2010 Halloween Classic

Mansfield, OH

October 16-17

The next time you hear me crabbing about the wind or weather, ask me how the 2010 Halloween Classic worked out.  That should shut me up. Saturday, sunny and low 60's with winds 2-15 out of the SW.  Not bad.  But then Sunday morning, typically cold and no air, came through with sunny skies and temps warming into the mid 60's, and a much steadier breeze, 5-10 knots out of the North.  This is Mohican remember, in October.

How does it get better?  22 boats,  many new faces, and  lots of good food and high spirits.  Six very good races and a Crew race at the end of the day Saturday with 11 boats racing, some with helms that had rarely or never touched a tiller.  We.....had.....a....Blast!

We had out of state boats.  Marty and Kim Schilke, our western most racers, Chris and Paula Hennon representing the south, and Brent and TARA Barbehenn in their new, no old, #558.  Great to see #558 and Tara on the race course again.   We got to meet the proud new owners of #1149, Jon and Teresa Peter, having just picked up the boat less than a week before.  Wonderful couple and Teresa, the first time at the helm of a Jet sails to a solid sixth in the crew race.   Seth Parker came up with his sweetie, Meaghan Beal ( she IS a sweetie!) and sailed #1076 and did an excellent job considering this is Meaghan’s second time in a dinghy.  Super sailor Hank Boisseneault brought his nephew Andrew Montgomery down  and sailed #180.  What a couple great guys, I hope we get to see more of them next year.

Saturday and one of the first to arrive is Brent and Tara.  Followed by thirty minutes of Brent replaying in painful detail why he hasn’t had enough time to work on the boat, why it isn’t rigged for a spinnaker yet, bla, bla……….that is correct, he and Tara sailed with what appeared to be 6 year old sails sans spinnaker.   Shortly after, my sister Barb shows up, her crew has bagged on her.  So she talks Mary Fulton who has never been in a Jet, into sailing with her instead of working on the race committee boat for the weekend.  These are winning formulas apparently as #558 battled #94 for the lead all the way around the course in race one.  The wind was not really light in some places and stronger in others.  It was more at one place on the lake and not in another.   So occasionally the whole fleet would just stop.  And five minutes later go again.  Race #2 and Hank and Andrew along with the Parkers trade places at the front of the fleet with Brent.  Race three it’s #1132 and the Michos’s working the front.  Tara can only do so much with  a thirty year old whisker pole, so they settle for third, the Parkers a very close fourth, and Mike Gemperline sailing with his dad is just plain tough all weekend and puts up their second of three top five finishes.  Race Four on Saturday and Nate Ireland and Jim Hermetet, sailing together as neither had crew, finally decided that one of them in fact did have to actually crew.  Much better, they stuck the nose of #1134 out in front off and on all the way around the course. If your getting the feeling that this was a closely packed fleet, race after race with different boats holding the lead, you would be correct. 

Next up was the crew race.  When the conditions are right, and this year they were, this is a lot of fun.  This race was every bit as close as any and everyone, several of whom had never touched a tiller, just plain sailed well.

Mike Moes had it going right from the start but John Gemperline had them overlapped at every mark.  Jim Hermetet of course is very at home at the helm and was even with them as well at the last mark.  Right behind and powering through on the beat to the finish was Chuck Connors, fast but not quite fast enough to get by the best crew, and it is called the crew race, Me.  O.k., Carol sailed a great race.   Look at the rest of the list of helms, they all finished within moments of the first boat, Well done.

Back on shore, Big dinner.  Steak of you choice or a one pound chicken breast, and fix’ns, fix’ns, desserts galore.

Sunday and it took the He Man to cheer up many Buckeye fans who had spent the late evening watching the number one Buckeyes get thumped by a bunch of cheese eaters.  But, as I mentioned, the wind filled in steady out of the North and the racing was on.  Tara and Tiffany went right back to the front of the fleet, despite the seven extra pancakes I made them eat.  Ben Stock and Amanda in their boat for the first time this year sailed a very good race and in a tight pack at the finish  managed an eighth.   Ivan was inspired by Mike’s job in the crew race and put up two fourths.  Our web master Chris and Paula Hennon all of the sudden realized this would be the last race of the year and just like last year, shot out to a commanding third.  And I must mention, Peter and Chris Chengelis, who generally finish, well last, by a half a leg or more, were only once at the very back of the fleet and rounded the last mark mid fleet in half the races.  That is good sailing guys.

We still have room for a few more so mark your calendars and start planning now for the 2011 season.  It really is already shaping up to be a great time.

Marion Zaugg, #1132

Pictures

Results Posted 10/31/2010

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