2012 Nationals
Lorain Sailing and Yacht Club, Lorain
OH
August 15-18
Once again the Jet-14 Class was treated to another great
event—the 2012 Nationals hosted by Lorain Sailing and Yacht Club on the
beautiful waters of Lake Erie. Regatta chairpersons, Bryan and Tiffany Parker,
along with the others from LSYC put on a great show both on and off the water.
Their efforts were evident to all who attended. THANK YOU!
Of course you can’t have a great regatta without good
attendance, and this year’s 25 entries showed an increase over past years. Most
impressive were the 7 first-time nationals attendees (all competing for the
coveted Novice Award), including Stuart Butcher/Kristen Mastrangelo (#1015),
Michael and Ann Brock (#1158), Ron Anzlovar/Dan Gotti (#628), Barry and Eleanor
Saunders (#962), Ernie Michaud/Anna Petronzio (#760), Charlie Bark/Katie
Pickard (#1137), and Craig Kvale/Corey Wisniewski (#530). Craig and Corey won
the Novice Award with an overall 9th place finish.
The regatta also brought back several “old timers” who had
raced Jets years ago, and we had not seen in some time. It was great to see Greg Koski, Bill Buckles,
Dick Parker and Tim Parker again!
Also of note, 2 out of the 6 top boats were those built by
our current builder, Allen Boatworks, and we hope to see more on the water
soon.
Racing got underway with the Womens and Junior Nationals
held in mostly light wind. Mike Gemperline and Tom Irwin bested Matt Japikse
and Maggie Pokalsky for the Junior title, and the team of Karen Hugon and Ann
Roessner won the Womens event. Nice sailing to all!
The National then took place over the next 3 days.
Day 1
3 races; Winds SW 8-18 knts. Dave and Sue Michos nailed the
first race start, played the shifts perfectly, and never looked back as they
pulled away from the fleet to get the win. It was evident they were fast, and
forewarned the others of things to come. Marion Zaugg and Jacqueline Gedeon
showed their same good speed in 2nd, and Greg Koski/Ian Moran hadn’t
lost anything in his long absence with a close 3rd. The Gemperline/Irwin Team looked like they
got faster after the Juniors event, and won the next race in impressive
fashion. Skip Dieball and Abby Freeman, sailing the Class boat (#1159) built by
Allen Boatworks, took 3rd.
The last race of the day was barely won by Team 558, with Team Parker closing
in quickly. Not quite sure what they were doing to go so fast, but the Parkers
made a big move from 6th to 2nd on the second beat,
almost getting the lead. With the wind increasing, and several boats having
capsized and/or retired, the RC called it a day.
The hard-luck story for the regatta belongs to Doug Brown
and Susan Mallows from NJ. A back injury during race 1 forced them to retire
after that race, and they could not go back out for the remainder of the
regatta. Get well soon Doug!
Day 2
4 races; Winds NW 12-18 knts. A cold front had passed thru
the area overnite, and the wind blowing over the water with the long fetch made
for a bumpy ride. The boat-stopping waves and chop gave all a condition not
normally seen. For the lighter crews, it was a fine line between depowering (by
bending the mast and flattening sails) vs. keeping enough power in the rig to
get up/over/thru the mountains of water. For the heavier crews, it was time to
smile, and watch the lightweights suffer! Once again Team Michos got out to a
fast start, and one did not want to be 
near them, as they would go over, under
or thru you. They had the best upwind speed, and at the end of the day jumped
to 2nd overall in the standings. Others taking a liking to the
bigger breeze, and making more frequent appearances in the front of the fleet
were the Bill Buckles/George Auer team, the Dick Parker/Jonathan Smith team,
and Mike and Jon Chambers. Aggression on the starting line began to surface as
Webmaster Chris Hennon with
wife/Class Pres Paula picked up a dreaded OCS in race 6. At the end of the day
the tired and wet fleet was glad to head for the harbor and some rest, but
satisfied to have had another beautiful day of sailing.
A great dinner, the annual meeting, and a super auction
(organized by Dave Michos) followed.
Day 3
2 races; Winds NNE 7-10 knts. Another great day, and one
last chance to improve. But still some left over chop to slow one down. Team
Zaugg/Gedeon led wire-to-wire in the first race of the day, showing impressive
downwind speed to their already loaded arsenal. In the second race, the Barb
Joudrey/Garth Boyd team showed their lighter air form, leading the race for a
time, and eventually finishing 3rd. Team Koski/Moran had a great day
with a 2-3. They, along with the Dieball/Freeman team, had the most consistent
series.
In the end Team 558 ended up on top, spurred on by the super
efforts of crew Sarah Paisley. Although
she has sailed in many other one-designs, and has won multiple championships,
this was her first time in a Jet, and hopefully not her last. Dave and Sue
Michos and Greg Koski/Ian Moran tied for 2nd, with Team Michos winning the tie-breaker.
They held on just enough on Day 3, as Koski/Moran put the pressure on with
great finishes. Dave and Sue won the Husband/Wife Award, and Ian won the
Youngest Sailor Award. 4th went to the always competitive Marion
Zaugg and Jacqueline Gedeon. Bryan and Tiffany Parker were 5th, and
were most likely distracted and exhausted by their fine efforts to run the
event. Skip Dieball and Abby Freeman nabbed 6th, and the Class was
fortunate to have them sail the Class boat, and do well. The team of Bill
Buckles and George Auer took 7th, by way of a last race 6th,
just edging out the Mike Gemperline/Tom Irwin team, who finished 8th.
Unfortunately for Team Gemperline/Irwin, a few breakdowns most likely cost them
a better final placing. Craig Kvale and Corey Wisniewski sailed a very
consistent series to grab 9th, as well as the Novice Award, and Mike
and Jon Chambers were consistent as well to get 10th, showing that
pond sailors can do okay on the open water.
The President’s Fleet was very competitive with 7 boats in
contention, and had Charlie Bark and Katie Pickard in 1st, edging
out Ernie Michaud and Anna Petronzio in 2nd, with Barry and Eleanor
Saunders in 3rd. Barry and Eleanor can’t wait for next year with the
event close to them in North Carolina!
Did somebody say hushpuppies, beans, barbecue…….?
Matt Japikse and Maggie Pokalsky won the Persistence Award,
showing their good survival skills.
Seth Parker and Joe Minard won the Most Improved Award,
getting 12th overall. Word has it Joe may be looking for a boat of
his own.
A few more THANK YOU’S:
- To
Bryan and Tiffany: we can’t thank you enough for the time and effort put
forth so we all can have fun!
- To
Skip Dieball: for sailing with us, and enabling the Class boat to be well
represented. Dieball Sailing donated the sails used in the regatta to be
sold with the boat.
- To
LSYC: for giving the Class the opportunity to use your facility, and for
running a great show.
Dare we ponder MORE QUESTIONS for
next year’s Nationals at Lake Norman:
1. What is a Tar Heel, and will we
see one?
2. Will there be hushpuppies?
3. Will anyone from Annapolis make the trip?
4. Will the streak continue?
- Brent Barbehenn #558
Full Results
Pictures
Results
Posted 9/3/2012
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