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.

The 2023 Hampton Annual One Design Regatta was hosted by Hampton Yacht Club in Hampton, VA from July 8^th to the 9^th. Due to lack of wind and an anticipated storm, racing only took place on July 8^th. A total of five Albacores participated in the regatta.

The Albacores undertook two races on Saturday, July 8th near the mouth of the Hampton River. The weather was sunny, the wind was consistently strong, and the race committee did a great job of running races. Battleships in the distance and expansive water made for an interesting setting. Most of the skippers and crew were family, such as Andrew Scheuermann who skippered instead of crewing for Gregory Jordan with Delaney Jordan as crew. While the wind was strong, sailors were not overpowered to the point of capsize and the consistency of the wind made for ideal sailing conditions. Due to thunder, the race committee concluded racing early after two races. On land, sailors gathered in the Hampton Yacht Club gazebo for dinner, curtsey of the Hampton Yacht Club. That evening some of the sailors went out to a Korean hot pot restaurant for dinner.

On Sunday, July 9^th sailors mostly socialized in the Yacht Club due to the race committee’s racing postponement that became a race cancellation due to lack of wind and a projected storm in the afternoon. The award ceremony was held at noon in the gazebo. Congratulations to Daphne Byron and Joanna Beaver for receiving 1^st Place, David Huber and Mike Huber for 2^nd Place, and Andrew Scheuermann and Delaney Jordan for 3^rd Place. Until next year!

2023 Hampton Annual One-Design Regatta Results

The 2023 US Albacore Nationals Championship  was hosted by Miles River Yacht Club June 17 and 18 in St. Michaels, Maryland.  The wind for the weekend brought two days of challenging  racing conditions for the 15 boat fleet.  Blue sunny skies and 80 degree weather allowed for comfortable racing conditions.  A total of 7 races were sailed for the regatta with one race throw out allowed to determine the 2023 US National Championship.  The race committee did an outstanding job getting the races off.  This year’s event brought back two teams that haven’t raced together in years.  It didn’t take much time for the Pedro/Gorton and Harris/Byron teams to be back in sync showing their prowess on the race course.  

The wind for Saturday June 17 was from the north to northwest at 8 to 19 knots.  A total of 5 races were sailed.  For most of the day the left side of the course seemed to be where top boats were able to extend from the fleet.  The upwind conditions were shifty, which made for some exciting and challenging races. Throughout the day there were multiple lead changes with one team consistently finding a way to the front.  Sailors had to constantly adjust their sails and course to take advantage of the wind shifts to stay ahead of the competition. The shifts at times were as big as 30 degrees.  Races 3 and 4 had higher wind speed which created fast reaches if boats were able to sail the correct angles and surf waves.  With the elevated wind speed there was one capsize with several boats coming close to capsizing.  WIth the capsize of AL 7966 the crew managed to stay dry while the helm (Tyler) tested the water temp during his swim.  AL 7966 wasn’t the only boat that lost a sailor for a swim.  The crew in AL 8260 (Natalie) also went swimming.

Sunday June 18 had very different conditions from the previous day.  Two races were held in 5 to 6 knots of breeze.  Finding wind was key with the race course having small holes.  Roll tacking and keeping air clear was critical in the light conditions to extend from the fleet.  Finding pressure in the light conditions helped teams extend from the fleet both upwind and downwind.  Teams being patient downwind were rewarded in comparison to teams that gybed several times looking for more breeze, which never came.  Once again the left side of course was favored most of the time.  After the second race was completed there wasn’t enough wind to continue racing.  Race committee ended racing for the day to the delight of  competitors due the diminishing breeze.

Congratulations to Barney Harris and David Byron in AL 8261 for winning the event in dominating fashion.  Second place went to Marty Minot and Jordan Minot in AL 8259.  Third place went to Chase Cooper and James Schuster in AL 8258.  Hapco Marine boats took the top three spots this year.  The Top Women Helm Award went to Daphne Byron and Joanna Byron in AL 8027. 

2023 US Nationals Results

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