by steve h » Wed May 09, 2012 1:45 pm
Regatta report:
2012 Soak at the Oak Regatta Report
Saturday, May 5th, 2012, brought fourteen competitors to Shelter 5 at Oak Hollow Lake, in High Point, NC for the inaugural Soak at the Oak EC12 Regatta. They were greeted by the eager race staff, checked in, and spread out to set up lakeside on the grass. A light breakfast of coffee, donuts, OJ, and fresh fruit was provided under the large shelter, and a skippers meeting was held by RD, Steve Helander. He discussed the course, starting prodcedures, penalties, and two navigational hazards close to shore. After the ceremonial flyover of multiple USMC F/A18 Hornets(honest, it did happen), the RD called boats to the water. Skippers could launch from the large sailboat ramp or a nearby sandy beach. Racing began under sunny skies, temps in the mid 70s, and wind from the SW at 5. Chris Kakavas jumped out to 2 bullets in the first 2 heats, capitalizing on a rare mistake by Skip Allen in heat one. Reichard Kahle found his groove, taking the next four heats. Behind Reichard, the fleet stayed tightly bunched in scoring. On the water, the pack spread out a bit, but seemed to reconverge just prior to the windward mark. It made for some tense moments, and a couple of raft ups, but all competitors pressed on. Lunch was served after race 6. Sandwiches and beverages were provided by GMYC. The race staff made a quick course change, bringing the first mark in about 30 feet. Racing resumed with the temps rising, and the wind coming in puffs and lulls for the races 6 through 8. Finding a clean line proved key, with Reichard, Chris, and Ricky Gerry exchanging bullets. The wind filled in for races 9 through 12, offering plenty of tacking battles, with boats fanning out in all directions searching for the fastest lines. There were very close finishes mid-pack, often with 5 boats crossing the line within a boat length or two. There were only 4 DNF’s on Saturday, and everyone made the start line for every race. Racing concluded at 3pm, just before the rain came in; and after 12 races the top 5 were Reichard K.(35pts), Ricky G.(45 pts), Chris K.(55 points), Gerry C.(71 pts), and Skip A. close behind at 72 pts. 6th and 7th places (Tom R. and Bob M.) were within striking distance of Skip with 78 and 81 points. Saturday night brought the group back together at Tripp’s Restaurant for dinner and socializing. It was a great chance for the competitors and race staff to get to know each other.
Sunday morning brought stronger wind from the ENE at 10, so the course was relocated from Shelter 5 to Shelter 6. The RD set up a course that gave long upwind and downwind runs, and competitors could choose to hug the shoreline in light air, or venture out into open water seeking stronger wind. Winds ranged from 2-15 during Sunday’s racing, with very little deviation from ENE. Racing started prompty at 930, with Skip gapping the fleet and taking heat 13. Ricky, Reichard, and Chris scrapped it out for 2nd. Gerry took top honors in heat 14, and Skip snapped up heat 15. Again, action was exciting mid-pack, with very close action, and a mishap or two. No damage was inflicted. Ricky took heat 16, with Gerry Cobley taking heat 17. Skip took heat 18 (again, jumping out ahead of the field and hiding). Reichard closed out the day by taking the bullet for heat 19. Mervin and Carl snuck into the top 5 during heat 19. Ricky was very consistent on Sunday, having only one finish outside of the top 3 all day. But it wasn’t enough to catch Reichard, who took the overall victory. Trophies were awarded to the top five finishers, and the RD and staff expressed their thanks to all participants for spending their weekend at GMYC’s first regatta. GMYC hopes to see everyone again next year, for the 2nd Annual Soak at the Oak.
Final Scores (including 2 throwouts)
Place Skipper Hull # Points
1 Reichard K. 67 43
2 Ricky G. 63 49
3 Chris K. 36 69
4 Skip A. 21 70
5 Gerry C. 25 73
6 Tom R. 47 96
7 Carl O. 69 117
8 Scott V. 80 126
9 Mervin J. 74 131
10 Bob M. 27 161
11 Rodney L. 15 167
12 Jim R. 9 175
13 Jerry F. 1832 186
14 Geoffrey C.1332 194
Last edited by
steve h on Mon May 14, 2012 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
#1988 and #1858...aka Frank's boat