2014 Jet-14 Nationals

Mayfield Yacht Club, Mayfield NY

August 14-16

This picture captures it pretty well.

The 2014 Jet 14 Nationals were hosted by Mayfield Yacht Club and Jet 14 fleet 63 on the beautiful waters of Great Sacandaga Lake. Dean Whalen, his wife Kelly, and the other members of the fleet and club did a wonderful job welcoming 19 teams from as far as Cleveland, OH, Mansfield, OH, and Asheville, NC.

One would expect mid-August air temperatures to be in the 80s with relatively light winds, similar to the conditions experienced during the 2009 Nationals at MYC. In reality, the only similarity between the 2009 and 2014 nationals was the hospitality extended by Mayfield. Notable differences included:

    • All activities, including boat launching, took place on club grounds

    • Air temperatures on Thursday and Friday were in the low to mid 60s

    • Winds on Thursday and Friday that never let up – consistently in the upper teens and twenties with gusts exceeding 30mph

    • Lack of Brent Barbehenn sightings

Day 1 – Thursday August 14^th

Dean Whalen and PRO Bill Topping started the skippers meeting promptly at 9am. Dean reviewed a few ground rules, and Bill went through the normal RC routine. Even though the temperatures were a little on the cool side, the breeze on the bay looked perfect to have an easy run out to the main body of the lake. The fleet was excited to hit the water.

Dave Japikse and Dean Whalen used their 4x4’s to quickly launch all the boats on trailers. A few sailors had brought their own Seitech dollies which made for easy hand launching. Within minutes, the majority of the fleet was afloat and heading east toward the starting area. A brisk 10-15 mph breeze brought the fleet out into the lake, but had built to almost 20 mph by the time the group found the starting line.

PRO Bill had set a W-L-W-L with about a mile leg. The first warning signal went up at about 11am, and the 2014 nationals were under way. With the stiff breeze, a few boats headed back to the ranch to enjoy a warmer and drier climate. The rest of the fleet braved the violent puffs but managed fairly well on the first W-L. Starting the second beat, the wind velocity continued to increase to a sustained 20+ mph. Unbeknownst to the entire fleet, Bill had abandoned the race after the first pack rounded the leeward mark.  The major (25+ mph) gusts came down the course as the top four boats (Michos, Parker, Zaugg, and Gemperline) were homing in on the finish line. Along with several other boats on the course, 3 of the top 4 boats capsized. All 4 boats probably should have capsized, but untangling the spinnaker sheet from the boom while trying to jibe to the finish somehow protected the Parkers from a cold swim.

With nearly half the fleet over, the RC sent the remaining boats toward the club. Most of the capsized boats righted themselves fairly quickly and sailed in. Two boats weren’t quite as lucky, as it took over 2 hours to get them righted and ashore. No further races were attempted that day due heavy wind and a large amount of carnage.

Day 2 – Friday August 15^th

Friday’s forecast was 10-15 mph with a cooler temperature than Thursday. The wind direction was similar, starting out about 20 degrees further left (south) than the day before. Again the fleet hit the water with what looked to be a beautiful 8-10 mph breeze.

Some were a little late in hitting the start line, so the RC delayed the first start. By this time, the breeze was sustained in the mid to upper teens, with the gusts hitting the 20+ mark. Bill had again set the L2 course (W-L-W-L) with a mile leg.

All indications suggested the best strategy was to work left upwind; a good number of the fleet had similar thoughts. Team Michos was able to jump out to an early lead by working right and finding a winder to come back to the left. They led all around the course and finished with the bullet.

The conditions were very similar for the second race, but with a bit more velocity. Knowing that the winder existed on the right side of the course made a very challenging decision on how to play the weather leg. Parker, Sackett and Gemperline worked left, and again the Michos’ went right. That same winder brought the rightmost fleet back on a great angle, and the top 6 boats rounded the weather mark very close to each other. Knowing the winder was sticking around, team Parker worked the middle right on the second beat, which helped them move into the lead and take race 2.

Several significant wind shifts and a lunch break led to an hour long postponement between races 2 and 3. Normally this would be a welcomed break from the action, but sailing back and forth in the big breeze was almost as tiring as racing, and was anything but relaxing.

As the third race got underway, the breeze felt like it had built even more. As a majority of the fleet was approximately 2/3 of the way up the first beat, a squall line came through that had everyone hanging on for dear life. This squall was several intense minutes of 25+ mph breeze; I was thankful we were not headed downwind with our chute up. Fortunately the fleet managed to sail through the squall line with little carnage.

As the top boats rounded the weather mark, there was hesitation to hoist the spinnakers, especially after the experience from the previous day. After the dust settled, and everyone regained their composure, many boats began to set their chutes. A few boats took the opportunity to call it a day and headed in since they were a mile closer to the club. The rest of the race played out with little incident, and team Parker was able to hang on for the win.

After three races, the fleet was cold and tired (with the exception of team Gemperline, who was ready for more).  It wasn’t too difficult to convince the RC that it was time to call it a day, especially since half the fleet had already retired from racing.

The day ended with the class meeting, silent auction, and a delicious spaghetti dinner at the club.

Day 3 – Saturday August 16^th

With only 3 races in the books, the title was up in the air on Saturday morning. With lighter westerly winds in the forecast and long racecourses, there was plenty of opportunity to gain or lose ground in the standings. It was very challenging to come up with a game plan, since the leaders would undoubtedly split sides of the course. With the significant shifts and puffs, major gains were to be had.

Team Michos again had a great first race, and took another bullet in a beautiful 5-10 mph westerly. Lee Sackett finished a strong second, with the Parkers in third. Both teams had now narrowed the gap on the Parkers’ 4 point lead that started the day.

Sailors enjoyed a similar wind velocity in race 5, and Lee was able to work his magic on the right side of the course again. He jumped out to a comfortable lead and was able to hang on for the win. The Parker’s held onto second, and Mike Gemperline finished third.

Races 6 and 7 were the lightest and shiftiest of the regatta, as demonstrated by the success of the Mohican magicians (Marion Zaugg and Barb Zaugg). Marion jumped out to a huge lead in race 6, just in time for the breeze to shut down on the run to the finish. He was certainly a little nervous as he saw the breeze fill in from behind and his lead diminish. Luckily he was able to hold on for the win, with the Parkers, Tom Grace, and Lee Sackett not far behind.

The final race of the series was definitely the flukiest of them all. Extended periods of no breeze and 90 degree shifts were the norm. Somehow Marion and Barb were always able to hunt down the whispers of breeze and school the fleet in light air racing. Charlie Bark must have drank some of the Charles Mill Reservoir water during his last visit to Mansfield, as he finished with his best score in 3^rd.

A big thank you to:

    • Mayfield Yacht Club for hosting a great event

    • Dean and Kelly Whalen for running the show

    • Bill Topping and crew for running 7 great races

    • All the competitors who made the trip to Mayfield – we couldn’t do this if it wasn’t for you!

    • Chris Hennon for his past and future service as class president

    • My wife Tiffany for being an awesome crew on the water and an awesome mom on land

Bryan Parker (Jet 14 # 1135)

Pictures (Women and Open Nationals)

RESULTS

Special Awards:

   Husband and Wife Trophy:                                                                 Dave and Sue Michos
   Highest First-time Skipper Trophy:                                                    Paul Blonski
   Rebel Trophy (highest finisher from south of Mason-Dixon line):   Tom Grace
   UK Sailmakers Trophy (most improved from last Nationals):         Lenny Wells
   Youngest Sailor:                                                                                   Colleen Lehane
   Persistence Award (lowest finisher that finished all races):            Paul Blonski
 

Results Posted 8/29/2014

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