 and you can register online now.  I think we will have 40 boats for that event.  Then the big Southeast Championship kicks of the winter series.   Jeff and I talked for about an hour as he drove to Augusta last night and I was headed up to Lake Lotawana to drop off my new MC2505 to newcomer Mark Killein.  We talked about how we need to really get our core groups on board early for the major championships.  The Nationals is the biggest and most important regatta in our class followed by the Midwinter Championship.  Mark those dates down early and plan ahead.  Come with a group so it is a club experience for your group.  We were talking about how we want to work with Lake Lanier and fleet 3 to get the NORs up very early like January 1st and give some big incentives to the first groups registering.  If we do that we can encourage others as they see the numbers grow.  Lake Lanier is one of the best spots you can sail at , especially in early October (which does not interfere with club sailing or any other regattas – no excuses not to come).  Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan we need you bigtime to come and be part of our National Championship.  DAY 2: Day two was very fun racing. But first, many don’t know some of our leaders very well. Greg Gust, the regatta leader was very, very active until a few years ago.  He has become a very accomplished Sunfish sailor in his absence.  For example, he was 5th in the Sunfish North Americans last year in Charleston.  He is the only person to win the Midwinters, Nationals, and the Masters Nationals.  All he needs is to win the Blue Chip and he would have what is equal to Golf’s lifetime Grand Slam.  I think Greg would like the racing at Spring Lake so perhaps we can get him to go and try to complete the MC Grand Slam soon.  Greg is a very athletic 150 pounds soaking wet with a roll of coins in his pocket.  He used tiny crew in races 1,2,3,5 and 6.  Funny thing here is that with crew, Jeff Annis still outweighs the Team Gust by about 15 pounds.     Andy Fox is fairly new to our class, beginning this year.  He is a world class sailor.  In the first race, crewless, and at 151 pounds wearing wet sailing gear, he had a time of it.  He did three 720’s.  He said “I was out of control and I hit everybody in sight”.  Managing an 18 in race one might be a miracle.  It was real breezy, especially on beat 3 where it blew 16 to 19 mph.  Andy was in the boat building business and built about 50 Thistles.  He is an engineer by trade and starts a new job Tuesday of next week in Orlando, his hometown.  Martin and Scott at Eustis got him into a boat this spring and that is how he got re-bitten by the bug of sailing.  Previously, Andy won the Thistle Midwinters and won the Flying Scot North Americans twice.  He won the Laser Gold Medal Olympic Regatta in quest for the Olympic Team for the 1996 Olympics but fell slightly short. Andy is a great sailor, a real sportsman, and a great addition to our fleet.  Thanks to the Eustis crowd for moving us all down one spot for years to come. As always it is critical to get a good start.  But here it is critical to the maximum.  It is shifty by 15 degrees left and right of center.  If you don’t get out in the clear wind and free enough to tack when you want you are in deep water.  We call it quicksand. The harder you try to get out of trouble the deeper you sink.  Out of 51 boats in today’s racing, there were about 3 great starting spots (clear air-right spot-on the line moving) and about 7 decent starts (clear air  barely).  Then there was the second and third row.  Not pretty if you are in that bunch.  The PRO gave us the right length and angle of the starting line today so it was good racing.  The race committee works hard all race long.  They never shut up!  That is a sign of a great race committee.  The work just starts when the boat do.  They constantly kept an eye on the course for integrity (length of time and wind direction).  They also make the best gates I have ever seen.  They are the right width and they are square to the course, the way they should be.  They keep up with how many take each gate buoy to check if one seems favored to much or not.  Some of the gates were split about half and half.  They were never out of wack where a vast majority went to right or left.  The fact that they work it that hard is a testimony to their competence and their caring effort.  They are to be commended highly. Greg Gust continues his dominance as the most consistent.  Today he had a 5,3,1 day.  Andy Fox had a 1,2,3 day to win the day.  Noel Neuman had a great day with his 11,9,2 effort.  He moves from 7th to 3rd today with those scores.  Wack-job of the day award for the day goes to “Mister Consistency” Jeff Annis who got in the quicksand in race 4 and wound up passing 18 boats on the last two legs of the race to get a 22.  How can he be happy with a 22?  Easy, he spent time at 40+ for a couple of legs.  He reportedly sailed with one hand.  He misinterpreted the “single handed” rule.  He remarked that with two hands it is much easier to sail the MC.  So in the next race, he won the race by a quite a  distance, passing Andy Fox (by himself-oops) and Scott Tillema on the second of the 3 beats using tonnage in place of skill as the winds hit 14 and 16 mph.  Annis remarked “they cannot help it if their genetics cheated them”.  DAY 1: Who is here? by Eric Hood and Jeff Annis Andy Fox, famous sailing champion is here.  Greg Gust, who has previously won the Nationals, Midwinters, and the Masters Nationals.  Herman Van Beek and Dave Bedau who are previous winners of the gutter-ball award at the MCSA Blue Ship regatta.  Jeff Annis, Eric Hood, Jack Kern (2-time), and Greg Gust, previous Masters Nationals Champions.  Gil Greenwood gave us 3 great races today.  We had no doubts what a great PRO he would be.  He is a great sailboat racer and he is an accomplished PRO.  His team performed flawlessly.  Winds were between 10 and 18 all day.  The winds were a little on the shifty side today.  But, the highest number on starboard tack and the highest number on port tack stayed between the same range all day long.  Example, on port tack, you could get up to 40 or down to 60 degrees in the headers.  On starboard tack, the number was as high as 14 and as low as 345.  The trick today was to stay in the lifts as much as possible.  The problem is that if you were back in the crowd, you ended us sailing headers because you could not tack when you wanted due to tactical situations. The top 4-6 boats had it easier than the packs in the back of them because it was easier to tack on the shifts and hunt for the pressure. The pen end was severely favored in the first and second race.  In fact in race two, Andy Fox nailed the pen on port tack and jumped out to an immediate 200 yard lead only one minute into the race.  He would lead at every buoy and win the race.  Andy is a great sailor and has a sailing resume that possibly the best here.  In race 3, the line was a little more square but still slightly favored the pen by about 7 degrees.  Jeff Annis won race one by winning the start and leading at every buoy.  Andy Fox won race two by winning the start (sort of-port tack worked this time) leading at every buoy. Greg Gust did the same thing in race three.  Greg gets the consistency award for his 3,2,1 finishes.  The value of winning the start in large fleets shows up here with the three race winners today. Top Master for the day is Greg Gust from Rush Creek Yacht Club just outside Dallas.  Top Single-Handed sailor Mark Tesar from Clear Lake, Iowa.  Top Grand Master was local favorite Harvey Baker. Top Mega-Master after three races is Dr. Jack Kern from Rush Creek.  This is a seven race series.  If we get to seven races there will be one throw-out race. Here are the top ten after three races. Greg Gust (crew) 6, Mark Tesar (SH)  11, Mike Risewick (SH)19, Dan “Squad Car” Fink (SH) 21, Andy Fox (Crew), Jeff Annis (SH)23, Noel Neuman (SH) 23, Eric Protzman (Crew) 25, Todd Tesar (SH) 33, Scott Griffiths (SH) 35. The rest in order – Jeff Nicholas, Drew Mize, Steve Everist, Kenny Baggett, Justin Adams, Jeff Surles, Bob Cole, Scott Tillema, Harvey Baker, Jeff Grinnan, Grant Gerondale, Wiley Pollard, EHood, Drew Ziegler, Harry Harested, Jack Kern, David Hamilton, Ted Lischer, Bob Cantrell, Jeff Meyers, Harry Drake, Danny Ziegler, Stefan Schulze, Phil Ecklund, Dave Bedeau, Brian Morgan, Scott Baker, Gary Schroeder, Jack Hattendorf, Brad Farrar, John Kerr, Herman van Beek, George Silvey, Jim Stinson, Roger Adams, Ron Stryker, Karey Low, Matt Gillis , Joel Erickson, Rob Stout, Terry Haug. Long courses , great racing medium/heavy wind.  Four races to go!   MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2009 MC SCOW ORLANDO WEBB MEMORIAL REGATTA North Sails 1,2,3,4,5! Report by Eric Hood 2009 Orlando Webb MC Regatta Missouri Yacht Club Lake Lotawana, MO The 30th Annual Orlando Webb Memorial regatta was held this last weekend of May at Lake Lotawana, MO.   The members and volunteers from the Missouri Yacht Club pulled out all the stops as usual.  Exceptional Friday night appetizers and drinks then the famous Saturday night dinner and famous Sunday Brunch.  Not only that but  the weather was fantastic with 4 great races held with 8-18 m.p.h. winds the order of the day for both race days. 46 Skippers with five states being represented entered and sailed this year making this the second largest regatta of the year. On Saturday we had a crazy, tough race 1 with winds 15-18 out of the west northwest which is very unusual considering we had temps in the high 80s.  This race made for very shifty winds on this long skinny high bank lake.  Shifts would come at you with incredible directional changes that left quite few folks swimming and others coming back from that race saying that was one of the toughest races I have ever sailed.  It was fun and fast though.  The key to this race was anticipating if the big black blasts coming at you were headers or lifts and setting up for quick reactions with the controls and quick tacks.  Downwind the rides were fast but the biggest gains were getting around and away from the offset mark in a tight corner of the lake and getting back out to more open water.  Those who focused on that first fifty yards off the offset did well and increased their leads and position on boats nearby.  Race 2 after lunch was similar in direction but with winds a little bit more tame.  Lots of action and excitement throughout the fleet.  Quite a finish between Danny Ziegler and Woody Woodruff with inches separating those two. Race 3 saw the wind shifting and rolling right.  This allowed for a completely different course and winds ranging from 7-10 mph for most of the time.  A long and rare Olympic course on this T shaped long narrow lake.  This was a fun race with some good exchanges and battles.  The most exciting one was with one of our favorite MC sailors Doc Tillema finishing 2nd and fighting off his son Scott, Mark Long and others on the last beat.  Scott actually got by him as did Gary Schroeder but Doc T came back with a rock solid 2nd place finish in the medium air race.  This was a race that you had to stay in dark water, be smooth with your moves and not oversteer when the big shifts came.  High bank lakes the breeze usually drops down on the tree line and will hit you and your sail before it shows on the water.  So those who anticipated that breeze coming to them slightly before the puff arrived on the water did well. Race four on Sunday morning was a new direction with winds ranging from 7-10 and a few occasionally holes underneath the high hills if you got to close to shore.  A very long course, a 2&1/2 but with the last beat going the length of the lake.  This race was all about staying in the puffs, tacking quickly when the shifts came.  Again, another race where line control of Cunningham, vang, along with smooth mainsheet trim and a light touch on the tiller made all the difference. Here are some highlights: Race Winners  1-Eric Hood, 2- Danny Ziegler, 3- Eric Hood, 4- Eric Hood Top Mega Master – Jack Kern Top Grand Master – George Silvey Top Master – EHood Top Woman – Julia Lentz Top 5: 1. Eric Hood 2. Mark Long 3. Scott Tillema 4. Scott Griffiths 5. Danny Ziegler Gary Schroeder took delivery of a brand new MC Scow 2503 and George Silvey of Lake Winnebago is going to order a new boat for the upcoming National Championship in Tulsa.  Also we had two new sailors join the MC Scow from Lake Perry.  Ted Lischer and James Slaughter.  Welcome to the class guys. For me personally I think seeing Doc Tillema put one together in a long tough race was the highlight of the weekend.  Folks like Doc T are rare.   The strength of MYC, its sailing program and social/community program is due in much to the Doc and his family.  Ringleaders with longevity should always be celebrated just as we celebrated the Orlando Webb today who fired up this large fleet over thirty years ago. Also, reconnecting with my close dear friends Aimee and Mark long was very special.  Racing hard against Mark and for us to come in 1-2 is a rare deal when you can do it with one of your best friends.  Now don’t get teary eyed, I still put it on him J but it was fun to do together. In closing, many thanks to Paula Martin and her large team.  Very well done. Bucket list you all, add this one to your list if you have not been here.  Every year, first weekend after Memorial Day.  It is so worth it. That is it.  Check the complete scores on www.mcscow.org  and also go there for all info on upcoming regattas. For more information on the fastest MC sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.       MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2009 MC SCOW NORTH AMERICANS Report by Andy Burdick 2009 MC North American Championship Pewaukee Yacht Club - Pewaukee, Wisconsin - May 2-3, 2009 Ideal conditions were forecasted for the 2009 MC North American Championship to be held on famous Pewaukee Lake.  The weather man was right this time as Saturday morning came and the sun was out, 65 degrees was the temperature and winds were 10-20 – a perfect spring day for sailing!  Twenty-six boats signed up for Pewaukee’s annual North American Regatta.  Some really good sailors jumped out of their normal boats and into the MC for the weekend of racing.  So, the fleet was stacked with good competition.  Andy Burdick from Melges was in attendance as he was showing off the all New 2009 Melges MC.  Plenty of sailors were checking out the new boat up close on Friday night and pre-race on Saturday morning.  The boat looks really sharp and us ultra comfortable which is a bonus feature!. Race one was underway at 10am.  PRO Larry Krause and his volunteer RC team set up a perfect course on the lake with a goal of sailing two races right away in the morning.  Moments into the first race  a nice left hand shift came through and Augie Barkow from Pewaukee took advantage of it as he rounded first and extended his lead downwind.  Andy Burdick tried to chase Augie down and got closer on the final leg but then a big right shift came in and Bruce Gallagher from Pine Lake along with Kevin Neal from Lake Geneva snuck into the picture.  Gallagher put  a picture perfect safe leeward tack  on Barkow just before the finish and this was enough to hold Barkow off. Gallagher got the bullet in race one! Race two started in a similar fashion as Andy Burdick got the left hand shift and took it virtually all the way to the top mark.  Critter Banholzer and Kelly Reese were chasing Burdick the entire race and at the very end of the race Kelly Reese and crew Christine Porter nearly passed him.  It was a photo finish but Burdick held on – barely.  Banholzer was third in the race.  The PYC is rich in tradition and they have a fantastic volunteer following. They always put on tremendous lunches and post race snacks.  The fleet was ready for some nourishment after two windy morning racings.  PRO Krause went on the water after lunch to survey the wind. From shore it looked quite windy but in reality it was just a nice 12-20mph breeze so the course was set up and one more race for the day was put into motion.  A fantastic youth sailor Critter Banholzer lead this race from start to finish. Sailed a beautiful race holding off some pretty good competition.  Not only did Critter sail a great race but it put him right in the regatta – tied for second overall.  After day one it was tight between Andy Burdick, Critter Banholzer and Augie Barkow.  What was FAST today: The conditions were 10-20. In the afternoon race it was more towards 20.  So, there were two different set ups that I thought were fast. Set up with a crew: Mast rake remains at 28’3.  Traveler centered, moderate vang and good amount of Cunningham.  As the breeze increased more vang was needed and more Cunningham.  Most teams left the traveler centered. Set up sailing solo in this much wind: Mast rake remains the same 28’ 3”. Traveler down 3” Lots of Cunningham – as hard as you can pull it. Lots of Vang so you can vang sheet up wind – meaning, easing the mainsheet in the puffs so you don’t have to stuff the boat into the wind.  Board up 2” – pulling the board up 2” really gets the boat free through the water.  Meaning it is easier to steer – less helm.  A big plus for upwind speed.  Downwind it was really fast to sail by the lee.  Lots of vang and mainsheet all the way out (so the boom hits the sidestay). To avoid nose diving it was important to sail up and around the waves. This meant trimming the main in and reaching up around the set of waves.  Once clear you could use that speed to sail by the lee again.  This is an important technique to practice.  Sunday was the final race day and the wind was up again!  In fact at 7am it was blowing an easy 15+ but as the sun came up and the heat turned on the breeze settled down.  At the start of the first race it was a nice 6-8mph.  Critter Banholzer who is light in comparison to the other competitors was blistering fast upwind on the first beat. He rounded with a nice lead at the top mark. Burdick was 2nd and JJ Hausman was third.  On the second beat Banholzer was a little impatient and tacked early (just before a left shift and velocity increase).  Burdick and Hausman extended to this new breeze and hooked into a Pewaukee Haymaker – launching them past Banholzer.  Burdick had to fight hard to fend off Hausman as they were in a close tacking duel at the end of the race.  Burdick edged him out, Hausman was second and Banholzer third.  Race 5 of the series fired off right away and Augie Barkow nailed the start on the port end of the line.  He and Dave Abbot battled for the first half of the race then it got a little fluky on old Pewaukee Lake.  Bruce Gallagher got into the picture and was now fighting for his second race win of the series.  On the final run it was anyone’s race as a pack of 11 boats rounded the last gate mark virtually all together.  Hausman and Burdick took advantage of the tight sailing and hit the first two shits to move them into the top two spots up the beat.  A close race between the two at the end made it exciting. This time Hausman held him off and won the racing putting him in 1st for the day with a 2,1 scorecard. Burdick finished second making him the 2009 North American Champion.  Pewaukee Yacht Club always does a terrific job and this year was superb as the racing conditions were ideal. Thank you Larry Krause and the other PYC volunteers.  PYC holds this championship every May – always the first weekend of May.  Plan on coming to the 2010 North Americans – you are assured of great sailing and a great time! Top 4: 1. Andy Burdick        2.  JJ Hausman  3. Augie Barkow 4. Critter Banholzer  Top Master: Pete Toumanauff Top Grand Master:  Peter Harken North Sails were 1,2,4 and won 4 of the 5 races in the MC North American Championship! For more information on the fastest MC sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here. MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2009 MC SCOW MIDWINTERS A RECORD OF 80 BOATS AT LAKE EUSTIS, FL. NORTH SAILS WIN. Report by Andy Burdick   Lake Eustis is setting records this year.  80 MC’s are at their yacht club for the 2009 Midwinter Championship.  Boats from all around North America.  Ten different states represented:  New York, Wisconsin, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Missouri, Colorado and then Quebec.  The MC fleet is obviously strong and growing. This did not simply happen though. The LESC has spent countless of hours organizing this event for the sailors.  June Howells is the regatta organizer and she is a bundle of non-stop energy.  She is serving the sailors in a first class way.  She has help with over 20 volunteers from the club.  Co-Chair Candi Robb and primary assistant Mary Anne Ward.  The key – enthusiasm!  This club has it.   Fantastic volunteers, good sailors that promote the club racing on a weekly basis and a hospitality that goes beyond anything we have ever seen!  On the MC regatta circuit – this event must make the list.  The enthusiasm spreads through the entire facility as spectators, youth sailors, crew are out in powerboats rallying their on the water favorites and cheering for the leaders in each age category.  The atmosphere is fantastic. Day One Principal Race Officer Devin Farley rallied the troops on Thursday morning for race number one. The wind was filled in and it looked perfect for day one.  Many of the early birds sailed out and had some perfect tune up sailing before the race.  However as we approached the start time of 10:30am it was evident that the wind was going down.  Devin and team did get a line set and we went into sequence but as we approached the gun the breeze shifted and eventually fizzled out.  Devin made a good move to postpone and send the 80 boat fleet in for lunch.  The wind finally arrived, at least we thought.  We ventured out to start the first race of the event.  We did start but soon after the wind went flat and shifted as much as 40 degrees.  After rounding the first weather mark the wind shifted hard left and the picked up in velocity. The fleet reached to the leeward gates and as the leaders arrived the RC called off the race. Smart move. After adjusting the line and the course we started another race. It was clear now that we would have just one race on day one. The weather was perfect. Warm, sunny and a nice light breeze but again, this too faded and the RC was reluctant to end day one without a completed race.  So, the racing was interesting to say the least as we sailed in 0-8 with wind ranges varying 70 degrees.  Some figured it out and got in phase.  Skip Moorehouse lead the way with local favorite Dave Moring close behind.  Rob Terry from Crystal Lake, Michigan was 3rd. Bob Miller from Diamond Lake, Michigan was 4th and Guy Mossman was 5th.  These top 5 sailors were incredible on this day as they stayed up front the entire race.  Many suffered regatta ending results on race one.  The top 5 sailors lead the post race press conference lead by June Howells.  This conference is a great way for sailors to stick around, enjoy some snacks and beverages and then have a de-brief on the days racing.  The leaders talked about set up, what they looked for on the water and how they got themselves to the front of the fleet.  What was fast:  On this day the leaders spoke about velocity and searching for that as  it was the ultimate thing.  Get to the wind first and if you were headed, then tack and sail the lift – no matter where you were on the course.  Having good identifiers help too. Skip Moorehouse spoke about how much a mast head fly (windex) helps his sailing in light air. Telltales on the sidestays help.  Anything to give you a clue as to where the wind is.  Vang and Cunningham eased, outhauls eased in slightly and then a lot of patience were keys on this day.  The famous Oyster Troff hosted the MC fleet on this evening and what a great party it was.  Fresh oysters, peel and eat shrimp and many other great foods were enjoyed by the fleet.  Guy Mossman was 5th on day one and won the party on this night!  Thanks Oyster Troff for hosting the fleet and providing ice cold beverages! Day Two 2009 Midwinters Champion Rob Terry from Crystal Lake, MI powered by a brand new North ZMax mainsail. The forecast was for solid breeze.  8-15 was the report out of the East / North East.  When we arrived at the club for a 9:30am start and the hopes for three quality races we were greeted with fog, haze and lack of wind.  Looked like some waiting around and we did.  Until about 11pm.  A breeze did fill in and instead of going for lunch we sailed a light air race tucked up under the shoreline.  Going racing before lunch was a good move.  Putting the course under the shoreline meant some more crazy racing.  Shifty and I do mean shifty.  Winds filtered in and actually reached up to 12mph at times which allowed us to hike and stretch our legs.  Dan Fink took advantage of the shifty conditions and won race #2.  His finishes were now a 38, 1.  Tells you what type of racing we had.  Following closely behind Dan was Junior sailor Coye Harrett.  Coye rounded the last leeward mark in 14th and hit a home run on the left powering him into 2nd at the end – almost winning.  His first two races were 45,2.  Zenda University winner Will Hendershot was third in this race.  He now had a 32,3.  Any consistency out there?  Skip Moorehouse came through and finished 4th proving that someone had this breeze figured out.  A 1,4 for Skip was strong and this put him on top of the leader board.  After lunch the RC moved the racing down the lake a bit more – good thing as Lake Eustis is a beautiful body of water. A perfect scow lake.  Now we could stretch out and have some fun racing with lots of room!  Would the breeze cooperate?  The breeze held in there a bit better.  Local favorite Dave Mooring liked it as he played the shifts up the left side on the first beat and this was the place to be. Dave sailed a fantastic race to get a bullet.  Zack Clayton was second and Ohio sailor Matt Fisher was third.  4th was Tim Fredman and after three races Fredman had a real series put together.  He had a 7,7,4.  Not quite as good as Moorehouse who now had a 1,4,12  but darn close!  Fredman has been racing scows and iceboats all of his life and is an excellent sailor.  Rob Terry had a 5th in this race putting him right in the mix too.  Going into race 4 these three boats (Moorehouse, Fredman, Terry) were the leaders but a fair amount over the fleet. In preparation for race 4 the breeze really came in.  It was now around 4pm and the chance to race another one was quite good.  The breeze piped in to a close 20mph but not much more however the RC decided to end the day a  bit early by most peoples standards.  The decision was made though and now we were looking at a 5 race regatta with two races planned on the final day.  What was fast on day 2: The post race press conference brought many points out today.  The breeze was 3-12 most of the day with big shifts again so the search for velocity was paramount.  The first sail control people went to was vang when they needed to depower. Then Cunningham and then some of the lighter sailors even dropped their travelers 3” down in the larger puffs.  This was the basic set up by most.  The key was being in the wind and hitting the first shift off the start. Something Moorehouse, Fredman and Terry were doing every time – really amazing as it was really, really difficult. Candi Robb and the LESC put together a fantastic evening at the Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora.  A fantastic dinner for the fleet and some entertainment provided by Melges and North Sails Zenda as Andy Burdick did a presentation on Melges and the growing worldwide brand.  An interesting photo presentation showing the fleet all the boats, the racing, the venues and the brand of Melges and where it is today.  One thing that was voiced loudly – it all started with scow sailing and scow sailing is still at the top of the Melges priority list.  The new look Melges MC sure backs that statement up! Day Three – Final Racing The breeze finally arrived.  The fleet sailed out to races 4 and 5 for the day and you could tell we would have some fantastic MC wind.  10-18 is what we ended up racing in – perfect!  Sunny, warm, windy and two races to decide who would be the 2009 Midwinter Champion! Dave Moring lead all of the first race on this day. Fantastic speed and technique powered him ahead of the likes of Andy Burdick, Coye Harrett, Jeff Annis and Dan Fink on this race. Moorehouse and Terry finished close to each other in this heat.  Terry had a 8 and Moorehouse a 10.  So, after 4 races we had a tie and one race to go.  Off the line of the final race, race 5 – Moorehouse looked to struggle in bad air for a while but then a tack to the right and a big shift right put Moorehouse right in the mix up the first beat.  In fact, Moorehouse was ahead of Terry by many boats for a while but Terry fought back and got close to Moorehouse on the run.  The leaders in the race were Moring and Burdick but that battle was secondary to the championship battle going on just behind them.  As the race progressed it was tight. Exchanging tacks and positions but in the end the man from Crystal Lake, Michigan won the battle and the war. Rob Terry edged out Skip Moorehouse to become the 2009 MC Midwinter Champion.  What an awesome triumph for Rob Terry!  Dave Moring ended up holding off Burdick to get a double bullet on Saturday.   This moved Moring up to 4th overall.  What was fast in the breeze on the final day: Tommy Harken probably said it best in the post race press conference.  I trimmed hard, cranked my vang on and then eased the mainsheet so that I could vang sheet.  A good set up for sure!  As the breeze hits this allows you to ease the sheet to keep the MC from over heeling. You can go fast through the waves – not having to put the bow up into the wind.  So, lots of vang, lots of Cunningham and the traveler down 3-6” allowing the boat to settle down upwind.  Another key – pulling your boards up 2” for upwind performance. This will eliminate helm sailing upwind.  This makes the boat much easier to sail upwind. Congratulations to all of the winners but most importantly to Rob Terry and Skip Moorehouse who set the pace for the fleet all week.  Fantastic sailing gentlemen!  Congratulations to June and the LESC.  A stellar regatta, 80 boats, great organization and great racing thanks to RC head Devin Farley. Rob Terry received his championship trophy, the Bill Crum Memorial and then there was a big champagne celebration.  No, we were not sipping champagne in honor of Rob.  We were spraying it all over he and his wife Jules!  A big VICTORY Rob – Congratulations! MC Midwinters 2010 – Lake Eustis, Florida – BE THERE! Don’t miss this opportunity to do this regatta! North Notes: Overall results - Top 10: 1. Rob Terry 2. Skip Moorehouse 3. Andy Burdick 4. David Moring 5. Jeff Annis 6. Tim Fredman 7. Rob Seidelman 8. Dan Fink 9. Eric Oppn 10. Jon Pomerleau North Sails Win 3 of the 5 Championship Races Top Master:  Rob Terry Top Junior:  Coye Harrett Tom Mega Master:  Bob Miller For more information on our fast sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.     MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2009 GEORGE WASHINGTON B-DAY REGATTA North Sails 1,2,3,4!!! Report courtesy Eric Hood DAY 1: The 2009 MC Scow sailing season if officially in motion with the kick-off season opener down at Lake Eustis, Florida.  The annual George Washington Regatta at Lake Eustis is such a great way to start the sailing season.  We were a little nervous when it was only 40 degrees on Friday morning but today the temps were in the low 70s.  Only issue we have now is a lack of wind.  We did get in one race today and it was fair, steady 4-6 m.ph. breezes from the west.   The buzz at the regatta has been two-fold.  First the all new 2009 MC  made its debut and I think the feeling is everyone wishes they had one.  That certainly bodes well for the class when folks get excited about new boats.  That creates older used boat sales and that is the second buzz part of this story today.  We have some fantastic new sailors joining the MC Class.  Two in particular are national caliber sailors from the 80s,90s who are just getting back into racing with their newly purchased used boats.   First , about the boat.  About 20 different folks have now sailed the new model MC Scow and every single person had nothing but A+ comments.  Several folks have made it public they are in for new boats this year.  The boat simply feels like you are in a larger boat with the long open cockpit.  The big guys over 6’0” were really pumped up.  While Melges is offering a footwell insert (see pics at website) a majority at this first weekend of sailing the new boat feel  that it probably is not needed.  We have tons of pictures thanks to Dave Mooring’s dad Randall and will eventually make them available to all.  There are some first day images now on the websites to give you a feel of what she looks like.   A neat story about two new members to the class.   Andy Fox (51) of Orlando and Dave Helmick (53) of the Orlando area are both great sailors who both have impressive track records on the regatta circuit over the years.  Interesting story they both basically left sailing back in the 90s, then by chance met up on a race car circuit they were both participating in.  Then out of the blue with no prior knowledge from each other they both decided to get used MCs , get back into sailing, join the Lake Eustis Sailing Club.  Obviously those two were blown away when they saw each other again this week.  Andy is a former boat builder and has been a champ in the Flying Scott class finishing 2nd in the N.A.s, a Thistle Midwinter’s Champ and 2nd in that class National Champs, Laser Masters N.A. Champ just to name a few.  Dave Helmick formerly of Coral Reef has had a great career in racing being a former winner of the very tough Laser Florida Districts back in the day, Lightning N.A. (President Cup) Champs, numerous Offshore Championships.   Onto to some racing.  Let me just take the drama out of today.  Andy Fox , rookie MC Scow bear cub sailing in his first regatta race since 1996 went out with an old boat and sail then won the race. Obviously for anyone who is not sailing right now I am firing a shot over the bow.  Racing is just like riding a bike, you can get back in after being gone for years as proven by Andy today. Way to go Andy!!!  You ask about the two new boats here today.  Rob Terry picked up a sixth and EHood had an 8th.  After lots of light air testing yesterday and a very good , fair race today we know a couple of things.  There is no difference in speed which is great.  We also know the new boat is a lot easier and more fun to be sailing around in.  She just looks great.  From a distant she looks truly like a baby C Scow.  Others who did well today included David Mooring local ace and Extreme High Capacity Volunteer from LESC.  Way to go David.  Other scores will be listed below.   Hospitality, massive doses of Florida sun, good race courses all courtesy of LESC. Thanks Team LESC!!!!!! DAY 2: Lots of excitement on this final day at the Lake Eustis Sailing Club. However, there were no races. And no wind. All the excitement came during and after the trophy awards, when a freight train derailed surrounding the property of Lake Eustis Sailing Club leaving everybody wondering how we were going to get out. We found a way through a generous owner's fence but only cars could get out, not boats. The train engineer said it would be a couple of hours but didn't realize he had a bigger problem with more engines off the track. Could be days. Fortunately most people were leaving their boat for the upcoming MC MidWinter Championship in March. Now on to some fun sailing news... As reported yesterday, brand new MC sailor Andy Fox who was leading after the only race yesterday is our new champion. Congratulations Andy, way to go and welcome to our fun class! For full results, please see www.mcscow.org Top 4: 1. Andy Fox 2. David Moring 3. Jon Pomerleau 4. George Scarborough Many thanks to Scott Tillema, Regatta Chairman, and his entire volunteer crew from LESC. Your hospitality as always makes it a memorable time. Also, much appreciation to Dave Williams, his wife, and their crew for running the races. Also, John Houck who sailed a great regatta and did double duty as our scorer. Final thanks to Randall Mooring for shooting over 600 images of the regatta. Were hoping for 75 boats at this year's Midwinters. 45 are pre-registered to date. And one last note, the room block at Best Western which is listed in the NOR expires later this week. Make your reservations now! For more information on our fast sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here. MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2008 GRAND RAPIDS MC SPRING SHAKEDOWN REGATTA North Sails 1,2,3,4,5! Report by Jamie Kimball The fleet assembled Saturday morning for a 10:30AM start.  It was clear to all that the teams assembled were some of the best GRYC had seen in years.  In the early '90s the GRYC Shakedown was one of the largest events on the circuit- the premier spring MC event.  In recent years, however, turnout has waned, but this year it was obvious the regatta was beginning to trend back to its glory days-- make sure it's on your schedule next year!  While there were not the 50+ boats on the line like in years past, the 27 teams on the water were certain that some epic battles would ensue over the next two days.  Reeds Lake in Grand Rapids, MI has always been a mainstay of the MC fleet as GRYC has continually fostered a large (some years it has been the nation's largest) MC fleet.  The lake is one of the smallest lakes on the circuit, and the high bluffs on the north and south sides of the lake lend some interesting wind patterns to the courses.  Despite the lack of water, GRYC now has its first A scow team who are undoubtedly busily preparing for the Michigan hosted A Scow One Design National Championship to be held at the Crystal Lake YC in June (Crystal Lake is about 30 times the size of Reeds Lake for the A scow sailors reading this). The teams gathered were all well seasoned.  The irrepressible Spring Lake YC sailors were present and excited for the first regatta on their summer circuits.  Of particular note was an addition in the Junior division, Connor Davis.  Connor was sailing his newly purchased MC 2314.  It is great seeing the younger sailors moving into the MC.  The fleet sailed two races Saturday morning in building breeze.  Winds peeked over 20 mph in race two, as several teams went for a few unexpected swims in the chilly waters.  Jamie Kimball would go on to win both races.  Ted Keller and Rob Kimball also put together two solid finishes setting them in second and third respectively.  After witnessing several impressive wipeouts that morning, the PRO elected to abandon racing that afternoon.  Racing resumed Sunday morning in similar conditions seen the day before.  Jamie Kimball would win race 1 of the day.  Kimball arrived at the first windward mark in a solid puff and was able to extend out to a solid lead around the offset.  By race two, the wind had increased and was now well above velocities seen the day before.  The brother and sister team of Andy and Suzi Molesta would lead most of this race, with Joe Rotonda hot on his heels.  Up the last beat, these two became well occupied with each other as they broke for the right side of the course.  Kimball was able to sneak left, and passed them at the finish to win the fourth and final race of the regatta.  North Sails had yet another impressive performance.  The North Sails ZMAX and ZAP designs have dominated the MC circuit so far this year.  This past weekend was no exception.  The North Sails ZMAX won every race, and was used by all of the top finishers.  Not only is the ZMAX dominate in light/medium wind- it depowers nicely in the heavier wind conditions and is extremely fast off the breeze.  When looking for new MC sails, look no further than North Sails. 2008 MC Spring Shakedown TOP FIVE 1. Jamie Kimball 2. Rob Kimball 3. Joe Rotonda 4. Brett Hatton 5. Andy Molesta N/S For more information on our fast sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.   MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2008 MC SCOW SCOWABUNGA REGATTA North Sails Powered 1st and 2nd! Report by Jeff Annis This was my first Scowabunga.  They told me how great the view from the porch is, how pretty the Tennessee mountains are, and how good the food is, but I just could not get it on my schedule due to conflicts.  This year was different.  My first Scowabunga.  Steve Sherman donated nice door prizes and everybody got to pick, starting with the last place finisher.  Nice job Steve.  Go to www.optistuff.com or call 800-784-6478 to see and discuss what they might have for you.  Hiking sticks, giant face countdown timers, watches, clothing, pfd's, and many other things are of interest. The racing was great and challenging for 16 teams.  We had boats from Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and Michigan.  The wind came right down the river, one of their steadier directions they said.  From the center of the wind direction, it could to fifteen to twenty degrees to the left or the right.  To make it more interesting, there was a right side shoreline effect that had to be taken into consideration.  The wind was blowing between 8 and 12 on Saturday, except for one windward leg that was 12 to 15.  On Sunday it was windier, and about from the same direction, just a little more from the left side on Sunday, but the shifts were the same.  The wind was 10 to 16 on Sunday.  There were three races on Saturday and two races on Sunday morning.  The courses were modified, windward-leeward's with 2 times around for the first four races and one time around on the last race.  We had 4 different race winners.  1-Jeff Annis  2-Kurt Stadele  3-Jeff Annis  4-Scott Cline  5-Jeff Meyers Rich Cyrul visited from Flint, Michigan and borrowed a boat from his brother, and has now ended up owning it and is taking it back to Flint to sail. Scott Cline borrowed a boat and sailed well, winning a race and finishing 5th.  He did this despite a sore back (lawn mower lifting incident) and little MC experience.  Lots of folks had crew due to the wind, but Steve Sherman, the smaller of the folks out there did not have crew, and still finished 6th in the regatta. What seemed to work sailing here is keeping the boat on the lifted tack more than the next guy.  Also, keeping an eye out for puffs and big shifts.  We had several capsizes both upwind and downwind. When it is so shifty and puffy, you better keep your eyes on the water and be ready.  Also, when  you are on the wrong side of a shift upwind, you have to decide to stay until it goes back, or take your medicine and check back in.  Downwind it made a big difference if you stayed in the puffs.  Lots of mistakes were made with boat handling around the gates and the windward mark.  Those magic minutes around the buoys is critical to good finishes.  Get used to going from the beat to the run and from the run to the beat with speed by working on it.  Practice and experience go a long way.  If your finishes are not so great right now, just stick with it and keep on trying and learning.    1st overall and 1st Master:  Jeff Annis 2nd overall: Kurt Stadele 3rd overall: Jeff Meyers 4th overall: Chris Cyrul 5th overall: Scott Cline 6th overall and 1st Grand Master: Steve Sherman 7th overall and 1st Mega Master: Frank Pontious 8th overall: Justin Annis 9th overall: Jim Gray 10th overall: Barry Klein 11th overall: Rick Cyrul 12th overall: Bill Humphrey 13th overall: David Varnell 14th overall: Scott Lee 15th overall: Scott Adams 16th overall: Guy Campbell I recommend this regatta to everyone.  There is a lot to like about Privateer Yacht Club.  Nearby hotels, good food, nice clean water, and a real feeling of hospitality there.  Make sure to join your MC Association, MCSCOW.org and US Sailing.  Please ask others to join us.  This is critical to the growth of our class. See you on the water.   MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2008 MC SCOW NORTH AMERICANS ZMax mainsail wins every race ! Report by Andy Burdick MC North American Championship May 3-4, 2008 Pewaukee Yacht Club Big winds, cold temperatures, icy water was the forecast for this years MC North American Championship on Pewaukee Lake. Unfortunately, this kept some of the mainstream MC competitors from attending this years championship.  For the die-hards that did venture out the competitors we greeted with some excellent sailboat racing over two days.  The Pewaukee Yacht Club and PRO Russ Ackley put on a first class North American Championship. As the fleet left the dock on Saturday there was a mist in the air but as we approached the starting sequence the rain was gone and clouds with winds out of the SW-W at 8-12 were what we had to race in.  Perfect really!  Race one featured a port end favor starting line.  It was critical to be down at this end as 1. It was extremely favored.  2. It set you up for the left hand side of the course which was also very favored breeze wise and shift wise.  All the lifts were coming off the left.  Shift and new breeze – so, it was key to be there.  The gun went off and Andy Burdick got a nice jump right away as he port tacked the fleet.  The rest of the fleet slowly folded to port after the start and some of the boats got to the left of Burdick and that was good for them as the breeze kept coming in from the left.  As the first race progressed the breeze tended to go to the right as an approaching cold front was on the way.  As this race went on you needed to be in the middle of the course sailing the shifts – getting off to one edge was not productive at all.  Downwind this was the case too.  In the end Andy Burdick had a nice lead at the finish line gun.  Pete Toumanoff a Masters National Champion was second.  Inland Champion Dan Fink was third and Peter Dobbeck racing #955 was fourth.  The RC ran a second race right away as they were anticipating a change in weather for the afternoon. Our PRO Russ Ackley had a beat on the weather and knew that it would be key to get our next race in.  We had ideal conditions again as the breeze stayed in that 8-12 range, clouds but still no rain.  Race number 2 started and this time the right side was a bit better.  The line was square going into the start but there was better pressure on the right side of the starting line.  In the MC more pressure can mean 5-8 degrees more height as you sail upwind. That is a great amount.  Being in the pressure in any boat is important but in the MC upwind, it is critical.  You have to be lined up for the pressure.  Burdick again rounded the top mark first followed by Al Haeger from Lake Beulah.  Rick Wilftert from Okauchee Lake followed in third.  As the race progressed these boats would remain in line but mostly because they focused on the right hand side of the race course. The breeze had now swung 30 degrees to the right as the front approached. The top sailors in this race recognized this and it paid off.  Just after Burdick finished the race a rain and wind squall hit the lake with gusts over 20mph.  The breeze really swung right then!  The fleet handled the wind without a problem and all finished.  Everyone sailed in for lunch at the PYC. The breeze stayed up so the RC called off the racing which was a very smart move. The rain officially arrived and the wind was over 20.  The forecast for Sunday was 60 degrees, sun and winds out of the SW at 10-20. With 2 races in the bank why not wait for some better weather!  The PYC hosted a great party on Saturday night. Pasta with Pete which is a big hit at this yacht club.  Thanks PYC and the Pete’s for making this event happen! What was fast on Day 1:  The key to the racing in this 8-12 wind range was what I call transition speed.  When the wind was on you had vang on hard and the Cunningham snug.  But that was in the streaks. When the breeze left you had to transition to the “powered up mode”.  The good scow sailors keep there boat on a constant angle of heel all the time – they never over heel and the boat never goes pancake flat. They know how to transition their boats.  When do you do this?  First, you have to have your head out of the boat and you have to be aware of the breeze coming at you.  When you have your vang and Cunningham on you need to ease these up on the backside of the puff.  So, before the puff leaves you want the Cunningham totally off and the vang eased or off completely.  The boat will obviously power up, maybe even heel a little more (so now you really need to hike hard…..). As you leave the puff you are now set up for the next step – a lighter velocity zone.  Easing the main slightly so the mast gets straighter and the sail fuller helps too.  This coupled with a foot mode for speed allows you to go through the lighter velocity.  You are now fully powered up.    As you see the next line of velocity approach you begin to work hard for depower mode.  First – hike out well in advance of the velocity.  Get your vang on so you can ease the main if the boat begins to overheel and then as the puff hits pull Cunningham if you need it.  Doing this upwind was the key on Saturday.  There was never enough wind for the traveler to drop and the outhaul needs to be firm so that there is a shelf in the sail along the boom.  Anticipation and transitions were the key in day 1. Sunday was sunny and perfect!  We waited for the wind to arrive but it was worth the wait!  A nice SW to W wind developed on this beautiful sunny morning with a velocity range of 8-14.  Ideal MC racing conditions.  One race was the plan – a lengthy 3+ race course.  Shifty was the condition so staying on top of the wind and where it was coming from next was the key.  All the same boat speed transitions applied today but “head out of the boat” was the real key.  Big velocity lines would stream down the lake so you had to race to that position. Whatever the angle was you had to take (sail the lifted tack).  Andy Burdick kept his steak of race wins alive winning the third and final race. Dan Fink was second and Dave Abbot sailed a nice race for third. Results: 1 Andy Burdick 1 1 1 3   2 Peter Toumanoff 2 6 5 13   3 Dan Fink 3 9 2 14   4 Peter Dobbeck 4 4 6 14   5 Dave Abbott 9 5 3 17   6 Eric Oppen 6 7 4 17   7 Al Haeger 7 2 12 21   8 Rick Wilfert 10 3 9 22   9 Deb Ziegler 5 12/DNF 8 25   10 Steve Rotier 8 8 11 27   11 Tom Calvy 12 11 10 33   12 Mike Hamer 11 10 13 34   13 Paul Moran 13/DNF 16/DNS 7 36   14 Sarah Seeboth 16/DNS 16/DNS 14 46   15 Ron Curio 16/DNS 16/DNS 16/DNS 48   Thank you Greg Riemer and his wife for organizing the MC North Americans.  Thanks to the RC team of Russ Ackley and Larry Krause.  Perfect job!   Carl Spencer is the commodore of the PYC and he handed out the many awards.  Thank you PYC for a fantastic Championship!   MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2008 MC SCOW MIDWINTERS North Sails 1,2,3!!! Report by Jamie Kimball DAY 3 Champion Decided on Final Day A 9:30 AM start was scheduled on the final day in a forecasted SSW 10-15 mph breeze, building to 20-25 mph.  When the fleet set sail, the wind was light making it difficult to decide whether or not to put a crew on board.  Several teams chose to take crew, while some of the bigger skippers braved Lake Eustis in the windier conditions. Once again the RC started race 1 right on time.  After several general recalls, the PRO decided to go with the Z flag (20%), which got the fleet to hang back a little bit.  Unfortunately several boats couldn’t resist to press the line and were OCS.  One of these was regatta leader Eric Oppen.  Jeff Annis would win this start and have a nice punch off the leeward portion of the starting line.  Jeff is fast in these windy conditions.  He focuses on putting his bow down and really making the boat go through the water.  A good start enables him to do this.  Jeff led at the first windward mark with David Moring and Jamie Kimball following behind.  At the leeward mark Kimball and Annis would round 1st and 2nd.  The second beat got tricky.  The breeze dropped a bit and the boats with crew struggled.  It was really important to stay in the pressure and sail the lifted tack.  Surge Vanderhorst made the best out of a right hand shift and was able to pass the top 3.  Surge sailed smart downwind keeping himself between the mark and the boats behind.  By now the breeze was back up.  Surge would lengthen his lead on the final beat and win this race moving him into second overall with 1 race to go.  The win d was now increasing for the final race of the regatta.  The PRO chose to go with the Z flag initially to get race 2 off wit out any glitches.  Once again a few boats were caught cheating.  Steve Powers of Okoboji, IA hit the start with speed and led up the first beat.  Steve and his daughter Kira were a tough combination in the windier conditions.  It can be really fast to have a crew in windy and wavy conditions. At the first windward mark, Jamie Kimball led with the Powers close behind.  Downwind the MC can be tricky as its bow has a tendency to stick into the waves.  Sailing by the lee is fast.  If your bow looks like it’s going to submerge, you need to either head the boat up or down to prevent submersion.  Heeling the boat to windward also helps.  The breeze was now on strong and steady.  There were not as many shifts in this race, so it really paid to limit you tacks and jibes.  The leaders were only tacking three-four times upwind, and jibing once-twice downwind.  With these steady conditions, Kimball was able to keep the fleet in his window and win this race.  Vanderhorst sailed a great final beat to finish second and to seal his 2nd overall position. A quick panel discussion was held before the awards to discuss how the top five sailors of the day handled the windy conditions.  Among this group were Jamie Kimball, Surge Vanderhorst, Dan Fink, John Lovin, and Steve Powers.  Here are some of the key points discussed. Having a crew available is valuable. Upwind, bring your board up a bit to help depower and free helm. Drop traveler. Focus on footing, especially in waves. Limit tacks as much as possible. The Lake Eustis Yacht Club put on yet another spectacular event.  Over the years they have made regatta management into a science and it really shows.  Regatta chair, June Howells put in all of her effort to make this regatta top notch.  Thank you June!! TOP 10 OVERALL Jamie Kimball Surge Vanderhorst David Moring Eric Oppen Dan Fink David Moorhouse Lenny Krawcheck Jeff Annis Jon Pomerleau Drew Mize Top Master- George Scarborough, 13th overall Top Grandmaster- Lenny Krawcheck, 7th overall Top Megamaster- Jack Kern, 11th overall (partial North inventory) Top Woman- Kelli Farrar, 14th overall For more information on our fast sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here. DAY 2 Sailors Tied for Lead after Three After several postponements and general recalls, Eric Oppen from Delafield, WI hit the line on port tack with speed and led up the first beat in a light to medium breeze.  Oppen was able to lead the starboard tack boats out to the left side where most of the pressure was.  As soon as he had a good angle, Eric flopped back to port in great pressure.  At the windward mark Eric had a large lead, with Jamie Kimball, Lenny Krawcheck, Richard Kinnie, and Jeff Surles in hot pursuit.  Eric was sailing smart and on his game.  He always seemed to have the best angle and best pressure.  This combination made him too tough to pass.  Eric would lead at every mark and eventually win this race, making it his second bullet of the regatta!!   Lenny Krawcheck and Jeff Surles sailed great races finishing in second and third respectively.   As race 1 ended the fleet sailed in to the club in a light drizzle where a hot lunch was waiting for the cold and wet sailors.  Lunch was brief, as the fleet was eager to get back out on the water in a building breeze.  Race 2 started in 8-12 mph of wind.  Finally, hiking conditions!!  The race committee was efficient, starting the fleet on time with the course set.  Jeff Annis hit the line perfectly near the leeward end and initially led the fleet out to the left.  Dan Fink was able to get a good punch off the middle of the line and also looked good.  As the fleet sailed up the first beat the breeze was building, and most were hiking hard and using their controls to depower the boat.  Up the left side, Kimball and Annis were able to set up in a nice starboard tack lane and put the fleet in their windows.  A welcomed view!  These two led at the first windward mark.  Kimball was able to separate himself from the pack, and sail to a nice lead.  Behind, Annis was fighting hard with several boats.  Surge Vanderhorst and Dan Fink were now in the mix.  At the finish it was Kimball taking the gun followed by Vanderhorst, and Dan Fink.  With three races down, and one day to go there is a tie for first between Jamie Kimball and Eric Oppen.  Each with 7 points. Top Ten: Eric Oppen Jamie Kimball Surge Vanderhorst Lenny Krawcheck David Moring Spencer Wiberley David Moorhouse Jeff Surles Dan Fink Bob Miller Once again a panel discussion met for the fleet after today’s racing.  Today’s panel included Dan Fink, Jeff Annis, Surge Vanderhorst, Jamie Kimball, and Eric Oppen.  Here are several of the points discussed. Drop your traveler to depower (Jeff Annis even does this). Push yourself to work your hardest up the first beat. Build speed to point. Foot for speed to go through waves. Don’t get discouraged when you’re struggling. Think about the big picture to notice an opportunity to establish lanes. Don’t try to make too much happen.  Homeruns rarely work. Most often it is better to under trim than over trim. Ease your mainsheet for power through bigger chop/waves. Most important- HAVE FUN!!!! For more information on our fast sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.   DAY 1 The MC Midwinters is an annual staple on the MC regatta circuit.  71 sailors made the trek to Lake Eustis to battle it out and ultimately decide this years’ champion.  The forecast for today’s racing was light.  After a postponement early on, sailors came to shore for a quick lunch and watch the wind do a 180.  The lake filled with a nice 2-8mph wind.  Just enough to get the fleet back on the water.  The breeze was light, but consistent so Chief PRO Sandy Sundberg started race 1.  The start was won by Scott Harestad from Spring Lake, Mi.  Scott was able tack immediately after the gun, and was punched off the line.  Several sailors followed Scott’s lead including Spencer Wibelre, Eric Oppen, Steve Powers, and Dave Moring.  These sailors were sailing in nice lanes and steady pressure.  Staying in the wind was key!! At the windward mark, it was Spencer Wibelre taking the lead.  Spencer decided to jibe around the offset, and the majority of the leaders followed.  Eric Oppen and Jamie Kimball held on starboard jibe and sailed out to the right.  The fleet was now split.  It soon became apparent the breeze was fading for the boats that jibed around the offset.  These leaders also had to sail through the fleets’ dirty air as they rounded the windward mark.  The boats that extended benefited from clear air and a building breeze.  At the leeward mark Jamie Kimball, Spencer Wibelre, and Steve Powers rounded very close together.  Eric Oppen and Dave Moring were also fighting hard to keep it close.   As the fleet sailed up the second windward leg, the leaders were able to get some separation.  Kimball, Oppen, and Moring were now fighting it out for the lead.   The leaders struggled to stay in the pressure.  Hard sailing!!  On the second run Kimball chose to jibe around the offset, while Oppen and Moring extended.  The fleet converged at the leeward mark.  Most of the fleet chose the right side.  Oppen was forced to tack left.  As it turned out, this was to his benefit.  Oppen, and now Steve Sherman, hooked into a nice port tack lift and were now in the lead.  Kimball struggled to get left finishing in second behind Race 1 winner Eric Oppen. TOP 10 Eric Oppen Jamie Kimball Steve Sherman David Moring Spencer Wibelre Tim Fredman Surge Vanderhorst Ed Durant Jeff Surles Steve Powers      A post racing panel discussion met to answer the fleets’ questions and discuss strategies.  Here are just a few of the topics that were discussed, and some of the keys to success in no particular order.  Maintaining constant angle of heel. Having a clear lane off the start. Staying in the pressure!! Sailing hot and fast downwind. Maximum heel to leeward downwind. Leading to the next shift. Establishing a lane downwind and upwind. Clear air is key. Having patience. Trusting your instincts. These are just of the few points discussed on the panel discussion.  Tonight’s’ party is hosted at the world renowned Oyster Troff.  Plenty of food and refreshments for all!!  Stay tuned for more highlights to come!  For more information on our fast sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.   MC Scow Sails MC Scow News MC Tuning Guide Contact MC ScowExperts Order MC Scow Sails 2008 ZENDA UNIVERSITY KELLI FARRAR IS FIRST WOMAN TO WIN ZENDA U!!!! Report by Andy Burdick Coming into the 2 day intructional clinic in Eusits, Florida, Kelli Farrar trecked all the way from Okoboji, Iowa with the hopes of fine tuning her sailing skills. At the conclusion of the clinic yesterday, Kelli had won the overall regatta after 14 races and became the first woman to do so in the history of Zenda U. Kelli was a great example of the tenacity and intensity that it takes to win a regatta. Day 2 brought more light air which allowed for more in depth chalk talks and briefing sessions. Once the breeze set in, 8 races were completed, one of which featured a downwind start which resulted in a very crowded leeward mark rounding! At the conlcusion of Zenda U, all of the students had a chance to shower, put on their Zenda U hats and shirts and enjoyed a great graduation ceremony complete with a DJ, great food, and lots of a beer. The 2008 edition of Zenda U was well attended and it was very exciting to see all of the sailors improve over the 2 day course. If you are interested in improving your skills and completing your personal goals, sign up for Zenda U 2009, it is an event not to be missed. Top Five overall, Zenda U 2008 1). Kelli Farrar 2). Steve Powers 3). Fred Slack 4). Geoff Moehl 5). David Moorhouse Most Improved - Rick Williams Most Enthusiastic - Phil Ecklund For more information on our fast sails, contact our MC experts. To order MC sails online and have it delivered to your door, click here.

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