Fleet Championship Finale

September 14, 2003

Not a lot of wind at MBYC’s tour of the bay regatta, but enough to get out on the trapeze occasionally. Five 505s were joined by 3 FDs to make a challenging starting line and crowded first beat. The 505s were 8411, Kitty, Don’t Pinch with Chris Shand and Rick Denney, White Trash with Geoff Nelson and Mark Kurzava, and FreeBee with Roger Lovett and Mike Barry.

There was a lot of good racing. Besides the excitement of the crowded starting line, Dan and I consistently fought it out with the FDs up the first weather leg. We were happy to make it to the weather mark ahead each time, but the FDs were always close behind in spite of the difference in downwind speed now that the 505s have the larger spinnaker. Kitty also duked it out many times with the FD fleet. Among the other three boats, the competition was especially intense with close racing and many position changes.

This was the last event of the 2003 Fleet Championship series. Going into the regatta, half a point separated 8411 and TGIF in the regular division. However, since TGIF declined to race, Dan and I once again will take the trophy. In the Classic division, White Trash led FreeBee by one slim point and needed to beat in the regatta FreeBee to retain the lead. Trash beat FreeBee in the first race, but in the second race FreeBee beat Trash with Pinch in-between. So it would all come down to the last race. Trash figured out how to deal with the pole launcher problem that had slowed them in the second race, but could not get ahead of FreeBee. FreeBee beat Trash to win the Classic division regatta and tie the Classic Fleet Championship.

So Congratulations to Team FreeBee and to Geoff Nelson and his various crew on White Trash for their mutual domination of the Classic Fleet this year!

Bill Jenkins