2010 Mohican Chiefs Regatta

Mohican Sailing Club, Mansfield OH

June 12-13

Fifteen boats and crew were on the line for this years Mohican Chiefs regatta.  Considering the forecast and recent weather, hot, rain, thunderstorms, we were quite pleased with the turn out.  How were the conditions for racing?  Well we did get dribbled on a little Saturday afternoon, but the wind was blowing around 10 knots out of the south and building Saturday as the boats hoisted sails and headed out, but........that was about as good as it got until around 2:00 p.m. on Sunday as we were all leaving.  Then if filled in again at around 10 knots.  Between those times, when we were actually sailing, 1-8 knots, a little better Sunday.  A quick look at the results and you will see, well for one thing that none of the top three finishers actually won a single race.  However, everyone of them was leading on several occasions in several races.  Builds character.

We had most of the regulars from our Ohio fleets.  Of special note was Mike Brock in his never been wet before brand new Allen.  She is a beauty!  A date mix up left Mike without crew, but my wife Carol was delighted, maybe a little too delighted to leave her crewing duties in my boat to my sister Karen, and jumped in #1158 with Mike.  Her description....fabulous!  The most crew friendly Jet she has ever been on.  A parted split mainsheet in race one keep them from getting #1158 anything like tuned up, but it is all there.

My nephew Tom Joudrey came home from his new digs at Penn State and brought along his old friend Byron Freund, who had sailed but never raced.  Byron’s new wife Aimee came along to watch, never having been in a sailboat, the whole thing sounded interesting.  But Bill Buckles crew was a no show for Saturday so, Aimee ended up racing for the first time in her life.  Which turned out to include a couple third place finishes for the day.

Mohicans Bill Sanderson, a longtime Interlake sailor tried a Jet for the first time, in the photos you will see Bill in the top three at several windward marks but he found keeping the Jet going uphill and down, challenging.  Mohicans Tom Wills and Andy Knight, also Interlake sailors, sailed Stewarts Fitzgibbon’s #1161, and with Sue Wills on board Sunday, just began to get her up to speed late in Sundays racing.

The results kind of speak for themselves. In race One, my sister Barb with new comer Garth Boyd in his first regatta ever, sailed away from the fleet and could have sailed off the edge of the earth for all I could tell they were so far ahead. Jim and Andrew Hermetet put up a strong second, to prove they are not just mastering Lake Erie conditions.   In race Two, my nephew Tom led the pack around the first mark, and then began to explain to Byron that the colorful sail needed to come out again.......The Parkers won that one and the next, soundly.   Nate Ireland and Josh Lehman put up their second third in three races. And in the final race of the day Ivan Baker with Mike Moes crewing a Jet for the first time fought off just about everyone at one time or another but made it stick for a win.

Dinner time.  Steaks and Grilled chicken, all the fix’ns.  Then as a bonus(?) Barb Joudrey ran a Trivia contest after dinner.  There were three teams, of sorts, with a few roaming free agents.  The out come is still up in the air, several recounts have been filled, we will let you know.

Sunday, can you say HE-MAN?  Glass smooth lake, but by the time the griddle was washed, the leaves were stirring.  Two more races in a slowly building 2-6 knots out of the West.  The Michos’s came out flying and put the regatta away.  Hemetets got back to form and sowed up second and master Nate stayed cool and collected and held off Ivan for a third overall.  That left a four way tie for fifth.  No reward for consistency here, Bridget Ireland with guest crew Sean Dillon had all single digit finishes, Mike and Jon Chambers, two top fives and one bad race and Bill Buckles with a totally novice crew and three top three finishes and the winner........who wrote those tie breaker rules any way......

Thanks to everyone, really.  It is just a blast to see so many new faces sailing Jets and having a wonderful time.  There were lots of smiles and very glad we came from each competitor there.  That is why they built the place and why we work to keep it going.  See you all at the next one soon.

Pictures
 

Results Posted 6/22/2010

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