Day One
Vincent
Porter and team (I-49) have a nice lead after three good races on
Lake Pewaukee. It was a warm beautiful day starting out with light
winds for the morning race and a better breeze filling in for the
afternoon races. The first race was a 5 1/2 as the wind was more SW
but as it built for the afternoon it moved right and we had longer
legs. The second race was a 3 1/2 and the third race a 4 1/2. There
were a few mark changes needed to keep the courses square, and PRO
Jeff Butzer and team did a great job. Most of the boats put a fourth
crew on for the afternoon, but I noticed Vincent stayed with with
his three person team.
Day Two
Saturday was another beautiful day for racing. The winds were out of
the west, right down the lake, actually more down the two sides of
the lake as the middle was not always an easy place to be. Strength
was light 4-6 mph for the morning race and nicer in the afternoon,
6-10 mph. Both races were a 2 1/2.
Today belonged to the two Minnetonka yachts, Rob Evans and Tom
Burton. They didn't win either race but were the most consistent
with a 4, 2 for Evans and a 5, 3 for Burton. The rest of the
days previous leaders all had a rough time in one of the races.
I saw Dave Ullman in last place at one time in the first race
and he won the second race - typical of a Blue Chip regatta. Vincent
Porter was in last place for much of the second after hitting the
weather mark the first time up, and then shrimping his spinnaker at
the second upwind mark set, and then he ran over it and had it stuck
under the leeboard. Jim Gluek (V-751) was first around in the second
race and then was nearly last around later in the race only to come
back to 10th place. It is nice to come back but it can't be enough
to erase the frustrations of dropping to the back of the fleet.
The
most motivated sailors were Walter Prause (SC-3). Pat Heaney (H-13),
Tim Sugar, (H-8), and I-71 boat with substitute skipper Pat Doran -
they were in last place going into the days racing. Tonight the
last place boat has the honor of doing the legendary 'bar walk'.
Interestingly they each had one of their best races today. But for
Walter Prause and crew it wasn't quite enough. I suspect they are
making a trip to Walmart to buy a new "uniform" for the bar walk.
Final Day
The final day was sunny and warm but the northeast winds winds were
anemic at best, and hovered around 3-5 mph. The course was a 2 1/2
and at the top mark it was shortened in length by moving the leeward
mark closer.
Jim Gluek (X-751) got out to a nice little lead at the first mark
going out in the lake to the right while a majority of the fleet
headed toward the North shore. he was followed by Kevin Jewett
(V-123), Doug McNeil (WH-111) and Tom Monroe (WH-77). Kevin dropped
out of second when he headed toward the North shore and the others
found a little more pressure out in the lake. It tunred into a
battle between Gluek, Monroe, and McNeil. McNeil got by the two
others on the last tack to the finish.
Rob Evans (M-1) made a steady climb through the fleet starting in
13th place and then moving to 9th, 5th, and finally 4th. Augie
Barkow (V-37 was 4th in the standings going into the last race and
rounded the first mark in 8th place. Unfortunately for him he too
played the north shore too much and made a steady decline at each
mark rounding to end up 15th and dropping him to 8th place for the
regatta. Ouch. Tom Burton (M-9) had a similar fate but not quite as
bad. He was 5th in the regatta going into the race and rounded the
first mark in 5th place. So far so good. But on the next two legs he
fell to 14th place and with the total points so close that would
have dropped him several places in the regatta. Tom managed a little
comeback and finished 11th, enough to hold onto to 5th place in the
regatta.
Besides the two White Lake's boats having the best day with a first
and third, and Evan's nice rally in the final race, the Mystery
Guest, Dave Ullman must have felt some satisfaction ending in a tie
for second place (with 40 points) in the regatta with Vincent Porter
(I-49) and Art Brereton (TO-101). He did it the hard way too. Dave,
who was in 16th at the first mark in todays race showed his true
prowess. Dave architected a steady climb at each mark, next rounding
10th, then 8th, and finally 7th. Nice racing in tough
conditions. Art Brereton (TO-101) had to move up from 11th at the
first mark to 8th for the race to stay in a tie for regatta second
place.