Corsica River, Last Race of the year for the Albacores. Without a doubt, this last race was filled with adrenaline. Saturday was a rainy day with little wind. On that day only 4 Albacores of the 5 that were planned ran. Barney with Jim, Dan with Kaityn, Tyler with Eliza and Elvin with Rachel. Lloyd couldn’t run this time. In the first race the results were: 1st place, Dan 2nd place, Barney 3rd place, Elvin and 4th place, Tyler.

For the Second race everything changed. The weather got worse. The rain started intermittently plus the low temperatures, certainly not pleasant for sailing. The RC decided to cancel the races for the rest of the day. The results for the second race were totally different than the first race. This time Barney came in first place, followed by Dan, Tyler took third place and Elvin came in fourth place. By Saturday we are all in the fight. Dan and Barney were tied fighting for first place as were Elvin and Tyler who were also tied fighting for third place.

Sunday, the rain finally went away, but this time we had extreme conditions with a strong wind that reached 25mph at its maximum. It wasn’t very safe to run the boats, any mistake and you could end up in the water in just seconds. Dan and Kaityn made the decision not to race for Sunday. Only 3 Boats remained. Barney, Tyler and Elvin. The three agreed to go sailing. The conditions were extreme sailing upwind, you had to be very careful, the strong wind was changing direction all the time. The most exciting thing was the triangle course. The boats reached impressive speed as we navigated between the Beam Reach and the Broad Reach. The final results were: 1st place for Barney 2nd place for Tayler and 3rd place for Elvin. It was a weekend full of adrenaline and very exciting sailing in such extreme conditions.

By Elvin Aponte

2023 Corsica Results

Photo Credit to George Linthicum

Big breeze and rain for day one met Canadian and American Albacore sailors at Miles River Yacht Club for the start of the 2023 North American Championships held in St. Michaels, Maryland October 7-9.  Six Canadian teams traveled south to compete in the event from Toronto for a total of 19 boats registered.  After a short onshore postponement, the race committee headed out to set the course for what would be a fresh and fast three races. The wind increased as the day went on, with the last race seeing a sustained 20+ knots. Double triangles were the course du jour which fed the adrenaline loving sailors of the fleet. Blast reaching and sketchy jibes allowed for a most exciting and tiring day of Albacore sailing. There were several capsizes, which showcased the breezy conditions.  Gale Warning (Barney Harris, Ernest Ayukawa) and Strung Out (Darren Monster, Mabel Chan) were in a league of their own sharing first and second in each race. Back on shore sailors warmed up, de-rigged, and headed inside the MRYC clubhouse for a fantastic dinner. During a brief intermission from refueling, a couple of daily awards were handed out. The “Middle of the Pack “award and the “Dumb Decision of the Day” award were given to Dave Tingle and Albert Chau and the DDD award went to Bob Bear and Michael Tellep.

After dinner, the US Albacore Association held its AGM and nominated its executive board. Two board members stepped down allowing for a new Secretary and Vice President to be elected.  Greg Jordan was elected secretary and Tyler Philips was elected Vice President.

As the sun rose on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, it became clear another windy day was upon the sailors for day two.  Four races were held on Miles River in 14-16 knots. Olympic and Triangle courses were sailed. The race committee did a great job of firing off the races and keeping things moving along. Back on shore sailors gathered at Foxy’s for dinner and Albacore trivia. Leading the trivia was Master of Ceremonies, Ralph Glass. Saturday’s winners of the daily awards were Marty Minot and Jordan Minot.  The DDD award went to Stephanie Stalinski and Mr. MC himself, Ralph Glass who did a fantastic job!

There was a lot to play for on Monday as 2^nd and 3^rd place were still very much up for grabs. An offshore breeze meant the day would be all about connecting the dots, going from one puff to the next. The Albacores, now very much used to ripping across the river, were at times becalmed. Skippers and crews spent a great deal of time searching for the next zephyr to pass a couple of boats before the next mark. Back on land, sailors worked together to de-rig and load up boats onto trailers. After the awards were handed out, Chris Bennett made an incredibly generous offer to the American Albacores. He gave a burgee from J-Town, a sailing club in Toronto, to Eva Hogan and said if she makes it up to the Mecca of North American Albacore sailing and presents the burgee, she would be provided with a boat for three days of racing.

Congratulations to AL 8261 Barney Harris and Ernest Ayukawa on winning the 2023 Albacore North American Championship.  Rounding out the podium were Darren Monster and Mabel Chan in AL 7363, and Stephen and Ian Duncan sailing in AL 8199. Top female helm went to Stephanie Stalinski, who sailed in AL 5009 with Ralph Glass.

2023 North Americans Results

2023 North Americans Photo Album
Photo Credit to George Linthicum

The 2023 annual 94th Billy Heintz Regatta held at West River Sailing Club was a great event for Albacore class. The regatta brought two days of planned racing from September 2 – 3.   Day two of racing was canceled due to a lack of wind.  Conditions Saturday were sunny and wind ranged from 4 to 11 knots.  The Albacore sailors showed up in force by being the largest fleet with 13  boats competing in the regatta.

The racing was fierce and competitive, with each boat jockeying for position to be where the wind pressure was during the first race of the day raced in 3 to 5 knots.  After the first race the postponement flag went up as RC waited for more wind.  The fleet moved from the West River into the Chesapeake Bay.  This change allowed racing to be held in 7 to 11 knots of wind.  The southerly wind direction brought a steady breeze with small wind shifts.  A short race course brought congestion at the leeward mark and gaining inside overlap was key to gaining on competitors.  There were a few contentious leeward mark roundings with multiple boats involved.   Upwind playing the 5 to 7 degree shifts made a difference with the top boats able to extend leads.   Downwinds legs saw many boats change positions throughout Saturday with the left side of the course downwind often being favored.  

Congratulations to Barney Harris and Ernest Ayukawa in AL 8261 for winning the event.  Second place went to Mchael Heinsdorf and Eva Hogan in AL 8125. Third place went to Greg Jordan and Scheuermann in AL 8256.  The Billy Heintz Memorial perpetual trophy was awarded Barney Harris and Ernest Ayukawa as the first place finishers in the class with the largest number of registered competitors at the regatta.  Hapco Marine Albacores took the top three positions.

Results are here!

Ware River Governor’s Cup 2023

Ware River Yacht Club welcomed us with their wonderful hospitality for the 59 th Virginia Governor’s Cup Regatta the first weekend in August. With several of our ace crews in Wales for Internationals, some of us were thinking we might have a shot at some silverware!

Natalie and I arrived Friday and camped out for two nights. We don’t have stars in DC, so it was a real treat when the skies cleared and the Big Dipper, Cygnus, and Scorpio lit up the sky. The club included breakfasts, lunches and dinner in the registration fee which made for an easy time off the water. Maize colored technical shirts for all and engraved pewter cups for the winners rounded it out. And a good-sized sea turtle joined us briefly on the water during Sunday racing!

Both days of racing saw light to moderate conditions, so boat speed did make a real difference, though, of course, a good start and clear air always helps. It was hard to keep track of Dave, Jim, and Scott since they were all sailing yellow boats! With the varying wind speeds, crews were moving their body weight all the time and the lighter among us sat on the rail.

On Saturday, Marty Minot shot out to an early lead, taking a number of firsts, while I trailed a bit, being challenged by Dan/Kaitlyn and Dave Huber. Elvin made the trip down for this away regatta and was first to the weather mark in the fourth race while Jim Englert, a returning Albacore sailor now at WRYC, made a strong appearance. Scott Titus was a genial host, and it was good to see Suzanne Morgan (she crewed with me two years ago) along with the other active sailors from WRYC.

Natalie and I were in striking distance of Marty and Jordan after the first day, and when we managed to just beat them in the first race on Sunday, our hopes soared. We had a bit better boat speed than on Saturday, having tweaked our mast adjustment, but the excitement came when Marty engaged us in a tacking duel near the finish line. We went back and forth at least five times, neither boat losing speed nor focus while rolling our boats. Finally we were able to break off toward the line and get the needed first. Alas, in the next race we did lose focus on the leeward rounding and Marty slipped away for the win. And Dan, going out to the right in clear air, also picked us off.

The Hapco boats were all set up differently. Dan pinned up for really light air on Sunday and shared the helm with Kaitlyn, who powered to second place in the sixth race and Dan matched her with a second in the seventh and last race after being first to the weather mark. Marty, Lloyd and Tom caught up downwind in that race. Marty gybed to pass behind Dan but Tom on the right got to the leeward mark first then went right and won going away. Dan and Dave went right with clear air.

Natalie and I cleared our air after the leeward mark and got left, where we thought the wind would be coming from the bay. Marty followed us, though he was ahead, and every time we tried to break contact, he covered, closely. We even tacked into headers to avoid him, but to no avail. Ugh! When the left and the right converged at the finish line, Dan crossed ahead of Marty to gain second behind Tom, and I was able to just barely tack toward the finish on Dave’s bow.

Marty and Jordan won overall, Natalie and I finished second, and Dan and Kaitlyn came in third. Jill Williamson, who had come down to enjoy the scene and help out, won the Congressional Cup, awarded for best sportsmanship at the regatta for helping launch and recover all the fleets each day. Congrats!

Saturday evening before dinner, a grand buffet, Natalie and I had a nice swim with no sea nettles, but we did miss Celeste, Farley and our usual WRYC swimming buddies. And guess what? The club has resurfaced their tennis courts (and added pickle ball lines, of course). So Natalie and I hit the tennis ball for half an hour before heading home on Sunday, completing a summer vacation trifecta of sailing, swimming, and tennis.

Next year is the 60th Anniversary Governor’s Cup Regatta so we are especially hoping to have a good turnout, with our returning friends from Wales and even more sailors from Ware and the DMV. That way we can beat out the Hamptons, who won the actual Governor’s Cup this year with strong participation.

Lloyd, with Dan and Kaitlyn

Fishing Bay Yacht Club held their 84th Annual One Design Regatta on July 22-23.  There were 96 boats in 9 different classes registered to enjoy racing on the Piankatank River.  Saturday morning the winds were coming from the NNE so the race committee set up across the river from the club.  The winds varied in strength, but not much in direction. There were only 4 Albacores so we were placed in the PHRF fleet with three San Juan 21s and three 420s. The RC was able to hold 4 races on a Windward Leeward course.  Starting a race with boats that greatly outweighed us proved challenging, but the long staring line did give us plenty of room – for the most part.  The key to a good race was to play the shifts in the middle and avoid the spinnakers coming downwind.  On Sunday morning there were only whispers on the water so the RC opted to delay on shore.  Ultimately the wind just wasn’t going to fill in in time so racing was cancelled.  The Albacores performed as they should and took the top 3 finishes with Dan Miller/Kaitlyn Lucey in first, Dave Huber/John Huber in second and Lloyd Leonard/Natalie Rehberger in third.

On the social side there was a good barbeque dinner on Saturday night.  Many folks enjoyed the pool at one time or another.  And the on site camping worked out well with good conversations with new friends lasting well into the evening hours.

This was the first time FBYC held their Annual One Design regatta in July.  Many sailors may recall going to Ware River’s Gov Cup first followed a week later by FBYC.  The change was made to deconflict with other races around the Chesapeake Bay.  Hopefully next year we will see more than just 4 Albacores registered so we can have our own start.