What do you get when you mix perfect conditions with a group of skilled sailors? Nothing but fun! June Pendino and I had the pleasure of being the RD’s for the 32^nd annual Liberty Bell Regatta. Twenty-two sailors from various corners of the EC12 universe gathered at Laurel Acres Park for both fleet and match racing events.

Mother Nature’s cooperation started with the practice day on Friday that included not only the EC12’s but also four hours of J Boat sailing. Darn that was a blast. We had a stiff steady breeze out of the left side of the cove. The J’s were driven by anyone who wanted them. The rookies’ faces were filled with a cross between fear and a smile.

To say the least, we have an ambitious schedule at the Liberty Bell. To run to regattas in one weekend takes a cooperative group of sailors. We had 66 total starts between the match and fleet racing over two days. Add in the fact that we had the longest possible course that fits into the lake and a large fleet then you can understand that things had to go just right. Thanks to the sailors, June and Mother Nature, it did just that.

Saturday, we were met by a delightful breeze that was promising to build out of the Northwest. The course was set with the start just above Sinclair Point, the windward marks were near the parking lot and the leeward mark sat deep in the cove. The course rivaled Charleston in length.

We flip flopped between fleet and match racing all day Saturday. Thanks to a steady breeze, things progressed well and there was no need for course changes. This is rare at Laurel Acres. At the end of the day, nine skippers had been eliminated from the match racing and the top three in fleet racing, Jarl Wathne, Danny Thomas and Reichard Kahle were only separated by three points with Mark Rinehart and Al Sellers lurking just off the pace.

A new day on Sunday brought another steady breeze from the complete opposite direction. We switched the marks just bit and got started with a couple sets of fleet races. Then we moved back to match racing to finish off that regatta. Understand that in the later rounds of match racing most sailors have been eliminated. This appears to bring the regatta to halt for a while. However, we were all treated to some of the best starts you could imagine during the last four rounds.

We switched to the 2–minute starting tape with the pre-race starting at 2 minutes. Anyone who got to see the display at the Nationals in 2002 between Danny and Jarl knew that their race would be fun to watch. This time, Danny hunted Jarl. It was a two-minute clinic for us on the banks without transmitters. Both skippers displayed skill and patience. Danny went on to win that particular race to advance to a match with Mark Rinehart.

It just kept getting better. Danny and Mark traded the advantage for 2 straight minutes. They were circling, diving under and using the marks as blocks. Back and forth, he’s got, no he has it. The last move with five seconds to go won the start and the race for Mark. With the last move which was a timely tack away around the port pin, Mark changed Danny’s start from an "oh boy" to an "uh-oh" real quick.

With the win, Mark got to face Reichard who won the winner’s bracket. Again the start was two minutes of pleasure for those without a transmitter. Reichard kept Mark deep away from the line on the starboard side. Mark was content to stay in that position. Unfortunately, one tack that didn’t work for Mark gave Reichard a few boat length lead at the start. Mark quickly closed that gap on the first part of the windward leg. However, Reichard stretched his previously shrinking lead in the shifty air of the cove. Mark wasn’t through though as he closed some distance on the last windward leg. There just wasn’t enough time to catch our new Liberty Bell Match Racing Champion, Reichard.

We ended the regatta with the rest of the fleet racing. I can not complement this fleet enough. They were all true ambassadors for our sport. While we had our usual suspects, we also had a bunch of first time participants. We are very pleased that the group from White Rose joined us. That’s Matt and Pete Houghton, Chuck Aiken and Doug Wotring. Once they work the bugs out of the boats, they are going to be much higher in the fleet. We imported a few from the Carolinas like Reichard, Jim Donohoe and Carl Olbrich who spent all weekend on the bubble. His legs are probably still tired. Jim got his new boat working well and went very far in the match racing. Scott Todd from Cambridge, MD sometimes had speed, sometimes had trouble but always had a smile. To all of you making the trip here for the first time, thank for coming. Also, to tell you a little secret those aren’t our normal sailing conditions.

Nobody got a lucky win. Every victory was earned. Every "A" fleet race was won by someone that finished in the top five at the end. The top four boats all finished within 7 points and no finishing position was secure until after the last race. It was that close. Trust me, it was close.

Ivor Walton had an excellent third in the last race to almost catch Al Sellers who finished just a point ahead of Ivor for fifth in the regatta. Mark Rinehart also had a good last race with a second place finish. However, Jarl’s 5^th in the last race was enough to secure third leaving Mark in fourth.

Danny Thomas and Reichard Kahle tied with 24 points. Cool. They both had two 1^st’s. They both had three 2^nd’s. And, one had three 3^rd’s while the other had just one 3^rd. Danny was the other. Reichard won on the third tiebreaker. We were only a few steps away from a coin flip.

We all owe a big thank you to June Pendino for all her help in making this work. She did all the scoring and got it right. If not, Danny would have corrected her. He has it all memorized. One stinking point Danny. That’s all you needed. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Thank you to all that participated. It was a pleasure to be part of this regatta. Next up on the Colonial Cup calendar is Stowe. Charge your batteries, rest your legs and let’s go yachting