Turkey Regatta at MBYC

Bill Jenkins - November 16 & 17, 2002

With Santa Ana conditions raging inland it was no surprise that the Turkey regatta this year was sailed in warm, light wind conditions. Saturday, with crews occasionally out on the trapeze, was a bit breezier than Sunday.

Taz (Bryce Davis and Derek), 7152 (Mike Jue and Marc Winger), and Weasel (Dan Merino and Bill Jenkins) sailed on Saturday. The highlight was clearly the entertainment provided by Team Weasel where Bill and Dan exchanged positions: Dan drove and Bill crewed. We did okay as long as the wind stayed in the under-8-knots range. But in race 2 it picked up to a whopping 12 knots, in the gusts anyway, and the seams definitely showed their cracks. We had a good time experiencing some of the thrills the other guy normally takes for granted: starting and driving for Dan, trapezing and spin trimming for me.

Mike and Marc kept the pressure up all day. During the blustery second race, Weasel was a little unstable and seemed to fill with water as fast as it drained out The boys on 7152 were always there to take the passing lane. Kelp was another key factor, even inside the bay. A few mysterious, dramatic changes in boat speed were eventually traced to kelp on the boards. Taz didn’t actually race, but was out on the water all day working out the bugs, and even stayed out after the rest of the fleet had gone in for an extra hour of training. With that kind of commitment, it won’t be long before Bryce is ready to make a run for the Classic Championship.

There were a lot of changes and additions on Sunday. Mike lost Marc, but gained Jeremy on 7152. Bryce lost Derek but gained Paul Crivelli on Taz. Jeremy, Paul, and Derek were all taking their first ride on a 505. Rob Waterman brought the 88^th Planet down from Long Beach and was joined by Charlie Jenkins. They make a great team and are very fast together. Early as always, Roger Lovett and Mike Barry paddled FreeBee over from Santa Clara point before anyone else had even raised a jib. They chilled and played mind games with the rest of us as we rigged up. Ben Wood brought his wife Lisa to take Chris Stomberg’s BOB out. They figured out how to rig BOB, an accomplishment in itself, got it into the water and put it through its paces for a few hours. Hopefully we will see them again for some racing.

The racing on Sunday, while sailed in lighter wind, saw some great match-ups. Taz and FreeBee duked it out several times in what was possibly a preview of a hotly contested Classic Championship in 2003. And FreeBee almost beat 7152 in the last race. 88^th Planet and Weasel enjoyed some intense competition. Weasel won the first two races by a slim margin, but Planet passed Weasel during the first run of the last race and extended their lead to win by a healthy margin. At the leeward mark, our bow must have passed within two inches of their rudder as we rounded behind the Planet and tacked for clear air. I’m sure I felt Dan’s heart skip a beat (or maybe that was mine). But the Planeteers sailed extremely fast up the next beat and just kept pulling ahead.

Weasel, 88^th planet, and FreeBee stayed out during the lunch break for a bunch of rabbit starts and upwind tuning. It was a great opportunity to work on light air settings. FreeBee picked up some speed as well, putting pressure on 7152 in the last race of the day.

The good news is that Team Weasel won a certificate for a turkey which we all get to enjoy at the White Elephant party next month. And Rob Waterman took home a frozen game hen to show Maggie that he really is providing sustenance for his family.

Incredibly, a few people decided not to participate in this exciting experience. These are their Lame Excuses:

Billings – Hard to follow the logic, but it’s definitely NOT JOHN’S FAULT. He showed up both days to explain this to us.

Eberhardt – Dug hole through kitchen floor and can’t climb out.

Kursava – Held captive in castle in the woods, forced to participate in ancient Nordic spanking ritual.

Nelson – Big boats have more room for wanking.

Schnelker – Looking for buyers for his free testimonialization.

Stomberg – Decided to sit this one out.

Results:

1 Weasel Merino/Jenkins

2 7152 Jue/Winger/Jeremy

3 88^th Planet Waterman/Jenkins

4 FreeBee Lovett/Barry

5 Taz Davis/Derek/Crivelli