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43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 9:10 pm
by DBrawner
The ice is off the pond and we are good to go for the 43rd Liberty Bell on March 28 & 29.

Registration: http://form.jotformpro.com/form/50255816258963

Entires as of 3/20
XXXXX-Jamey Betz-Late scratch. I forget if he said he was scared or had to work. Either way, we'll miss him.
Dave Branning
Richard Bardsley
Domenick Bonanno
Phil Tonks
Jerome Franko
William Sysyn
Bob Shluger
Martin Besant
Joseph Cole
Victor Oberg
Mike Denest
Don Barker
Tim Stone
Skip Hall
Harry Mote
Dave Ramos
Danny Thomas
Ken Shaw
Scot Graf

We are now firmly in CESS Pool territory. This is going to be fun.

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:48 am
by MichaelJ2K
I gotta get my B rig done!

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 9:29 pm
by DBrawner
Mother Nature is not letting go of Winter easily....

Laurel Acres 6pm today (3/20)
6 inches of snow on the first day of Spring

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:38 pm
by greerdr
Somebody send a photo of our 91' day here in Palm Beach.

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:01 am
by MichaelJ2K
Weather Channel says:
Saturday
Overcast and 40° with a 50% chance of snow showers in the afternoon. Winds North at 10 mph.
Sunday
Sunny at 47° winds NW at 7 mph.

Of course there is no prediction for what the Mt. Laurel doctor will bring but at least have your B rig and union suit.

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 11:14 am
by Dave_Branning
Mt. Laurel = SNOW. Get Over It! :roll:

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 8:52 pm
by greerdr
You guys are tough!

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 9:37 pm
by DBrawner
Oh what a day in Mount Laurel. While the temperature wasn't quite Spring like, we had a great wind allowing us to sail out of the cove up to the parking lot. After 15 hard fought CESS Pool heats, all the boats with the lowest scores are at the top of the leader board. The names and numbers don't matter as we are simply enjoying the sport and camaraderie.

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 12:17 pm
by Rick West
So, where do the Comrades stand enjoying their fun, :roll:

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:45 pm
by Dave_Branning
I’m sure you will all see the results soon.
I wanted to openly state to my fellow competitors that this was the most sportsmanlike EC12 regatta that I've ever seen. Turns were done immediately and many without a verbal protest mentioned. When you were lucky to be sparring or dicing with Danny Thomas or Harry Mote or Dave Ramos they were not only encouraging you but supporting you in an effort to “keep it going,” or “good leg.” I left this regatta with a little piece of wood, my first in this class, but the smile on my face was because of the sportsmanship and encouraging competition from the best in this sport. Thanks to David Brawner and Nick Mortgu for running a perfect weekend with friends. See you all in Spring Lake in May.

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 10:43 pm
by MichaelJ2K
Pictures are up at http://regatta.smugmug.com/

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 8:03 am
by DBrawner
In thoroughbred racing, the saying is “the horse needed a race” to get sharp. In model yachting, we all “need a race” after a long winter break to remember that the pointy end goes first. Four of the top five finishers at the 43rd annual Liberty Bell regatta got their race by sailing in the Champions Regatta a couple weeks ago. It is a big ask to expect people, who have been clutching snow shovels the past several months, to pick up a transmitter and be sharp. With that said, let’s talk about the regatta.

The weather forecast was not only accurate; it was also cooperative with two straight days of NW breeze giving us the chance to set the longest course possible at Laurel Acres. Our start line was really deep in the cove, the windward marks were just off the parking lot shore and the leeward marks were to windward of the start, just off the point. This gave us a monstrous first leg to separate the fleet followed by legs that were a bit more rational in length.

Surprise, surprise…Danny Thomas, Dave Ramos and Harry Mote were the top three finishers.

It was quite a treat to watch Harry Mote, Danny and Dave duke it out on day one. Though eight year old Harry trailed off later in day, he was holding the lead after nine races with two bullets, three seconds and a third. This was quite impressive to say the least, especially considering this was his first regatta of the year.

This was not a boat speed regatta. Danny and Dave showed they simply found and reacted to the shifts, puffs and opportunities quicker than the rest of the fleet. That part is always fun to watch. In the end, only two points separated them. Either could have been given the big trophy this time. I guess it was Danny’s turn to get it.

Harry continued his fine regatta winning a tie breaker with Dave Branning for third place. Dave Branning really got going on Sunday with four top 3 finishes to take fourth position followed by Don Barker, who could have used one more throwout, in 5th.

We had three skippers from the state of Vermont, Ken Shaw, Tim Stone and Phil Tonks. Ken took state honors with his 6th place finish. Tim had a much better day on Sunday than Saturday.

Victor Oberg, sailing the “Eat Mor Chikin” special, earned rousing ovations for both his bullets on his way to his best ever Liberty Bell finish, 7th place. Bob Shluger sailed an amazingly consistent regatta for an 8th place finish. At one point, he reeled off six consecutive 6th place races. Domenick Bonanno, sailing in his first Liberty Bell, showed he is a man to watch. On Sunday, he earned his first bullet followed shortly thereafter by his second bullet. Nice work rookie!!

Eighty three year old Mr. Joseph Cole rounded out the top ten. Joseph had six top 5 finishes on Saturday including a battle for the win with Dave Ramos and Danny Thomas. Joseph got an awesome 2nd in that race.

In a rare move, the race committee gave the skippers the chance at a Vladimir Putin endorsed “democratic” vote on racing as a single fleet or using the CESS Pool. Ramos changed his adamant vote for single fleet to one for using the CESS Pool with a single glare from the Race Director. No Problem.

So, we again used the CESS Pool for heat management, which proved to be a good choice, with the top six all racing together on Sunday. All the skippers got to sail 16 of the 24 heats. This system works well for the fleet size we generally get for the Liberty Bell.

Thanks to Nick Mortgu for handling the catering and the scoring for the regatta. Jim Flach, our newest EC12 owner, was once again the official photographer and helped with the finishes. Lisa handled all the baking. We’ll keep her around even after she may have forgotten the fudge in Saturday’s brownies. Everybody needs a throwout now and then.

Next stop on the Colonial Cup trail will be Spring Lake in May. Register soon. See you there.


1. Danny Thomas 26
2. Dave Ramos 28
3. Harry Mote 48 (won tiebreaker)
4. Dave Branning 48
5. Don Barker 58
6. Ken Shaw 59
7. Victor Oberg 62
8. Bob Shluger 75
9. Domenick Bonanno 83
10. Mr. Joseph Cole 96
11. Scott Graf 98
12. Bill Sysyn 101
13. Tim Stone 102
14. Phil Tonks 104
15. Martin Besant 107
16. Skip Hall 118
17. Dick Bardsley 137
18. Mike Denest 165

Re: 43rd Liberty Bell

PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:15 am
by MichaelJ2K
I forgot to mention at the awards that my name is on the cup. It was a total fluke as Henry Morris didn't show up that year. Wish I had that boat back! (EC 12 989). :(