May 14-16, 2003

View and purchase REGATTA PHOTOS at The Pirate's Lair.

From the Winners

Special thanks to Dan Merino and Bill Jenkins for putting together this year’s PCC’s, hosted by Mission Bay Yacht Club. This was a world class event and all attending teams had a great time. The RC work was spot on, running the full schedule of 8 quality races despite the expected light conditions.

The racing was tight throughout the event, with the top 4 teams all winning races. The no throw out format added to the tension, keeping it interesting to the end. The top teams all figured out that wind pressure was key, and it was possible to gain or lose large distances in short order. Howie and I kept alert in the variable conditions, combining solid speed and conservative tactics to post consistent scores throughout. Doug and Stuart put on an impressive mid-regatta surge, using blazing speed to win 2 races on the middle day to set up a day 3 showdown for the title. Coming from behind to lead race 7 at the finish, Doug and Stuart touched the final mark and had to settle for 3rd, giving Howie and I a comfortable 5 point lead with 1 race to go. The last race was the best of the event, with the sun shining and the wind peaking at 12 knots, giving all the teams some wire running to wrap up the event.

Peter Alarie

Phlegm - the new fluid in town:

Teams from Long Beach, SLO, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco joined several locals last weekend in San Diego for the 505 Pacific Coast Championships hosted by Mission Bay Yacht Club. Howie Hamlin and Peter Alarie teamed up to win the regatta, but with only 3 firsts it was no blow-out. The trophy was up for grabs until the last race. Howie and Peter liked the light wind on Day 1 and finishes of 2, 1, 1 put them comfortably on top. But on Day 2, Doug Hagan and Stuart Park sailed in the puffs, and out of the kelp, more consistently. They dominated with finishes of 4, 1, 1 to close the gap to only 4 points.

The wind finally picked up enough on Day 3 to allow trapezing and planing upwind and downwind for the last two races. Doug and Stuart were winning the first race, which would have put them only two points behind Howie and Peter, when they hit the last mark. Their penalty circle dropped them back to third. Showing their mastery in the marginal trapezing conditions, Howie and Peter took the series in style with a bullet in the last race. Doug and Stuart ended up second in the regatta while Nick Adamson and Alan Norman were not far behind in third.

Other highlights of the regatta included the pairing of Dan Thompson and Dan Downing, together for the first time since their heyday in the late '70s. But for a missed first race, Dan and Dan sailed an excellent series and would have had a shot at winning. Karl Deardorff and Jim Picard won in the Classic Division with their appropriately named Parker boat Forever Plaid. The parties on the beach Friday and Saturday night were great with food, beer, and a band providing an awesome ambience for locals and visitors to swap stories.

Bill Jenkins