|
CAL RACE WEEK
(by L. Ajello)
 Greetings race fans! We saw a
slight drop in attendance for the SoCal fleet; several of the boats from
parts south of L.A. decided not to make the trip up. Notorious and
Kathmandu, who’d been sailing well, inexplicably disappeared from
competition. Hopefully we’ll see them for North Sails Race Week. It’s not
like they’re wussies or anything, I’m sure they had perfectly good reasons
for missing such a huge event. They must be getting in as many Padres
games as possible before they tank and fall thirty games back. Or perhaps
they just couldn’t hack the brutal weather in paradise.
Talk about the conditions! They
were fluky and unpredictable on Saturday. There were enough holes out
there to fill the Albert Hall. It got so slow you could feel your skin
burning. The wind had more shifts in it than a John Kerry campaign
platform to boot! Talk about not knowing whether you were coming or going!
Sheesh! It made racing tough on everyone and all you tacticians get a free
pass for leading your crews into racing hell…this time. Thankfully the
wind solidified on Sunday making the racing easier for everyone.
One of the stories of the regatta
had to be the great showing that Shillelagh had. In the last two events
they’ve started establishing themselves as a force with which to be
reckoned. They finished in fifth (26 points) just ahead of JoAnn (27
points) and behind Powder Puff, I mean Power Play (18 points). Shillelagh
is also sporting a new shamrock on their stern. What’s that for Charlie?
Strategem had her best finish of the season in seventh (36 points). Rumor
has it that Mark was all hopped up on Malibu rum while driving. Perhaps
they’ve discovered a new strategy.
Mako also turned a few heads last
weekend. She finished tenth (49 points) but picked up a seventh place
finish in the first race. Her crew is showing signs of becoming
comfortable with the boat and getting it together. It won’t be long before
there’s another big fish (albeit untested for steroids as yet) in the
ocean. Xylocaine (40 points) and Perfect Circle (45 points) fell off some
this time out and finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Even though
neither had their best game they kept the competition between the two of
them lively and entertaining. Twister bowed out after the second race and
came in eleventh (61 points) and Empress pulled out of the regatta
altogether. What’s up guys? Don’t you like us anymore? Oh yeah, Boring,
Vanilla, and Predictable finished one, two and three.
I’m happy to report the first
publicized incident of tomfoolery in the Schock fleet this year. It seems
that someone removed the battle flag off of Boring and flew it upside down
on Predictable. Then in what may or may not have been a case of misplaced
payback, a bucket of cheese spread was left to fester and ooze on the deck
of Vanilla. Now I’m not saying who perpetrated these pranks, what I am
saying is that I can be bought by whichever side really wants to know who
did what to whom. Since no one actually confided in me and I had to
unearth the truth using my network of spies, you are not protected by the
journalist-stoolpigeon privilege. Also, I think that there are enough
clever and creative people in the fleet that the quality of pranks should
get much better from here on in. I’ll be most disappointed if we’ve seen
the apex of Schock shenanigans for the year.
I apologize once again for my
tardiness (bet you never expected to see that word on the Schock website!)
in posting the article. Of course for what I’m getting paid to do this you
don’t get to yell at me anyway. I’ll get it up faster next time (get your
minds out of the gutter please). Until then, try not to spend your time at
work reading this over and again instead of tending to your massive
responsibilities. We’ll see those of you who don’t do the Cat Harbor
layover next week!
|
Piranha
David Voss |
Schock 35
CYC |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
|
Ripple
Jeff Janov |
Schock 35
CYC |
2 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
|
Whiplash
Ray Godwin |
Schock 35
LBYC |
6 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
17 |
|
Power Play
Tom/Steve McQuage/Arkle |
Schock 35
CYC |
1 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
18 |
|
Shillelagh
Charlie Cavallino |
Schock 35
CRA |
4 |
8 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
26 |
|
Joann
Steve Murphy |
Schock 35
SIBYC |
5 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
27 |
|
Strategem
Mark Hinrichs |
Schock 35
BCYC |
8 |
6 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
36 |
|
Xylocaine
Sal/Bev Pestritto |
Schock 35
DPYC |
10 |
7 |
6 |
8 |
9 |
40 |
|
Perfect Circle
Fred Young |
Schock 35
SMWYC |
9 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
45 |
|
Mako
Dave Michaelis |
Schock 35
SlBYC |
7 |
10 |
9 |
13
DNF |
10 |
49 |
|
Twister
Mike Swimmer |
Schock 35
SBYRC |
11 |
11 |
13
DNF |
13
DNS |
13
DNS |
61 |
|
Empress
Vince Kent |
Schock 35
CYC |
13
DNC |
13
DNC |
13
DNC |
13
DNS |
13
DNS |
65 |
YACHTING
CUP RESULTS
(Article now in Regatta Results
section)
Ed Note: Following on a strong 10
boat one-design turnout for the Ensenada Race won by Whiplash, it was good
to see Shaman return to one-design racing and become the 17th boat to race
in the Season Championship this year! Shillelagh and Kathmandu
served notice that they had the same speed as the leaders as new crew
joined the boats. Likewise, Perfect Circle seems to enjoy racing
with the new #3.
|
Place
|
#
|
Boat Name |
Owner |
Race 1
|
Race 2
|
Race 3
|
Race 4
|
Race 5
|
Total
|
|
1
|
87780 |
Piranha |
David Voss |
1
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
9
|
|
2
|
87995 |
Whiplash |
Ray Godwin |
5
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
12
|
|
3
|
97866 |
Ripple |
Jeff Janov |
2
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
13
|
|
4
|
42439 |
Joann |
Steve Murphy |
7
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
5
|
29
|
|
5
|
97012 |
Kathmandu |
Rob Canterbury |
6
|
8
|
9
|
2
|
6
|
31
|
|
6
|
97306 |
Shillelagh |
Charlie Cavallino |
4
|
4
|
6
|
5
|
13 dsq
|
32
|
|
7
|
87811 |
Perfect Circle |
Fred Young |
3
|
7
|
4
|
9
|
13 dnf
|
36
|
|
8
|
97979 |
Power Play |
Mcquade/Arkle |
13 dnc
|
5
|
7
|
7
|
4
|
36
|
|
9
|
97974 |
Strategem |
Mark Hinrichs |
8
|
10
|
8
|
10
|
8
|
44
|
|
10
|
46735 |
Xylocaine |
Wetherbee/Pestritto |
13 dnc
|
9
|
10
|
8
|
7
|
47
|
|
11
|
87879 |
Shaman |
Richard Hohol |
9
|
11
|
11
|
11
|
9
|
51
|
|
12
|
97789 |
Mako |
David Michaelis |
13 dnc
|
13 dnc
|
13 dnc
|
13 dnc
|
13 dnc
|
65
|
The Yachting Cup
Runneth Over…
…with Mount Gay
Rum of course!
- L. Ajello
What a great weekend it was in
San Diego for the 37th Annual Yachting Cup! Participation may have been
down slightly for the formidable SoCal Schock fleet, but the competition
was as incandescent as the nearby brushfires. I won’t bother with
reporting on the leading boats, which I have unilaterally decided to
rename: Boring, Predictable, and Vanilla. While they were all
self-involved as usual, the rest of the fleet had fun slugging it out with
each other all weekend.
Having the racecourse inside
among all our fine Navy hardware provided an entertaining event. Saturday
saw the wind build early prompting boats to fly their number three
headsails. The biggest eye-openers were Perfect Circle (seventh overall)
and Shillelagh (sixth) who each had two top-five finishes. Perfect Circle
taking a 3rd in the first race and a 4th in the third race. Shillelagh
took two 4th place finishes. Both crews seemed to thrive in the heavier
winds flying their blades efficiently when others were having more trouble
on the course. Then on Sunday both teams cooled down with the wind speeds
although Shillelagh did manage to pick up a fifth-place finish. Perfect
Circle suffered some significant damage to her hull and deck that is going
to have her laid up for a while. Captain Fred Young described the cause of
the hole as a rogue shark attack. Did you keep any souvenir teeth, Fred?
Hopefully they’ll be ready for Cal Race Week next month.
Kathmandu also made a move on
Sunday, waking up in the light air to take a second place finish and fifth
overall. Was it the homefield advantage for Rob Canterbury? We’ll all just
have to wait and see. JoAnn also made her presence felt finishing fourth
overall and equaling her best finish this year. Things are getting as
thick around the middle of the Schock fleet as, well, as a Schock fleet
sailor.
Resident top-five finisher Power
Play slid back during the Yachting Cup and had to find contentment coming
in eighth overall, missing the first race of the regatta because their
mainsail was late to the event. Strategem raced consistently all weekend
and finished ninth. Xylocaine also stumbled a bit this time out sliding to
tenth overall and failing to improve their finish for the first time this
season. They also had a DNC in the first race. Look for both boats to
storm back at Cal Race Week.
Making her debut in the
high-point series was Shaman. Let’s hope Richard and the rest of her crew
make the final few events for the year. Unfortunately, we did miss a few
boats this weekend that shrunk the starting line number a bit. The most
conspicuous absence was that of Mako. Rumor has it that once their mascot
heard there was going to be random testing for the use of steroids, they
ducked out.
After a hectic April, the fleet
has some down time until Cal Race week in early June. Hopefully you’ll all
be able to get in some repairs and practice in time for the exciting
conclusion of the season. It’s going to be a close one up and down the
line, so get your whoopin’ sticks ready!
ENSENADA
2004
Dear
Fellow Schock 35 Owners:
Ensenada 2004 was Great! See also Tom Cain’s report below.
10
Schock 35’s were entered, with Whiplash, Shillelagh and Slippery When Wet
leading the pack.
The
weekend started with way to many Margaritas at the Bahia. What a party.
I think that is one of the largest parties of the year. Many hot babes,
much liquor, and lots of crazy sailors. There was this tall fine looking
blond that …. I’d better save the rest for another day.
After
I had only a couple of Margaritas, Ray Godwin of Whiplash wanted a ruling
regarding the use of his Asymmetrical Spinnaker with regards to the Schock
Trophy. He didn’t want to win the Schock 35 trophy unfairly. His
original thought was that he should not use his Asym as it would give him
an unfair advantage. But when he discovered Sal on Xylocaine also had an
Asym, he felt more consideration was in order. Tom Caine made the best
argument stating that “anything that helps us beat the J’s is good for the
class.” I agreed, and told Ray to go ahead and use his Asym. Although
secretly I knew Perfect Circle would clean his clock. Boy was that a
pipedream. Anyway, apparently Ray used his Asym, and watched Shillelagh
whip by. Ray dropped his Asym and went back to the tried and true genoa.
(more on that below in Tom’s report)
Well,
after an interesting race, a shower, and more Margaritas, most of the
Schock fleet converged on Charro’s restaurant. We had about 90 Schock
sailors in one place drinking way more than they should. What’s up with
that? It was great having so many of our class socializing together. But
I needed a PA so I could make more noise. You know, I am so quiet and
withdrawn.
Well,
three new Schock Trophies were born. The El Heffe, the Tan Guapo, and the
Whiplash. The El Heffe trophy is a large black and gold sombrero given to
the first Schock to finish. The Tan Guapo trophy is a large black and
silver sombrero given to the best looking shock to finish. The Whiplash
trophy (in honor of this years winner) is a large Bullwhip given to the
boat in the fleet most deserving of a trophy.
Ray
Godwin on Whiplash is the winner of the El Heffe trophy for his win.
Charlie Cavalino on Shillelagh is the winner of the Tan Guapo trophy for
his close, occasionally leading position, mixing it up with Ray right to
the end, and making an almost photo finish with Ray. Clearly, Charlie was
the best looking Schock in the race. The Whiplash trophy went to David
Michaelis on Mako for getting stalled of Point Loma till 9:00am, going to
San Diego, then driving down to Ensenada anyway, just for the Schock 35
party. Now there is a dedicated fleet member.
One of the conditions of
receipt of these trophies is that they had to wear them the rest of the
evening for all to see. A bit of a challenge for David, having to wear a
bullwhip around his neck. It’s possible I failed to mention that now they
have to mount those trophies on some nice board with room for plaques with
winner’s names and year, and bring them to Ensenada next year to present
them to next years winners. Or Ray, you could just give me El Heffe now,
as I plan on squeezing you out next year.
J
Thanks
to the crew of Whiplash. They gave me a necklace that contained a grain
of rice on which was written “Perfect Circle.” Now, when I drink too much
and forget the name of my boat, I have a reminder.
So, 10
Schocks entered in Newport to Ensenada. Should we make this race a class
high point next year? It makes for a bunch of racing in April, and the
guys that don’t like distance racing can always use it as their throw
out. Thoughts anyone?
So for
the rest of the year, it is acceptable to call Ray Godwin “El Heffe”, and
Charlie Cavalino “Tan Guapo”. And watch out for David Michaelis, he has a
long bullwhip, and may sneak up on you and use it.
As for
me, I have to buy Mark Hinrichs another bottle of booze this year. That’s
two years in a row Mark beat me. Next year he’s going down, even if I
have to tie a bucket to his rudder. Maybe if I buy him a whole lot of
booze, he will be so drunk, he won’t be able to sail well. Or else, if
I’m already outside, I could just stay there, instead of going inside to
try and find wind that didn’t exist. What a concept!
The
return trip was in fog, from Ensenada bay, to the jetty in San Diego bay.
Not very cold, but certainly damp. Great new showers at SDYC. And now
with a functioning backstay, I’m ready for Yachting Cup. But is Yachting
Cup ready for me.
See you all Saturday,
Fred Young, Class Pres 2004
PS:
continue reading for Tom Cain’s report from Whiplash
Fred…….Here is the Whiplash Report on “The Ensenada” from Ray and Tom:
One of
the coolest things about “The Ensenada” is that you start racing on Monday
by watching the weather, while trying to get some work done, but only
after you answer all the emails from the other crew about the
constantly changing conditions. By Friday morning, we know much more
about the dew point in Imperial Beach than anything that has to do with
our normal jobs. It was no different this year and as usual, by 11AM
Friday, no one really knew which way to go. We did get some clues on
where not to go…..the middle. We were fairly sure that if we got stuck
inside, the transition zone would be too hard to cut thru …..and visa
versa. Bill Lawhorn, who was scheduled to go with us but fell ill, told us
better than our 125.00 Commanders Weather Service report; “remember, head
for the north Coronado. When the sun goes down, feel the boat deck, if
it’s wet, go out, if it’s dry, go in.” (It was wet!)
When
we pushed away from the dock in hot semi Santa Ana conditions all bets
were off and confusion was in full swing. I knew this was true, because I
gave the Check-in Boat our Sail number ….in dyslexic order. This worried
everyone on board because the number is printed on the front of my shirt.
So we went out the harbor and found another Check-in boat off of Corona
Del Mar beach. Low and behold!..... the wind was very fluky here and 100
degrees shifted from what was happening at the line only a half mile away.
With
crew from LBYC, ABYC, DPYC and BYC I can’t imagine what everyone onboard
was thinking when Ray headed for Avalon at the start. We actually sailed
up thru the fleet that started on the outside line. This turned out to be
a good move, because everyone who went left, got parked. I later heard
that it took them over an hour to get off the beach. When we looked back,
we had only Shillelagh to starboard and no PHRF D 105’s to be seen. Where
was everybody else? We had no idea. However, Shillelagh made it clear to
us early that we were going to have to work hard. So, with President Fred
Young’s quasi-blessing the night before, we launched our asymmetrical
secret weapon. (If you want to know more about this sail, don’t ask us,
we have no clue). Shillelagh quickly capitalized on our failure to
understand our new technology, as they move over mile ahead. “Let’s get
rid of this Jonah” was the cry, as we ripped it down and put up a real
kite. Oh boy, our work was cut out for us now.
We
spent a lovely Friday afternoon spinnaker reaching in 22 knots of breeze,
bothered only by the fact that Shillelagh stayed 1000 yards ahead of
us. Lucky for us, the ride ended for them with us still in breeze, so it
was head up again and go further outside. The winds stayed light to
moderate and switched from a sea breeze to a land breeze with only a short
intermission. Then it was a steady six knot reaching breeze all the way to
the bay. Part way through that reach, the sun came up and the first boat
we I.D.’d was Shillelagh 500 yards behind us. This time it was their turn
as we hit the wall entering Todos Santos bay and all faced backward to
watch them hold their spinnaker all the way to abeam with us. The next
three hours was a tense concentrated effort to use every puff of wind and
maximize speed, all the way to a 11:00 am finish with us just two minutes
in the lead.
Saturday night saw an impromptu Schock 35 dinner at Charros restaurant
attended by 60 people. Absolutely amazing. We honored Fred Young, our
fearless S-35 fleet president, with a piece of rice with his name on it.
He, in turn, presented three new trophies which we are sure he will tell
about in his report. Maybe he will also tell us what it was like to be at
the wrong end of a start line so skewed that the boat end was favored by
ONE HOUR.
AHMANSON CUP CAUSES LOG JAM
- L. Ajello
Riveting, exciting, suspenseful,
unpredictable. No, I’m not describing the new Kevin Costner movie. I’m
writing about the competition unfolding in the SoCal Schock 35 fleet.
We’ll get to that later, first things first.
Those who raced in the Ahmanson
Cup last weekend would tell you that Robert Louis Stevenson must have
conjured up the conditions from beyond the grave. Saturday found most of
us wondering if we’d awakened in the Bay area with grey skies, rain and
winds topping twenty knots. Those who left their foulies at home expecting
typical SoCal weather were unthrilled. Sunday we remembered that there was
no place like home, however, as blue skies and mild temperatures returned
with the winds dropping off significantly giving all of us a well-deserved
(on the bow anyway) break. Newport Harbor Yacht Club did another
spectacular job playing host and fed us all exquisitely. I would like to
point out that some of you hogs finished all the free beer before those of
us rafted eight boats out could make the trek over all those bows and
sterns to the tap. Do not let it happen again. Consider yourselves warned.
What was I writing about? Oh yeah.
Whiplash took the gun three times
over the course of the weekend winning the regatta with Ripple and Piranha
each taking one of the remaining bullets and nipping at their stern. Power
Play and JoAnn were both solidly in fourth and fifth, respectively. But
enough about those guys, they’re so predictable and boring anyway.
While the leaders <yawn> were
dancing around each other up front, the really interesting events were
unfolding further back in the fleet. Only seven points separated the
middle of the pack, positions six through ten. Xylocaine (35 points),
buoyed by a fourth place finish in the first race, continues to improve
and finished sixth, well within striking distance of the coveted Top Five.
Kathmandu has been a model of consistency and finished seventh (38 pts.),
followed by Shillelagh (39 pts.), who moved up three spots in only their
second regatta of the season. Notorius (41 pts.) cooled off after a
blistering start to the season coming in ninth overall. Perfect Circle (42
pts.) posted a third place finish in the second race and looked to have a
stellar weekend in the making, but then she lost the hydraulics on her
backstay for the final three races. The crew braved it out and, thanks to
light air, was able to get around the course on Sunday.
Twister made her second
appearance of the season and upped her point total from Midwinters.
Twister has a fun crew that continues to get better each time on the
water. Unfortunately, she too experienced some rigging problems that
produced a sound that could only be described as ‘ugly’. Let’s hope they
get everything fixed in time for Yachting Cup. Mako also finished with a
higher point total in her second regatta this year. A DNS in the third
race foiled what would have been a higher finish but should leave the crew
well-motivated to get back out there in San Diego in a couple of weeks.
Empress, Strategem, Slippery When
Wet and Mischief were all absent from Newport last week and were sorely
missed. Where were you guys? Everyone hopes you all make it to San Diego.
Following up on a story
concerning Mako, fleet leadership is ordering a blood test of their mascot
to determine just what causes a fish to add 45 pounds of muscle over the
winter. It’s just me talkin’ here, but I believe the fish is dirty. We
don’t even know what kind of fish it is yet! I will not leave any stone
unturned in my quest to bring the truth about this scandal into the light
of day.
For those of you who are racing
to Ensenada this weekend, what do you say first one in buys a round of
Margaritas and fish tacos? Have a safe race so we can mix it up in San
Diego next week! Until then try and keep your shorts dry and your beer
from spilling on the deck.
Schock 35 Class Series
Summary
Pl Sail # Skipper
From Boat Name
1 2
3 4
5 T
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 87995 Ray Godwin LBYC
Whiplash 1
1 2
1 2
7
2 97866 Jeff Janov Cal YC
Ripple
3 6
1 2
3 15
3 87780 David Voss Cal YC
Piranha 2
4 3
5 1
15
4 97979 Tom McQuade CYC
Power Play 5
2 4
4 5
20
5 42439 Steve Murphy Seal Beach JoAnn
10 7 5
3 4
29
6 46735 Sal Pestritto Dana Point
Xylocaine 4
9 6
8 8
35
7 97012 Rob Canterbury SDYC
Kathtnandu 8
8 8
7 7
38
8 97306 Charlie Cavallino CRA
Shillelagh 7
10 10 6
6 39
9 40210 Tom O'Neill
SDYC Notorious
6 5
7 10 13\DNS 41
10 87811 Fred Young SMWYC
Perfect Circle 12 3
9 9
9 42
11 97350 Mike Swimmer Del Rey Twister
9 11 11
12 13\DNF 56
12 97789 David Michaelis Sl.Bch Mako
11 12 13\DNS 11 10
57
14 BOATS AT WD
SCHOCK CONTINUES TREND TO CLASS GROWTH!
Big news of the weekend is the
continued growth of the class this year with the energy of new Class
President Fred Young. 16 boats have already participated in the
first two class events of the year up 33% from 12 boats at this
same time last year!
Mako appeared for its first class
racing sporting all new sails and a particularly aggressive fish graphic
as motivators out of the box. Notorious had its strongest run since
joining the class in 2001 taking second overall and winning race #4.
The first weather mark of the first race made it clear that the racing
would be close all weekend with the entire fleet tightly bunched and the
old Schock 35 fleet penchant for aggressive starting was evident with
multiple general recalls. Great racing. Great weather.
Great class!
 Complete story and photos now in
REGATTA RESULTS section of this website.
Congratulations
to Whiplash - winner of the 2004 Midwinters! 12 boats participated
(up from 9 in '02 and '03) including for the first time in the S35 Class:
JoAnn, Twister and Empress. With Mako expected to make her debut at
the W.D. Schock and Mischief expected to return there, we should have a
great class season ahead! STORY NOW ONLINE!
SCHOCK MEMORIAL 2004
By L. Ajello
 The Southern California
Schock 35 fleet completed a successful Schock Memorial Regatta in
Newport Beach this past weekend. The fleet saw a rise in participation
by fully a third over last year’s event and continues its renaissance
under new president Fred Young. Mako, Mischief, Shillelagh, and
Slippery When Wet all made their first appearance of the season
increasing the field from 12 competitors at Midwinters to 14. The
Schock family and Newport Harbor Yacht Club did a tremendous job
hosting the event. For those who didn’t stick around for dinner on
Saturday, you missed a great spread! Paella and barbecued beef ribs
headlined a terrific buffet.
 The
weekend weather was inconsistent; Saturday saw building wind and seas
despite a forecast for light air. Sunday was a glimpse at what awaits
when summer gets here. Temperatures in the 80’s had crews pulling out
sun block and peeling off layers. The lighter than expected winds
delayed the start until past one in the afternoon, giving everyone a
chance to get some sun or nurse hangovers on deck while waiting for
fluky shifts in the wind to abate.
Congratulations to Piranha
who once again finished first by storming out of the gate and firing
bullets in all three races on Saturday. They followed up on Sunday
with a 2nd and 3rd place finish for 8 total points! It looks like they
haven’t lost a step from last season. However, it seems the rest of
the fleet may have gained a step on the perennial leaders this year.
One had only to observe the start of the first race to see the level
of competitiveness the fleet is attaining. There were two general
recalls to start the regatta, much to the joy of all those whose
eagerness found themselves over the line, or flirting with it. Even
more exciting than the starts were some really crowded mark roundings.
Save for an innocent little kiss that Perfect Circle planted on
Xylocaine at the windward mark (and then apologized with a 720), all
that traffic amounted to lots of bark, but no bite.
 Notorious
finished second overall in what could be considered a mild surprise.
Jimmy “I got your odds right here” Morris picked them as an 8 to 1
underdog to begin the season. They took a bullet and didn’t finish out
of the top five all weekend. With two top five finishes overall in the
first two regattas they seem to be staking a claim to the winners’
podium early. It’s hard to imagine they’ll be able to sneak up on
anyone. Ripple and Whiplash, who took the fifth bullet, came in behind
them, and Power Play earned her first top five finish for the new
season.
Kathmandu, up from San Diego,
never finished lower than ninth and had three top five finishes to
place sixth overall. Xylocaine and Perfect Circle look like they’re
finding their strides finishing 7th and 8th, respectively while being
tied in points (43). With some contact on the course and both boats
finishing one right after the other in both regattas it’s shaping up
into what could be a season long dog fight between these two. Add to
that an Italian driver on one boat and a former U.S. Marine on the
other, and this ought to be one to keep an eye on!
 JoAnn stumbled a bit this
time out and had an OCS and DNS in two of her races. Despite the
trouble she took a fourth place, finishing ninth overall. JoAnn is
obviously a tough competitor and likely would have challenged the top
five again had they started cleanly all five races. The next three
finishers all made their season debuts this regatta. Tied on points
(47) with JoAnn and rounding out the top ten was Robert Mooers and
Slippery When Wet who captured three finishes higher than tenth.
Charlie Cavallino and Shillelagh finished one point behind them (48)
and Mako finished twelfth.
Mako sported the most
interesting graphics of any boat in the fleet. The most oft-repeated
question heard this past weekend concerned the origins of that strange
looking fish. What was it? A guppy? That fish from the Pink Panther
cartoon? And did anyone else get a look at his eyes? Seems like
they’re giving that little fella some performance enhancing drugs.
While the fleet’s board isn’t empowered to start random drug testing
for suspicious looking fish, it can ascertain whether or not there
exists a relationship between the fish and BALCO. I smell scandal
folks! The fish won’t be able to dodge me and my network of spies
forever; stay tuned.
Stratagem, who is still
complaining about not yet getting their bottle of Malibu rum from Fred
Young, finished thirteenth. Did you want a package of little pink
cocktail umbrellas with that pretty, white bottle Mark? Whispering
voices hint that a bottle of bourbon is up for grabs next time.
Mischief, skippered by Max
Mooseman, was the fourth boat to make her first appearance this season
and finished fourteenth. A DNF and DNS proved too much to overcome
finishing at the back of the fleet. No doubt they’ll work out their
kinks (the racing ones anyway) and be ready to go for the Ahmanson Cup
in April. Do your best to enjoy your time off until then everyone!
Pl Crew
From Boat Name
1 2
3 4
5 T
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 David Voss
Cal YC Piranha
1 1
1 3
2 8
2 Tom & Laurel O'Neill MBYC
Notorious
5 3
2 1
5 16
3 Jay Janov
Cal YC Ripple
3 2
6 2
3 16
4 Ray Godwin
LBYC Whiplash
4 4
5 7
1 21
5 T, McQuade & S. Arkle CalYC
Power Play 2
7 3
5 6
23
6 Rob Canterbury
SDYC Katmandu
9 5
4 6
4 28
7 T.Wetherbee/S.Pestritto DanaPtYC Xylocaine
8 6
7 11 11
43
8 Fred Young
SMWYC Perfect Circle
7 8
8 12 8
43
9 Steve Murphy
SealBchYC JoAnn
6 15\OCS 15\DNS 4 7
47
10 Robert Mooers
BYC
Slippery When Wet 11 9 10
8 9
47
11 Charlie Cavallino
CRA
Shillelagh 10
10 9 9
10 48
12 David Michaelis
SealBchYC Mako
12 12 12
13 12 61
13 Mark Hinricks
BCYC Stratagem
15\OCS 11 11 14
14 65
14 Max Mooseman
SeaBaseYC Mischief
13 15\DNF15\DNS 10 13 66
MIDWINTER REPORT
By Larry Ajello/Start
sequence photos by Jim Durden
Midwinter. The name conjures unpleasantness for most of the
country. The Super Bowl is over and Sunday once more belongs to the
wife. The groundhog has seen his shadow and smugly tells everyone that
there’ll be more cold and snow to shovel. Sailing is still too
far away to be considered seriously. Unless you are intelligent
enough to live in Southern California, in which case you’re already a
month into the racing season! Let’s all take a moment to laugh
at the poor slobs living in the cold so we don’t have to!
  
  
The 75th Annual Midwinter Regatta kicked off the Schock 35
fleet’s season with participation by 12 boats. Vince Kent of
Empress, Mike Swimmer, skipper of Twister, and Steve
Murphy, at the helm of JoAnn, made their official debut in the
fleet. JoAnn showed strongly, placing fourth overall.
And just that quickly the competition in this fleet received a shot in
the arm. Steve and his crew moved up in class from a Santana
30/30 and are no doubt quite comfy aboard the bigger Schock.
Empress and
Twister unfortunately did not finish the regatta, bowing out
after the first day’s races. Twister was missing some of
her crew for the regatta and had to race with replacements.
Success in the Schock fleet is dependent upon crew coordination and
familiarity with the boat that can only be remedied with time. The
experienced crews can certainly empathize with Twister while
she experiences her growing pains. Mike Swimmer vowed to work hard on
getting his crew synched up, so watch out for them on the racecourse!
Dave Voss, skipper of 2nd place finisher Piranha,
alerted Twister that additionally, they were victims of a dirty
bottom. I think it would be a tremendous show of magnanimity for the
reigning fleet champion to wipe the new guy’s bottom clean for him,
don’t all of you? Empress, JoAnn, Twister: Welcome to the
fleet boys!
Tactics were vital in this regatta, and keeping speed up was more
difficult than usual. Big wind shifts highlighted crucial
decisions to call for a particular side of the course. Tacks and
gybes were plentiful and kept crews busy throughout. What made the day
more challenging, besides having to avoid the plethora of Martins and
Stars someone let out of their playpens, was trying to build speed up
after all those maneuvers in light air. Ray Godwin, skipper of
Whiplash, commented that they “often had to point 20 or 30 degrees
high after a gybe to build speed and that feels terrible”.
Despite their pain,
Whiplash captured two bullets and was the eventual winner ahead of
Piranha, who also had two firsts, and Ripple, driven by
Jeff Janov, who had the fifth bullet.
“It felt good to win”, Ray noted. He encouraged those who didn’t do so
well to badger, harangue and otherwise annoy the crap out of the top
finishers with questions after each regatta to figure out how to
maximize their full potential. And if that doesn’t work,
secretly measure everyone’s spinnaker pole and find out who’s
cheating.
Rounding out the fleet were the O’Neills on Notorious in 5th,
Sparkle helming Power Play in 6th, then Rob
Canterbury on Kathmandu, Mark Hinrichs aboard Strategem,
Sal Pestritto and Tony Wetherbee on Xylocaine and Fred Young,
skipper of Perfect Circle finished 10th.
Perfect Circle also fell victim to gremlins. It’s bad enough
to find out the backstays aren’t staying back, but losing an entire
bottle of rum to Marc Henrichs and Strategem was downright
undignified. Well, until it was discovered they wanted Malibu
rum. Who knew
Strategem was sailing an all-female crew?
Conspicuous by its absence was Mako, which wasn’t ready in time
for Midwinters. She will be ready for the Schock Memorial,
however, as Fred Young dropped in on them in Newport and reports that
their boat looks clean, fast and has a great non-skid deck.
Despite a humble attitude, the gleam in Don Michaelis’ eye looked
bloodthirsty. He served notice that Piranha is not the
only man-eater in the Schock fleet. Careful Don, everyone knows
that nothing tastes better than barbecued Mako steaks!
And so it goes…
 |
SCYA Midwinter Regatta
Results Through Race 5
Final Results
Series Date: 2/14/2004
Results Date: 2/15/2004 17:25:36
|
| Schock 35 |
Number of Entrants: 12 |
| Place |
Sail#
Bow# |
Boat Name
Skipper Name |
BoatType
Club |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
Total
Points |
1
|
87995
02 |
Whiplash
Ray Godwin |
Schock 35
LBYC |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
9 |
2
|
87780
08 |
Piranha
David Voss |
Schock 35
CYC |
3 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
3
|
97866
03 |
Ripple
Jeff Janov |
Schock 35
CYC |
1 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
13 |
4
|
42439
|
Joann
Steve Murphy |
Schock 35
SIBYC |
4 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
6 |
23 |
5
|
40210
06 |
Notorious
Tom & Laurel O'Neill |
Schock 35
MBYC |
6 |
8 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
28 |
6
|
97979
05 |
Power
Play
McQuade/ Arkle |
Schock 35
CYC |
5 |
5 |
7 |
5 |
7 |
29 |
7
|
97012
|
Kathmandu
Rob Canterbury |
Schock 35
SDYC |
8 |
6 |
6 |
13
DSQ |
4 |
37 |
8
|
97974
33 |
Strategem
Mark Hinrichs |
Schock 35
BCYC |
7 |
9 |
8 |
6 |
8 |
38 |
9
|
46735
|
Xylocaine
Pestritto/ Wetherbee |
Schock 35
DPYC |
10 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
9 |
42 |
10
|
87811
09 |
Perfect
Circle
Fred Young |
Schock 35
SMWYC |
9 |
10 |
10 |
9 |
10 |
48 |
11
|
97350
10 |
Twister
Mike Swimmer |
Schock 35
SBYRC |
12 |
11 |
13
DNC |
13
DNC |
13
DNC |
62 |
12
|
97209
|
Empress
Vince Kent |
Schock 35
CYC |
11 |
12 |
13
DNC |
13
DNC |
13
DNC |
62.001 |
|
|
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