2019 Dave Irey Regatta

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June 1-2
West River Sailing Club, Galesville, MD

Three boats from three states gathered for the Dave Irey Regatta at West River Sailing Club on June 1-2. Doug and Susan Brown (747) came down from New Jersey and Lenny Wells and Teri Fosmire (433) came up from North Carolina to join locals Eric Johnson and Cathy Cotell (1146). The forecast was for light winds all weekend, so we started off the event just hoping to have enough wind for decent racing. The Irey is a multiclass event, so Jets were sharing the course with A-cats, Chesapeake 20s, Flying Scots, Albacores and Lasers. While the RC did their best to keep the fleets separated, the sheer number of boats on the short courses occasionally made for some challenging interactions between the fleets.

Saturday’s first race was held in a shifty 6-8 knot southeasterly breeze that lasted just long enough to get a race in. Doug and Susan roared off the starting line like a 747 and led all the way around the course to start the regatta with a bullet. After a brief postponement for a dying breeze, we enjoyed an unusually steady southeasterly breeze for the rest of the day. This turned into an excellent opportunity for speed testing, and with Eric and Cathy’s 1146 sporting a brand new main and jib, they made the most of the conditions, notching wins in the next three races.

Sunday was definitely a day for the lake sailors, with the wind more westerly, with significant shifts and puffs. As it turns out, the best wind of the day was on the sail out to the course. The first race of the day started in about 8 knots of breeze, which got lighter and patchier as the race progressed. Playing the big shifts and puffs were important, as was staying out of trouble with traffic. Lenny and Teri did this beautifully, and were leading the race late in the penultimate leg until they were swallowed up by a pack of Chesapeake 20s on the right side of the course. Doug and Susan hit a line of pressure on the left, which allowed them to take the lead at the last rounding and hold on to it through the finish. The last leg of the race was sailed in the last remnants of the morning’s breeze, and when the RC signaled a postponement to wait for wind, the Jetters agreed that they had had enough, especially considering the long trip home for two-thirds of the participants.

In the end, Eric and Cathy edged out Doug and Susan by one point for the overall win; Lenny and Teri took third overall.   Special thanks to Lenny, Teri, Doug and Susan for making the trip and helping keep this event alive for the Jet-14 class.

Eric Johnson (#1146)