2009 Blue Chip Regatta

Day One: Vincent Porter is leading after 3 Races - but three others have the same points!!
 

Race one started out on the light side, about 6 mph, and built during the race to about 10 mph. The course was 2 1/2 heading about 110 (don't remember the exact course heading).  The wind was from 100 to 130 degrees. Will Graves (V-74) rounded first followed by Sam Rogers (M-42) and Vincent Porter (I-49). They traded places by the third upwind with Porter leading Graves and Rogers. The last downwind saw Porter and Graves coming into the mark from the North shore but a group from the opposite side had the breeze and managed to get between Porter and Graves. Porter went on to win, Rogers second, and Graves fell to 7th. Third was Bill Burns (V-300), followed by Dick Wight (MA-10), Bob Biwer (V-777), Friend, Graves, Jim Gleuk (X-751), Will Demand (SS-1), and Kevin Jewett (V-123) in 10th place. The race lasted 43 minutes.

After a lunch break the second race started at 1:12 and most of the boats had added fourth crews. The wind was still very shifty, 10-13 mph, and the RC delayed a couple of times to adjust for the shifts. Again 100 to 135 degrees but they weren't gradual shifts, they came in sharp. This race had a new cast at the first weather mark - Peter Maas (X-20) lead, Kevin Jewett (V-123), Rob Terry  (CR-66), PJ Friend (V-11), and Lon Schoor (H-7). There was lots of opportunity for lead changes and position changes throughout the whole race. The course was 5 times around and the shifts were big and sharp causing moments of joy and anguish on each boat during the leg. However, the shifts tended to average people out at each mark rounding. Porter had a  7th  place mark rounding and then a 14th at the next mark and passed one boat to finish 13th - Will Demand (SS-1) worked his way up from 15th at the first mark to 7th at the finish. Jim Gluek (V-751) moved from 23rd to 16th at the finish. The Mystery Guest, Liz Baylis, started to get the feel of things and she moved from 20th to 12th at the finish. At the Gun it was Rob Terry, Jewett, Maas, Biwer, Art Brereton (TO-101), Friend, Tom Burton (M-9), Tom Klaban (WH-11), Demand, and Schoor to round out the top ten. The race lasted 70 minutes.

The third race had the wind swing a little more to the right, but the huge shifts stayed with us. This time it was 3 1/2 times around. Rogers lead the first part of the race and then fell to second as Porter took the second half of the race. Klaban was 3rd at the first mark followed by Jewett, Jules Hannaford (M-7), Brereton, Demand, and Tom Sweitzer (V-9). Klaban faded on the third upwind and Mass liked things and he moved up from 11 to 7th. The winds for this race were the roughest yet. Hannaford finished last after his 5th place at the first mark - many felt the frustration he had. Brereton was just behind Hanafford at the first mark and slipped to 20th. Nobody likes to see that in print but I wanted to give you an idea of the wind we were beating ourselves up with. On the upside, Graves moved up from 12 to 4th, Burton went from 20th to 5th at the finish. It ended with Porter taking his second win followed by Rogers, Jewett, Graves, Burton, Biwer, Maas, Sweitzer, Jeff Solum (M-12), and Demand in 10th.

After 3 races the top five are:
   1  Porter 1, 13, 1 = 15
   2  Rogers 2, 11, 2 = 15
   3  Jewett 10, 2, 3 = 15
   4  Biwer 5, 4, 6 = 15
   5  Demand 9, 9, 10 = 28

Day Two - It was Sam Rodger and team today with a 1st and 3rd to take the lead

The fourth race of the regatta got off at 10:05 in light shifty winds of about 4-5 mph from 290 degrees, give or take 15 degrees! At the start there was a left shift and boats had to tack to port to cross the line heading to the first mark about .8 miles up the lake. There were several short shifts up the middle and the lead boat, Rogers, did it right and then worked to the right side (north shore). Jewett headed for the right side a little earlier and lost some to the boats that worked the middle for a couple of tacks before heading to the right. Porter was to the left of the leaders most of the leg. At the first mark it was: Rogers, Biwer, Schoor, Burton, Sweitzer, Jewett, Porter. Three more laps to go. Rogers stretched it out, Burton steadily moved up, Porter did the same, picking a boat at a time off for three laps. Schoor dropped a few on each downwind and got them back on the upwind. Sweitzer slid from 5th to 16th on the first downwind as the leaders stayed more toward the south shore and those that tried the center of the lake struggled, like Sweitzer. Wight passed the most boats on the 3 laps - going from 17 at the first mark to 5th and the finish. Biwer had it going until the last fourth of the last beat when he got a little too much left of some competitors and dropped 3-4 boats. That gives you an idea of the shifty conditions, but also there was a little drop in pressure as well to make things doubly challenging. It ended with Rogers, Burton, Schoor, Porter, Wight, Jewett, Solum, Biwer, Rick Turner, and Friend.

After lunch they took us out for a 1:30 start but the wind went dead. They waited and got some reports that is was filling at the top of the lake from a new direction. The course was set at 270 degrees, 3 1/2 times around with the same .8 mile legs, and the breeze was 5-6 mph. Porter jumped out quick on the left side and on the first shift had a nice port tack on top of the fleet as most headed to the middle where there seemed to be more wind. Another group worked the south shore and the angles - at the first mark it was Porter, Jewett, Gluek, Wight, Turner.  I think the first boats from the south shore may have been Turner, Rob Terry in 6th, and Bill Burns in 9th. The first downwind was congested and it was a struggle to find a lane in the light air (at least where I was). I think the leaders played the south shore. The wind was up and down and the shifts were legitimate - boats looked good and then bad but it seemed to average itself out by the upwind mark. Friend made the biggest gains and moved from 18th to 7th, but Hannaford was good too.  A lap later moving from 21st to 11th - Jules liked the right side upwind and generally that was working for a majority of the boats. just as there were a few boats with big gainers, there were a few that had big losses. Those that struggled were Turner, Terry, Klaban - sorry guys.  At the finish it was Porter, Gluek, Rogers, Wight, Jewett, Friend, Burton, Hannaford, Burns, and the Mystery Guest Liz Baylis. 

Standings after 5 races:
   1   Rogers 2, 11, 2, 1, 3 = 19
   2   Porter 1, 13, 1, 4, 1  = 20
   3   Jewett 10, 2, 3, 6, 5 = 26
   4   Biwer 5, 4, 6, 8, 13 = 36
   5   Wight 4, 15, 11, 5, 4 = 39
   6   Burton 23, 7, 5, 2, 7 = 44
   7   Friend 6, 6, 18, 10, 6 = 45
   8   Gluek 8, 16, 12, 14, 2 = 52
   9   Schoor 13, 10, 21, 3, 12, = 59
  10 Graves 7, 19, 4, 17, 18 = 64

Day Two Breaking News - Sam Rodgers Withdraws from Blue Chip Races 2 & 3 

It was brought to Sam Rodgers attention that you had to race with the same spinnaker for the entire event. He thought the rule applied to each race of the event, not the whole series. After learning what the actual rule was, Sam asked the RC to withdraw him from races 2 and 3. It turns out Sam used a newer white spinnaker in the first race and then an older black spinnaker in races 2 and 3. Then he used his white spinnaker for race 4. The black spinnaker is a little older and is of a different material than the white one, but they both are the same size and shape. His preference was to use the black spinnaker when there was more wind and the white newer spinnaker in the lighter winds. 

Realizing he broke a class rule, Sam and his team withdrew from races 2 & 3, when he used the black spinnaker.  When word spread to the competitors about what Sam had done, they were surprised and felt the penalty for his misunderstanding of the class rule was too severe. The competitors were hoping there was another option for Sam. They wanted an solution that did not penalize Sam to such an extent.  However, it was Sam's choice to stand by his decision to withdraw from the races.

Sam is to be congratulated for not only his great racing, but also for his exemplary sportsmanship. He won more than the regatta, he forever won the respect of all his competitors.

The revised results after 5 races are:
   1   Porter 1, 13, 1, 4, 1  = 20
    2   Jewett 10, 2, 3, 6, 5 = 26
    3   Biwer 5, 4, 6, 8, 13 = 36
   4   Wight 4, 15, 11, 5, 4 = 39
   5   Burton 23, 7, 5, 2, 7 = 44
   6   Friend 6, 6, 18, 10, 6 = 45
   7   Gluek 8, 16, 12, 14, 2 = 52
   8   Rogers 2, RAF, RAF, 1, 3 = 56
   9   Schoor 13, 10, 21, 3, 12, = 59
  10  Graves 7, 19, 4, 17, 18 = 64

Day Three - Sam Rodgers wins the last Race BIG  

Vincent Porter wins the Regatta

The fleet sailed out to the start in about a 7 mph breeze from 190 degrees. The forecast was for lots more breeze. While we were in sequence you could see the new big breeze way up the lake and it was coming down fast. As it filled in the starboard end became more favored and had more wind. Most of the boats saw it developing and  were there to take advantage. Rogers jumped out quick and seemed to have speed on those around him. He just kept pulling away on every leg of the 3 1/2 course. Friend rounded in second in a pack that included Demand, Burton, Gluek, Graves, Porter, Jewett, Turner, Schoor. The boats that jibed right at the offset gained big as the breeze was still building from that side of the course. The downwind ride was exciting and showed off the new speed of the E-scow with the asymmetrical spinnakers. At the bottom Rogers lead followed by Demand, Graves, Friend, Gluek, Porter. The legs were .9 miles long. The downwind ride lasted less than 5 minutes and the upwind lasted about 10 minutes. 5 minutes goes by quick when you have to set the spinnaker, clean-up, jibe, takedown and cleanup some more - I didn't hear anyone complaining!  I had a breakdown and didn't see what was working and what wasn't for the rest of the race. But I did see Sam with a big lead and pulling away on the second downwind, this time on the opposite side (East) of the course. A few boats had moments of success. Biwer was in the second half of the fleet at the first mark but worked up to 4th by the second downwind - only to slip to 7th at the finish. Porter just kept grinding away moving up from 7th to 3rd at the finish. Sweitzer was doing the same He didn't show up my radar until the second upwind in 9th place and then clawed his way into 5th at the finish. Friend struggled and his 2nd slipped away little by little, Burton was up and down but faded a few place in the second half of the race - was Tom predicting their fate  the night before when he commented about how a team of 50 year olds had good fortune all year against the younger teams of Rogers, Porter, and Jewett. [I think a made a mistake - now he'll be even more motivated for next year.] First time Blue Chip competitor, Mark Unicome, liked the breeze and had one of his better races finishing 14th - he'll be back.
At the finish it was: Rogers, Demand, Porter, Gluek, Sweitzer, Graves, Biwer, Burton, Brereton, Jewett.

Full Results