2007 Parramore Regatta

Severn Sailing Association, Annapolis, MD

May 19-20

The 2007 Parramore was held on May 19-20, 2007.  In many ways, the biggest story was the weather – Small Craft Advisories for both days – and puffs that regularly pushed close to the Class wind limits.  It would be those puffs that would explain why boats 1140 (McKenna); 1134 ( Ireland ) and 1091 (Koinis) would spend nearly as much time disabled and anchored as they did racing.  The McKennas sheared off their rudder in Race 5; Koinis was dismasted very early in the proceedings; and Nate Ireland blew out the bolt at the hounds before the first race on Sunday.  But with SSA’s ever-efficient John Potter running racing, a big Danforth was delivered to the each boat, and crews rode things out on the ground tackle. 

 Conditions were plenty good enough to get nine hard races in over two days, though, as long as one could keep the boat in one piece.  (In an interview for the Spanish broadcaster Aviva, my quadriceps were quoted as saying “that piece of x!j%$, he could have pulled on some outhaul”).  Dave and Sue Michos continued to be the best road warriors in the class, demonstrating their consistency and toughness by winning three of day one’s five races outright.  Two of those wins came in the final two races of the day as all the other crews wore down or wore out.  Nate Ireland whose home turf is a protected lake, showed some wind and wave savvy by opening racing with a second staying in the hunt through race four. 

 With the breeze out of the West throughout racing, and the courses set in Whitehall Bay , trying to sail sound tactics was difficult.  Pressure and waves were left – coming down the Severn ; flatter water and a right-side lift were available toward Whitehall Creek.  The middle was typically clogged with Vanguard 15s running downwind.  These factors made covering and the tactics of consistency (stay in the middle; don’t overcommit to the laylines) pretty useless, and there were regularly major passing opportunities at the top of the course.  Since there were big blasting puffs, particularly at the lower end of the course, the leeward marks also presented passing changes for those that were willing to carry their spinnakers late into the marks.  From Team Schwenk’s perspective, these factors ended a promising run toward an overall win.

Coming into Sunday, we were 4 points back of the far more consistent Michos ( Mentesana , Ireland , McKenna, Parramore, and Reshetiloff all picked us off in races on Day 1).  But we opened with two straight wins on Day 1 to tie things up.  We had the lead in Race 3, but saw a huge puff coming late in last downwind leg, dropped the kite, and watched Mike Parramore and The Michos plane through inside at the mark.  Despite all we could do, we could not make up the ground again.  In the final race, again with a late lead, a tack in a big puff and waves left us floundering in irons and after backing down, there was no catching Parramore and Lochner. 

- Dirk Schwenk

Pictures (Courtesy of Dan Phelps)

Results Posted 5/23/07

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