by steve h » Fri May 23, 2014 11:01 am
2014 Soak At The Oak EC12 Regatta Report
A crisp, clear spring morning welcomed the nine competitors to the 2014 Soak At The Oak EC12 Regatta. Greensboro Model Yacht Club had breakfast laid out under shelter 6, including coffee, donuts, fresh fruit, and juice, which the staff and competitors enjoyed while RD Steve Helander laid out the course. Wind was 5-10 from the WNW, shifting to the NW as the day wore on. Separate starting and finishing lines allowed very long upwind legs on both the start and finish. A quick skippers meeting was held, outlining the course, rules, and usage of the rescue boat, racing began around 9:40AM. In the first race on the 2 ½ lap course, Tony secured the win, followed by Scott, Gerry, Bob, Steve, Ron, Glenn, Clint, and George. Races 2 and 3 were snapped up by Scott, showing that he was up to the task of defending his 2013 SATO title. Gerry had to put the rescue boat to use after encountering a mechanical failure, but a quick change to his B rig got him back on the water to avoid a DNF. Tony had a rudder servo fail after crossing the finish line, but Steve was able to persuade 1347 to make it to shore after finishing third. Ron, Glenn, Clint, George, and Gerry rounded out the field. Race 3 found Tony under the shelter swapping a rudder servo, and on lap 1, Bob’s boat set off across the lake on a starboard tack. Tony halted repairs on his boat and set off after it, eventually retrieving it on the other side of the lake after being captured by a kayaker before it hit the seawall. A break was taken at the end of race 3, which allowed almost all competitors to be back in the fray for race 4. Clint was sailing a boat he had purchased on Thursday, and was dealing with some teething pains. Gerry recovered for a bullet in race 4, followed by Bob, Scott, Tony, Ron, Glenn, Steve, and George. Clint was forced to make repairs and was out until race 8. The wind was picking up, and Gerry’s B Rig was equaling those sailing A rigs. Race 5 found Bob recover for first, Gerry second, and Scott third. Race 6 saw Gerry score a DNF after suffering another mechanical problem. Ron was sailing consistent, with 4 4th place finishes in the first 6 races. George scored an event best 2nd place finish in race 6, finishing not far behind Scott. That was the beginning of a streak of 5 bullets in a row for Scott.
Lunch arrived as race 7 was finishing up. Steve took a DNF after breaking rudder linkage and a shroud. Firehouse Subs provided sandwiches, chips, cookies, and tea for the racers and staff. Water and Gatorade were also available. Lunch allowed competitors to recoup, regroup, and execute repairs. Gerry walked around, and provided some much appreciated tuning advice to his fellow competitors. George unfortunately was out for the afternoon, after a mechanical issue demasted him. Clint also made the decision to pull off the water to avoid damage to his boat. George made repairs at home, and came back for Sunday’s racing.
The wind remained steady, but a 10 degree shift in direction created quite a challenge for the competitors. Tony grabbed race 11, and in a very close race, Steve captured his first bullet in race 12, where the top 5 finishers were separated by 3 boatlengths. Gerry won race 13, and Scott snapped up the next two. In an excellent display of boat handling, our resident “youngster”, Bob, grabbed the last race of the day(#16), finishing over a mark ahead of the fleet.
Scorekeepers Gayle and Terri (assisted by George after he packed up) did an excellent job, and the RD pulled in the marks. Several headed to Fatz for dinner and beverages, as well as reviewing the day. Gerry joined us for dinner, and then returned home.
Saturday scores adjusted with 2 throwouts:
1. Scott 23
2. Gerry 35
3. Tony 40
4. Bob 42
5. Steve 59
6. Ron 74
7. Glenn 87
8. George 113
9. Clint 134
Sunday morning brought an almost 180 degree shift in wind, coming from the ENE at 5-10. Unfortunately, it also brought a smaller field. Clint and Gerry had prior commitments, and couldn’t participate on Sunday. Bob was also unable to race on Sunday. The course was laid out while breakfast was consumed, and after another quick skippers meeting, racing began about 9:20. Port starts were favored, which made for quite a bit of excitement at the line. The first 4 races were gobbled up by Tony, with Scott close behind in second. Third, fourth and fifth were changed around between Glenn, Ron, and Steve. Scott took race 5 over Tony, with Steve and Ron not far behind. Steve took race 6 over Tony in what became a match race. The finish was about a boat length apart. Tony grabbed race 7 in a tight race with Scott, with Glenn getting his event high third place finish. Glenn’s boat handling improved as the weekend wore on, and he was in the mix in almost every race on day 2. Scott grabbed the last two races of the day, with Tony and Steve swapping second and third. Ron had another string of solid 4th place finishes again on Sunday. The last race completed by 12:30, and everyone pulled off the water and started loading up while the scores were tabulated by Gayle, Terri, and Jamie.
A quick awards ceremony was held, where the finishing order was revealed and trophies were presented. Steve took third place, Tony finished in a very solid second place, and Scott successfully defended his Soak At The Oak title. His throwouts were two 4’s and a 3, which made him impossible to catch.
GMYC would like to thank all of the competitors for participating, and would like to express great appreciation for the entire race staff. Gayle, Terri, Jamie, Martin, George, Ron, and Steve all put in a lot of effort before, during, and after the regatta. We hope Gayle and Martin will join us out on the water for the 2015 installment. The sportsmanship exhibited during the weekend was very nice to see, and the efforts made by Gerry with tuning help really brought the back end of the field closer to the front end. That was a prime example of what the EC12 class is all about. GMYC would like to invite all to attend the 2015 Soak At The Oak Regatta, and look forward to a large fleet next year.
Final Scores:
1. Scott 36
2. Tony 51
3. Steve 82
4. Ron 106
5. Glenn 123
6. Gerry 124
7. Bob 131
8. George 156
9. Clint 222
#1988 and #1858...aka Frank's boat