blue skies framed with billowing white cumulus clouds. A 3.6-nautical mile course was followed by a second race. The series ended with six races completed. However, it was that final race that will be remembered. First, because the skipper and crew of TrippNautic, won the time-honored Dr. Lindsay Riddle Cup for the top finisher in the most competitive class as determined by the least amount of corrected time differences between firstand third-place finishes over the course series for each class, and secondly, because of the two seconds corrected time that separated William Zehner’s Tripp 26 from Finesse, an Evelyn 32, owned by PYC’s Alan McMillan. This year’s win exemplifies a friendly rivalry between the two seasoned captains. In 2010, TrippNautic won Class B; Finesse took second place. That year, the Riddle Cup was won by a Class A boat. Last year, McMillan won class B and the Riddle Cup. This time, it was TrippNautic’s turn on the podium. As one of Zehner’s crew members laughingly said, “It was 12 years in the making.” For others, it was their first WFORC. Dennis Hannick brought his Tripp 26, Goin’ and some of his crew from Dahlgren Yacht Club, located in King George County, VA. He had hoped for a one-design class for Tripps, but it didn’t materialize. Hannick sails on the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay between April and October. “The weather and sailing was great in Florida and PYC’s hospitality was outstanding,” Hannick said. “It is nice to see race committees in different areas becoming more standardized.” Hannick picked up long-time PYC competitive sailors, Carlos Melville and Roger Sherman, as crew for the series. When asked about his boat’s name, Hannick confessed the previous owner had named the boat Goin’ Postal. “I definitely didn’t want that for a boat name,” he said. But then what was it going to be...Goin’ Fast, Goin’ Slow, Goin’ Broke....so it’s just Goin’,” he said. Hannick may be going back home to Virginia, but he expects to come back in February 2013 for PYC’s annual Intergalactic Keelboat Round-up. The Commodore Ronald F. Richards Trophy, now in its second year, was won by Hunter Riddle and crew aboard his Elliott 770, Rodent. Established in honor of the late Ron Richards, who served as commodore of PYC, GYA, and the Florida Commodores Association, the perpetual trophy, with a smaller version keeper, is awarded to the winning boat in WFORC’s Class A. Riddle finished the series with five bullets, a second, and a throw-out for the lowest score (6) of the series—for all classes. As for that adage? Not everyone was “happy” with the revised class breaks. As Regatta Chair John Buziak explained in an email reply, “Our preference is that in future years the smaller sprit boats sail one-design on a separate course. The issue of the rating spread is a constant source of concern as the PHRF fleet shrinks. I think we are going to see a trend towards sprit boats, and at some point we will see two divisions of sprit boats and two of classic spin. It is a moving target to say the least.” And until then, we will all continue to “adjust our sails.” For complete race results, visit pensacolayachtclub.org, enter as a guest, and follow the menu under club. News & Views for Southern Sailors
Lakewood Racers Sweep J/Fest Southwest Regatta, Galveston Bay, TX, Oct. 13-14 From Lakewood Yacht Club
Bill Zartler (second from right) and crew of Solaris, first-place winners in J/105s at the J/Fest, and Rodney Johnstone (far right).
Casey Lambert (far left) and crew of Blackburn Marine Racing, first-place winners in J/22s at the J/Fest. Rodney Johnstone is second from left.
In the third Annual J/Fest Southwest Regatta, Regatta Chairman Al Goethe reported that out of the seven J/boatdesigned racing fleets, Lakewood Yacht Club racers placed first in five. One exception to that was the J/24 fleet, which was won by Corey Harding on Happy Dance, earning him the J/24 Texas State Championship. The other was the J/70 fleet, which was won by Bruce McDonald on Rogue Warrior 2. Of note, this was the first J/70 one-design start on the Gulf Coast. Hosted by Lakewood Yacht Club with the title sponsor being the city of Seabrook, this national regatta was held over the weekend of Oct. 13-14 on Galveston Bay. Racers from as far away as Colorado trailered their J/boats to participate in this event. Lakewood had a record 61 boats regisSee RACING continued on page 72 SOUTHWINDS
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