2011 Nationals

Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club, Mt. Arlington, NJ

August 10-13

Another year, and more answers:

1) One NJ fleet attended: HSC, sending several boats, who placed well.

2) The Green did not make an appearance.

3) No and No.

4) Everyone agreed Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club is one of the nicest.

5) No, the streak did not end..

LHYC, located in Mt. Arlington, NJ, hosted the 2011 Jet-14 Nationals, and laid out the red carpet for the event. PRO John Deermount and his excellent RC got off 12 races over the 4 day period, and even provided wind each day! John, incidentally, was a former Class member active until the early 70’s, and finished as high as 2^nd in the Nationals.

Several local members opened up their homes to those desiring housing. Thanks LHYC!

Once the home of a thriving Jet fleet, LHYC had previously hosted the 1969 Nationals.

Junior Nationals

The Junior Nationals started on Wednesday, and was a match race contest between the teams of Simon Bertocci/Alec Manson in #1148, and Matt Japikse/Chris Whalen sailing #664. Racing was close, with several lead changes in the puffy conditions, and in the end Simon and Alec prevailed. Nice job to both teams, who sailed their boats well throughout the series.

Nationals, Day 1

Racing got started on time in a shifty NW breeze, varying 5 to 15 knots. Classic lake sailing. During the day, the wind swung left, and the RC moved the course accordingly. 5 races were completed, and by the end of the day, most teams had had their fill of  the 30 degree wind shifts.  Only 4 boats were able to survive the day with all top-10 finishes: Doug Brown and Susan Mallows in #747, Guido and Simon Bertocci in #1148, James and Peter McKenna in #1143, and Team 558. Highlights of the day included:

-Darren and Griffin Jiron (#1048) nailing down a 7^th in Race 1, and I don’t remember seeing a spinnaker

-Matt Japikse with dad Dave crewing, impressed the fans with a 6^th in Race 3

-Dave and Sue Michos (#217) ending the day with a 1^st and a 2^nd

-The first OCS of the series was suffered by Team Parker (#1135), but it didn’t seem to slow them down any

-Team 558 got a lesson in basic math (simple addition), as it lost count of laps in one race

-The hard-luck story for the day was that of Chris Hennon and Andrew Dill (#483), who blew out a chain plate while hoisting the boat into the water

Lessons learned: 1) Keep your bow pointed at or as close to the mark as possible.

                            2) Know basic math.

                            3) Thru-bolt your chain plates.

Day 2

More of the same…a little less breeze. Wind was out of the NW 4 to 8 knots, and yes, shifty. 2 races were completed. The wind again shifted left as the day went on, and courses were moved, starting lines adjusted, in a  valiant attempt by the RC to get another race, but it wasn’t meant to be. New faces in the top-10 appeared with the Eric Johnson/Cathy Cotell (#1146) Team getting an 8^th and a 4^th. Team Parker figured out the shifts perfectly in Race 8 as they did a horizon job on the fleet. Meanwhile, Marion Zaugg and Philip Bunting (#1132) sailing “Little Weasel”, continued to sneak up on the leaders.

After racing, an excellent silent auction was organized and put on by Bob Putnam, with the Class benefiting with additional $$. Thanks Bob, and those who donated the items!

Lessons learned: 1) Keep your bow pointed towards the mark.

                            2) Beware of the Little Weasel.

Day 3

Last day, last chance to improve.  We still had wind! Sometimes difficult to have at Lake Hopatcong for 4 straight days in the summer. The breeze was generally ESE at 5 to 10 knots, and still shifty. 2 races were completed. The Parkers and Little Weasel tied for best-of day, with Weasel winning the last race just edging out Team Parker. The real competition was for the 4^th thru 7^th spots. Team McKenna, by virtue of a 2^nd in the next-to-last race, and Team Bertocci with a 3^rd in the last race, benefited the most. Other strong finishes on this last day were had by Barb and Tom Joudrey in #94 with a 3^rd, and Team Hennon/Dill, complete with new chain plate , with a 5^th. Way to end the regatta!

Lessons learned : 1)Keep your bow pointed towards to the mark.

                             2)Keep on fighting.

After the smoke cleared, the final results showed Team 558 in first, spurred on by a great performance by crew Megan Booth, who had a “game-on” attitude from the minute she arrived until the end of the last race. It was a nice return to LHYC for the boat still-Class-member, ex-Class president, and former National Champ Ed Barbehenn built and first sailed there in 1963.  Bryan and Tiffany Parker, once again sailing a strong series with all top-5 finishes, were 2^nd, and winners of the top husband – wife team.  They kept working hard after a tough break on Day 1, and were rewarded. Closely following in 3^rd were Marion Zaugg and Philip Bunting (Tiffany Parker’s brother). Philip is fairly new to sailing, but he is talented, and coupled with Marion’s sailing and teaching skills, he learned quickly. They also sailed a strong series with only 1 race (a 6^th) out of the top-5. There was a 3-way tie for 4^th between Team McKenna, Team Bertocci, and Team Brown/Mallows, with these boats finishing 4,5 6 respectively after the tie-breaker. Only 2 points back was Team Michos, who again overcame a slow start to the series. The final placing for these 4 boats was determined on the last beat of the last race. Good stuff! Barb and Tom Joudrey quietly took care of business to secure 8^th, while Bob Putnam and Mary Grealy held on for 9^th. Paul Joudrey and Adam Giese started putting some top-10 finishes together to nab 10^th.

The President’s fleet had some new faces, and ended up as follows: Darren and Griffin Jiron in 1^st, Matt and Dave Japikse in 2^nd, Seth Parker and Nate Reffner in 3^rd, Dan and Danny Lehane in 4^th, and Cara Sanderson Bown and Tom Goddard in 5^th.

The Persistence Award went to Cara Sanderson Bown (aka Nautigirl), who has already begun to make changes to her boat to get faster.

Youngest Sailor again went to Griffin Jiron. At some point, his streak will end!

Most Improved went to Guido Bertocci, who is a very experienced sailor, and has previously raced in some international classes. We hope to see more of both Guido and Simon next year.

And then there’s Matt Japikse, who took home more silver than anybody. To his already mentioned overall finishes, he added Best Jr, Skipper in Open Nationals, and the Novice Award for best finisher 1^st time skippering at Nationals.

THANK YOU

-to everyone at LHYC for hosting a very enjoyable event

-to PRO John Deermount and his RC, for excellent race committee work. As hard as it was for the sailors, it’s even more difficult for the RC to get in good races in such shifty winds.

-to Dave Japikse, for years of great service to the Class, and the last 2 as President

-to the participants. If those who attended this year attend next year’s event, plus a majority of the Ohio boats which could not come this year, we’ll have a great turnout in 2012!

On a final note, let’s talk next year. The 2012 Nationals will be in Lorain, OH, located about 20 miles west of Cleveland. Racing will be on beautiful Lake Erie, with the dates to be finalized soon. Look for more info on this shortly. And of course, there are MORE QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

-How many boats are really in OH? Let’s find out!

-The Green seems to be fading. Time for a new go-fast potion?

-What is a buckeye, and will we see one?

-Will the streak end?

 - Brent Barbehenn #558

Pictures

Junior Nationals

Special Awards

Youngest Sailor- Griffon Jiron

Persistence award- Cara Sanderson Brown

Best Jr skipper in open Nationals- Matt Japikse

Novice award- Matt Japikse

Most Improved- Guido Bertocci

Best Husband and Wife Team- Bryan/Tiffany

Rebel Trophy- James McKenna

Results Posted 8/30/2011

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