Scott Ferguson wins Master's Atlantic Coast

The Wianno Yacht Club was host to the 2010 Master's Atlantic Coast Championship. Over two days 6 races were completed in mostly light and super shifty conditions. There were 30+ competitors including new Apprentice Master and former World and Olympic Laser sailor, Mark Mendelblatt.

Scott Ferguson, the master of getting a perfect line sight seemed to be off his game from the get go racking up three OCS's in the first three races and closing with a 4th OCS on the second day.  It was pretty stunning and somewhat humbling to watch him start 20+ boat lengths behind everyone and by leg two he would be right back in it, snaking his way through the pack. When asked how he does it he replied, 'Just connect the dots - sail to the puffs.' He also works hard on his boat handling as every tack and gybe is an opportunity to gain... surely, his incessant positive attitude doesn't hurt!

The top 3:
1. Scott Ferguson
2. Tim Landt
3. Mark Mendelblatt

Although Mark Mendelblatt won on raw score he had to give up points each race for being younger and in the tiebreaker between he and Tim Landt he had to give the win to the older Landt...Mark learned quickly that there are benefits to being the older guy in the Master's division!

Despite the light conditions, it was a gorgeous place to sail and the club provided plenty of food and wonderful prizes from Magic Marine.

Results

Dave Powlison Wins 2010 Vermont Open

Congratulations to Dave Powlison for his win at the 2010 Vermont Open! With three bullets and one throw-out, Dave was able to stay 2 points ahead of 2nd place finisher, Gary Orkney and 8 points ahead of 3rd place finisher Christine Neville.


Results

Wrapping up August.....

Upcoming regattas:

August 28th 
Riverside Yacht Club Laser Regatta 
(Riverside, CT)
More information

August 28th
American Yacht Club Laser Regatta
District 8 (Rye, NY)
NOR
Registration Form


August 29th
Maine Laser Championship
regatta #2 (Portland, ME)
NOR 


August 28th & 29th
Master's Atlantic Coast Championship
Wianno Yacht Club (Osterville, MA)
Registration, Sailing instructions & NOR

The Vermont Open is this weekend - August 14-15th

The Malletts Bay Boat Club will be hosting the Vermont Open this weekend.

$30.00 entry fee includes all snacks and dinner on Saturday. Full-time student rate is $20.00 and extra meal tickets are $10.00 (spectator boats available.) Please pre-register if possible so that we may get a dinner count!

Come spend the weekend racing Lasers on beautiful Lake Champlain!


NOR

12 Miles of downwind practice...

Leaving the breakwater at Pt. Judith

Last week on a beautiful day in RI with a smokey SW breeze cranking in, Scott Ferguson and Peter Shope decided to do a downwind practice session. The two met in Jamestown where they loaded up their boats and drove with Kim (Scott's tireless Sherpa) to a random beach in Pt. Judith. There they unloaded their boats and carried them one-by-one over some boulders in order to reach the beach where they would launch from. The beach goers were entertained for sure...

View from the seawall lined with curious fisherman

Three hours later... the two arrived with big smiles at a beach in Jamestown where their dollies and equipment were awaiting....thanks to Sherpa-Kim.

Ryan Schmitz & Scott Ferguson are the 2010 District 7 Champions

Scott Ferguson & Ryan Schmitz

The 2010 Buzzards Bay Regatta (also the D7 Championship) did not disappoint, despite the light air forecasts and shark warnings.

Day one started off slow with the first race completed in a shifty NW breeze which eventually died leaving the sailors waiting around for most of the day but then... Buzzards Bay conditions finally showed up at around 3pm with a solid SW breeze. The breeze came in halfway through the Standard fleet race # 2 forcing the RC to make a 45-degree course change at the leeward mark. The Radial fleet had an especially long day, as their second race didn't get started until after 4pm.

Day 2 started with a one- hour postponement onshore but then the classic BBR conditions came through as expected- big waves and a strong Southerly breeze of 15 knots with gusts to 18K. Both fleets were able to get 4 races in.

Day 3 started on time with 14 knots peeking at the end of the day at 18 with gusts to 20. Both fleets were able to complete 3 races before the cut-off time of 2pm.

Scott Ferguson of D7 won the Standard fleet (56 boats) with a 2,2,(3),2,1,1,1,1,3  total of 13 points. Erik Bowers of Minnetonka YC and The College of Charleston was nipping at Scott's heels finishing in 2nd and only 4 points behind with 17 points. Peter Shope also of D7 was not far behind in 3rd place with a total of 33 points.

Ryan Schmitz of Port Washington, NY (LISOT) was clearly the dominant one in the 65-boat Radial fleet with a (18), 3, 1, 1,1,1,1,1,1 for a total of 10 points. His performance earned this seventeen-year old from NY The Buzzards Bay Trophy, which is given to the top finisher in the biggest/most competitive fleet.

Final results

Hank Thorburn wins regatta #1 for 2010 Maine Championship

From Mike Gaffney:

A few newcomers joined the Thomaston and Cobbosseecontee regulars for the first Striper Cup regatta on Robinhood Cove in Georgetown. Hank Thorburn moved from Mass. to his family farm in Harpswell last year and looks forward to doing the rest of the Championship of Maine series as well as frostbiting in Tommytown. Gary Orkney drove up from Stonington CT for this regatta and some biking in Acadia. Roger Howell (Brunswick) brought along his buddy the FedEx guy Mark Stafiej (Phippsburg), and Alex Cogburn (Bath and Castine) tried his hand at Lasering for the first time.

7 Races were held in light and shifty SSE winds just north of Birch Island on Robinhood Cove. With one throw‐out the results follow:

1 Hank Thorburn Harpswell 5 ‐3‐1‐1‐1‐3‐1 10
2 Gary Orkney Stonington CT 2‐4‐3‐2‐5‐2‐2 15
3 Syd Sewall Hallowell 8‐5‐2‐3‐3‐1‐3 17
4 Fred Boursier Warren 1‐1‐4‐6‐2‐6‐4 18
5 Tom Jamieson Belfast 3‐2‐6‐4‐7‐4‐8 26
6 Mark Gaffney Thomaston 6‐9‐8‐7‐4‐5‐5 35
7 Roger Howell Brunswick 7‐7‐5‐5‐6‐7‐11 37
8 Philippe Guillerm Rockland 4‐6‐7‐8‐9‐9‐7 41
9 Chris Biggart Thomaston 9‐8‐9‐9‐11‐8‐6 49
10 Scott Bennington Litchfield 10‐11‐10‐11‐10‐11‐10 62
11 Mark Stafiej Phippsburg 11‐10‐12‐12‐12‐10‐9 64
12 Alex Cogburn Bath 12‐12‐11‐10‐8‐12‐12 65

Much thanks to Noon Weiss for catering, and Tyson Weiss of Fish in the Garden for the cool trophies.

Mike Gaffney

Peter Follansbee & Sara Helbling are overall winners at 2010 Hyannis Regatta

New Hampshire sailors take the lead at 2010 Hyannis Regatta!

The Standard fleet hosted 33 competitors with 9 races on the board and the Radial fleet, 41 competitors and 10 races. Neither fleet had a throw-out.

Peter Follansbee of New Castle, NH is back on top! Peter pulled out 3 bullets and 1st place overall for the regatta, 5 points ahead of the 2nd place Peter Seidenberg. In the Radial fleet, Sarah Helbling of Nashua, NH sailing for the Quannapowitt YC in Wakefield, MA, topped an impressive fleet of 41 competitors to take the overall win, 6 points ahead of 2nd place finisher Jeremy Herrin. 

Results

A side note...both Peter and Sarah have sailed in the same fleet before and out of 20 boats they were 1st and 2nd respectively...see the May Madness results

Christine Neville finishes 4th at US Women's Singlehanded Championships

Christine after winning Area A's

Christine takes the pin end. (Photo: Julie B. Connerley)

 

Christine Neville of Richmond, VT and the Malletts Bay Boat Club represented District 7 at the first US Women's Singlehanded Championships. Christine won the Area A's in New Bedford, MA on June 19-20 earning her the spot as the Area A representative.  The US Singlehanded Championships (O'Day Trophy) was held at the Pensacola Yacht Club in Pensacola, FL. (July 29-August 1)

The Men's and Women's championships hosted 12 competitors in each class. After 7 races Christine pulled away with a 4th place overall. Nice job!!!

Results