US Sailing`s Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal

BOWDOWN
The Official Newsletter of the Vanguard 15 Class Association
US Sailing’s Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal
On June 10, 2000 off of Belmont Harbor, Chicago, IL in building Southwest 15 knot winds, 82-degrees air temperature at
11 am, in preparing for their sail, Earth Explorer observed a
Vanguard 15 capsize. In the puffy winds, with each attempt
to right the boat, a gust would roll the boat over again.
With the water temperature at 58 degrees and the victims
wearing T-shirts, shorts, and PFDs, hypothermia is a major
risk. After more capsizes, two Jetskis offered assistance and
the crew crawled up out of the water. Next a 25 ft. motorboat
helped by sending two men in wet suits. The boat righted,
the crew swam back, and they started sailing. Again they capsized. By 11:30, the wind had increased to 20 to 25 knots as
a storm was approaching.
Now the crew was exhausted and asked the Jet ski to take
her back to the harbor. The skipper of the Vanguard continued to right and sail the boat. However, each time he righted
the boat, the winds blew him away from the harbor and out
to sea.
As all other potential rescue boats left the area, Earth
Explorer started to tow the boat and it capsized in the strong
winds, and turtled. Earth Explorer abandoned the tow and
shifted into the rescue of the skipper. They observed that he
was shaking uncontrollably. The wind now built to 30 with
gusts to 40 knots.
One crewmember tossed the
Lifesling toward the victim, he
grabbed it and was pulled to the rope
ladder. Four of the crew dragged him
in, as dead weight. Exhaustion and
hypothermia had him weak and his
skin felt like a dead fish. He was
dried after being submersed for 45
minutes. A doctor on board, found
his pulse at 90, his eyes rolling back
and nearly unconscious. He had
cuts and bruises as well.
Heading towards shore, a call was
made on Channel 16 as waves hit the
Tartan-10 and drenched the entire
crew. Upon arrival at the dock, the
victim was talking and was able to
take small amounts of water. The
Chicago Fire Department paramedics lifted the victim off of Earth
Explorer on to a seated gurney. Oxygen was administered for
about 15 minutes. Afterwards, Earth Explorer provided a
Powerade drink for electrolytes. The victim declined transport to a hospital.
The crew of Earth Explorer included skipper Bill Luksha,
Dee Van Leeuwen, Dorothy Cutrone, Andy Fisher, Lyn Parsons, Jason Schwyn and Dr. Carrie Phillips. Congratulations
to the rescuing crew on Earth Explorer for assisting a mariner
in distress. US SAILING is pleased to present the Arthur B.
Hanson Rescue Medal in recognition of this event.
—Ralph Naranjo, Chair, Safety at Sea Committee.
For a more-detailed report and fleet response, see page 4
Index to this issue
Letter from the president . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
2000 Grand Prix Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Fleet contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Rescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..4
Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..4
Regatta Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..7
News From The President
On the Thursday night of Midwinters we will be holding our
annual class meeting. Among the different class issues, we
will be electing new officers: President, VP, Secretary/Treasurer. The Technical Committee was voted on last year, and
still has one year left of their terms.
If you would like to become an officer, GREAT—let me
know (no need to get someone to nominate you). If you know
of someone who would do a good job, let me know as well.
Here is what the officers do: (All terms are two years)
President
• Works with Vanguard to promote good relations between
the class and the manufacturer.
• Acts as a go to person for any questions about the class
(membership, new fleet information, technical issues,
complaints)
• Works with Grand Prix event chairs
• Helps decide regatta venues
• Helps out where needed with the newsletter
• Works with the technical committee
Vice President
• In charge of the schedule
• Advertising for the newsletter
• Grand Prix liaison with Sponsor Douglas Gill
• Answers questions and is the go to person for new fleets,
membership
• Contributes to the Newsletter
Secretary/Treasurer
• Keeps track of the $$$
• Keeps track of the members
• Tracks Grand Prix points
Some of these jobs Tim, Polly, and I took on for ourselves
Page 2
based on what we were best at and can be delegated differently depending on what peoples' interests are and time
availability. There is also a lot of grey area between our roles
and we all end up doing a lot of everything. We all help out
with membership at the events we are at as well as attend as
many of the regattas we can. I am sure that I am forgetting
something.
Also, if there is something you think that needs to be done
or added to the responsibility list, GO FOR IT:) I know we
are all busy people. Some of us are in school some of us work,
but to make this class successful and to continue holding
quality events we need people to step up to the plate and take
some ownership in the direction of the Class. I know based
on the emails that float around and by the conversations
around the big silver beverage container that a lot of you have
ideas, good ideas, about what the class should be doing.
Well I say, hey, take a stab at being an officer! Make the Class
what you want it to be.—Martha Carleton
V15 CLASS OFFICERS
Martha Carleton, President
marthacarleton@hotmail.com, tel. 617-739-1029
Polly Gibbons-Neff, Vice President
tscannapolis@worldnet.att, tel. 410-268-0094
Tim Fallon, Secretary/Treasurer
tfallon@imagetherm.com, tel. 617-625-9789
Gaelen Phyfe, Newsletter Editor
gaelen_phyfe@post.harvard.edu, tel. 617-720-8602
TECHNICAL BOARD
Ed Furry gosail22@hotmail.com
Mark Powell powell@aoml.noaa.gov
Ted Ferarrone ted_ferrarone@gmaccm.com
Blaire Largay-Farrar blairelf@ix.netcom.com
Brian Doyle (factory rep) brian.C.doyle@dartmouth.edu
Winter 2000
2000 Gill Grand Prix Final Results
Although Wild Harbor Yacht Club’s V15 Grand Prix record may not match up to the Yankees’
World Series streak, the small Cape Cod sailing club can now officially boast back to back wins
for the V15 Gill Grand Prix circuit.
Following WHYC member Francis Blesso’s win last year, Tim Fallon bested some 200 sailors
that competed in this year’s Grand Prix circuit. Close contenders include Justin Morel (Brighton,
MA) in second place, Jon Baker (San Diego YC) in third place as well as Blesso with a fourth
place finish this year. The top 100 are listed below. Congrats to all that made the list and all that
participated this year. We must also thank Gill for sponsoring the Grand Prix circuit this year. The
new perpetual trophy will be awarded at the midwinters in Stuart.
1. Tim Fallon . . . . . . .190
2. Justin Morel . . . . . .165
3. Jon Baker . . . . . . . .153
4. Francis Blesso . . . .152
5. Colin Merrick . . .145.5
6. Jason Carroll . . . . . .133
7. Charlie Siegal . . . . .120
8. Kyle Welch . . . . . . .114
9. Peter Horsch . . . . . .112
10. Michael Richards .112
11. Anthony Kotoun104.5
12. Senet Bischoff . . .103
13. Charlie Enright . . . .93
14. Dave KirkPatrick . .92
15. Chip Baskerville . .87
16. Sean Doyle . . . . . . .84
17. Carlos Lenz . . . . . .84
18. Kara Forman . . . .82.5
19. Tim Wadlow . . . . . .80
20. Edward duMoulin79.5
21. Ramsay Key . . . . . .76
22. Nick Adamson . .75.5
23. Bora Gulari . . . . . . .73
24. Rob Richards . . . . .72
25. Trevor Perkins . . . .69
25. Stan Schreyer . . . . .69
27. Alan Uram . . . . . .68.5
28. Chris Gaffney . . . . .68
28. Tyler Pruett . . . . . . .68
30. JonathanWinslow .67
31. Larry Ehrhardt . .66.5
32. Ty Reed . . . . . . . . . .65
33. Heather Melanson .63
34. Tim Herzog . . . . . . .62
34. Peter Deming . . . . .62
34. Will Graves . . . . . . .62
37. Ted Ferrarone . .361.5
38. Ezra Smith . . . . . . .61
38. Forbes Durdin . . . .61
40. John Bainton . . . . .60
40. John Horsch . . . . . .60
40. Brett Davis . . . . . . .60
43. Brian Stanford . . . .58
43. Ryan Thorvaldsen .58
45. Brad Funk . . . . . . . .57
45. Peter Levesque . . . .57
47. Peter Spaulding . . .56
48. Matt Cassidy . . . . . .55
48. Stu Colie . . . . . . . . .55
48. Larry Suter . . . . . . .55
51. Caitlin Macallister .54
52. Adam Deermount .52
52. Matt Allen . . . . . . .52
54. Debbie Bennett . .51.5
54. Jim Weber . . . . . .51.5
56. John Edenbach . . . .50
56. Scott Sellers . . . . . .50
58 Brent Jansen . . . . . .49
58. John Alden Meade .49
58. Steve Lampert . . . .49
61. Chris Johannessen48.5
62. Tina Hazard . . . . . .48
62. Brian Zimmerman .48
62. Cary Siegler . . . . . .48
65. Thomas Allison . . .47
66. Ryan Costello . . . . .46
67. Joel Hanneman . . . .45
68. Alex Ascensios . . .44
69. Steve Bourdow . .43.5
70. Mark Teborek . . . . .43
71. Shane Wells . . . . .41.5
72. Sam Lester . . . . . . .41
72. JR Maxwell . . . . . . .41
72. Joe Pitcavage . . . . .41
72. Joseph Carroll . . . . .41
76. Morgan Larson . . . .40
76. Duffy Markham . . .40
76. Doug Turnbull . . . .40
79. Tim Jansen . . . . . . .39
79. Dave Perkowski . . .39
81. Holt Condon . . . . . .38
81. Kevin Horrigan . . .38
81. Mike Zani . . . . . . . .38
81. David Dowd . . . . . .38
85. Brett Davis . . . . . . .37
86. Bart Hackworth . . .36
86. Andrew Kaplan . . .36
86. John Torgerson . . . .36
89. Scott Norris . . . . . .35
89. Jane O’Connor . . . .35
89. Karl Ziegler . . . . . . .35
89. John Camera . . . . . .35
93. Ken Turnbull . . . .34.5
94. Tom Miller . . . . . . .34
94. Nat Spencer . . . . . .34
94. Paul-Jon/Anne Patin34
97. Matt Rogers . . . . .33.5
98. Peter Bauer . . . . . .33
98. Joseph Fava . . . . . .33
98. Steven Lowery . . . .33
Please see the class rules for
a description of the Grand
Prix scoring system.
**NEW for 2001**
The Grand Prix will not be limited to skippers only. Any sailor (crew or skipper) that is a current
class member will be able to earn Grand Prix points.
Vanguard 15 Midwinters/Team Racing
US Sailing Center Stuart, Florida—December 28-January 1
The first Grand Prix regatta of 2001: The US Sailing Center has graciously offered to host this years V15's Midwinters and Team
Racing with their excellent team of Race Committee.
We are working on blocking rooms at the River Palm Cottages which holds about 50 people with reasonable rates and having the
Toga Party in their Chickee Hut.
Check out www.riverpalmcottages.com/chickee.htm. Call Polly Gibbons-Neff 410-263-2484 with any questions.
Winter 2000
page 3
Fleet Contacts
If you are still the rep and have changed telephone numbers or are interested in taking over the fleet, please email Martha Carleton at
marthacarleton@hotmail.com or call 617-739-1029
Fleet 1 Buzzards Bay, MA Chip Johns 401-683-0960, chip@teamvanguard.com
Fleet 3 Bristol, RI PJ Schaffer 401-254-8959
Fleet 8 Miami, FL Mark Powell 305-856-0039, powell@aoml.noaa.gov
Fleet 11 Morehead City, NC Roger Mays 252-222-0434,
roger.mays@noaa.gov
Fleet 13 Cleveland, OH Doug Shilladay 330-929-1887
Fleet 18 Manhasset Bay, NY Jerry Morea 516-944-9760
Fleet 19 Noroton, CT Gavin Watson 203-866-4581
Fleet 20 Cedar Point, CT Michael Colnes 203-531-8731 mcolnes@optonline.net
Fleet 39 West Yarmouth, MA Barry Sturgis 508-778-9187
Fleet 43 Chicago, IL Mel Levy, 312-860-1710 breezemel@aol.com
Fleet 45 Boston, MA Francis Blesso 617-787-8793 blesso@ix.netcom.com
Fleet 47 Falmouth, MA Rob Richards rrichards@polyfoamcorp.com
Fleet 48 Hampton/Virginia Beach, VA Tina Hazard 757-728-9739, thazard@sy.ssny,navy.mil
Fleet 49 Houston, TX John Goddard 281-471-3103 jongoddard@worldnet.att.net
Fleet 50 Larchmont, NY Peter Kelly 914-834-6590,
4monroe@email.msn.com
Fleet 51 Oyster Bay, NY Peter Johnson 516-922-4829
Fleet 52 Winnetka, IL Andrew Yeager 847-251-8021,
andrew.yeager@ctw.org
Fleet 53 San Francisco, CA Kara Forman 510-808-3018,
kforman@pirinie.com
Fleet 55 Columbia YC, IL Allan Teske 773-233-1336 ateske821@aol.com
Fleet 56 Lake Geneva, WI Ed Libby 708-544-7970 osp83@aol.com
Fleet 57 Sarasota, FL Doug Fisher ullfl@mindspring.com
Fleet 58 Tampa, FL Bill Edgar 813-286-7767
RacinSailr@aol.com
Fleet 59 Annapolis, MD Polly Gibbons-Neff 410-263-2484
tscannapolis@worldnet.att.net
V15 Rescue
June 10, 2000 Satur day—Earth Explorer sailboat activity and
rescue of James P. Little, Chicago, IL.
Today the crew of Earth Explorer had a race practice planned
to hone our skills of large fleet race starts and various spinnaker sets and takedowns. Earth Explorer is a 33-foot Tartan
10 racing sailboat. The Crew consisted of Dee Van Leeuwen,
Dorothy Cutrone, Andy Fisher, Lyn Parsons, Jason Schwyn,
and his wife, Dr. Carrie Phillips. Carrie is a doctor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. We met at Belmont
Harbor, Chicago, at 1000 and loaded and left the dock at about
1030. It was a warm 82 degree sunny but breezy morning.
Motoring out I saw a new Leaving the harbor, the crew prepared the boat rigging to raise the jib and spinnaker. The
wind was gusty southwest.
The harbor was shielded from southwest winds by a series
of large apartment buildings. However, once outside the harbor we could feel the true wind speed, and the boat’s
anemometer registered windspeeds of 15 to 20 kts. The time
was approximately 1100 motoring about 1⁄4 mile east of the
harbor entrance when I did a final check of the near by boats
for traffic before raising the mainsail. We decided to put in a
double reef due to the gusty winds. It was then, when one of
the sailboats previously observed was no longer visible.
Another member of our crew saw and pointed to a capsized
boat about 1⁄3 mile to the northeast. With focused observation,
we saw 2 sailors in the water, attempting to right the small
boat. The crew consisted of a man and woman. He was stand-
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page 4
Winter 2000
ing on the centerboard attempting to right the boat, but
almost immediately it was hit by another gust and capsized
again. The boat was a Vanguard 15. The water temperature
was 58 degrees. The Vanguard sailors were dressed in tshirts, shorts, and PFDs.
We immediately changed direction and headed toward
the capsized boat. After about 15 minutes and 3 more capsizes, two Jetskis motored in to offer assistance, and the
woman crawled up out of the water. Next a 25-foot motorboat sent 2 men in wet suits to right the boat. The Vanguard
boat righted, the woman swam back, and they started sailing
again. After sailing 3 minutes they capsized again. By 1130
the wind was increasing to 20 to 25 knots. A storm was
approaching the area from the south.
This time the woman crew was exhausted and she asked
the Jetski boater to take her back to the harbor. The owner of
the Vanguard continued to right and sail the boat. However,
each time he righted the boat, he made limited progress and
as the strong southwest winds were blowing him directly
away from the harbor and “out to sea.”
All the other potential rescue boats left the area so we
offered to tow him back. We dropped a 100 foot floating line,
which he tied to his bow. We started towing but again the
boat capsized and turtled. The skipper was holding to the
slippery bottom. We abandoned the towing and decided to
just rescue the sailor. As we approached we could see he was
shaking uncontrollably. The winds also increased to an average 30 kts with gusts to 40. About 30 percent of the southern
sky was filled with the thunderstorm.
I maneuvered from downwind and slowly pulled Earth
Explorer to within 5 feet of his position, the centerboard of
his turtled boat. Lyn tossed the line of our Lifesling. The
sailor was pulled to and caught the lowest rung of our rope
ladder. Four of our crew dragged him in, as dead weight. He
was totally exhausted. We laid him down in the seat of the
cockpit and struggled to remove his wet clothes and dry him
off. He had been in the cold water for about 45 minutes. The
time was about 1215. Dee later commented that his skin felt
cold like a dead fish.
As I throttled up the motor, Jason called on the radio,
Channel 16 to alert the authorities, and to request an ambulance at the Chicago Yacht Club dock at Belmont. Dee cradled his head, Dr. Carrie took his pulse (it was 90) and toweled his shivering body. I could see his face and his eyes were
rolling, as he nearly went unconscious. Also, his legs were
cut and bruised in several places. The wind was now 30 to
40 knots and waves hit our Tartan-10 boat and drenched the
entire crew.
After struggling upwind back to the harbor we entered and
motored up to the Chicago Yacht Club dock at about 1245.
The CYC desk manager called for a ambulance. By this time
the skipper was talking and was able to take small amounts
of water.
The Chicago Police Marine Unit 6 also arrived, Officer
Mike Belluomini took the report along with Dave Strandberg. The Vanguard was to be towed back in by Lifeguard
boat from Diversey harbor. They called it a hazard to navigation.
James Little (28) had just purchased the Vanguard 15 and
was taking his fiancee Kristen Gabel out for an initial sail.
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Winter 2000
page 5
James had been on the sailing team of his college. James and
Kristen, residents of Chicago, were married in October. James
was very appreciative and thanks the entire crew of Earth
Explorer. Kristen shook my hand and said, “Thanks for saving him.”
Articles like this highlight the importance of practicing capsize procedures, I think it’s more about knowing your range
than capsize procedures. It appears from the article that the
boat was righted repeatedly, but they could not hold it down
to sail upwind to the harbor.
weather deteriorating. Racing when you have support boats
is a step in the right direction, but there’s still the problem
that there aren’t always enough support boats to make things
seem comfortable, or that the support boats can’t provide the
right type of help. What do you do when the sailor can’t right
the boat, or can’t hold the boat down. I’ve seen Lightnings
towed in upside down, breaking the mast, on multiple occasions. Is that the solution? It’s certainly not going to give the
new V15 sailor a good feeling. Furthermore, if you have a
couple safety boats in transit, the remaining racers can end
up unsupported. Is the solution purely technical (there is a
way to right the boat and tow it in in most conditions, say by
dropping the sails)? If so, I’d definitely like to hear it.—
Stephen Bailey
There are certainly a range of alternatives (for example,
cracking off and reaching to Montrose Harbor to the North),
but you have to have keep your wits for the alternatives to
present themselves. After hitting the 60 degree water in a
new boat, I expect many people just want to go home, which
might not be the way to approach the situation.
Also, until you’ve buzzed around in a V15 (or similar) on
a plane for a while, reaching can be just as unsettling as trying to hold the boat down upwind. In 20 knots and gusty, I’m
not sure there is a point of sail that’s comfortable to somebody who hasn’t spent substantial time in the boat.
Clothing might have slowed down hitting the panic
threshold, but probably the only clothing that would have
made an appreciable dent would be wet or drysuits. Not
being a clothing guru, I’m not sure, but I suspect that fleece,
long underwear, an so on, would have given them maybe
twice as much time to work with, and that they had already
been in the water longer than that. People sometimes make
fun of me when I wear my drysuit in 80 degrees. I ignore
them, of course, and they, in turn, only have to have the courtesy to wait for me at the finish line. Still, it may not be creating the right vibe.
Even with drysuits it sounds like they would have been in
serious trouble. This is a tough problem for V15 fleets in cold,
unprotected water How can the new owners sail the boat
enough to raise their comfort zone? The fact is, if you go out
in marginally comfortable conditions, you run the risk of the
Comments on rescue story. I definitely agree with
Stephen Bailey; that it’s more about knowing your
range of abilities. The V15 is not an easy boat for a new
sailor to develop a range of abilities that allows for safe
conclusions in conditions described. The old line
about “Time in the Saddle” definitely applies here.
Probably the best solution for newcomers is to have
plenty of sailing time in controlled situations; this can
best be accomplished by crewing with experience V15
sailors. Being taught how the boat responds in harsh
conditions allows for the development of proper abilities to handle the boat. I can relate to James Little’s situation in that I entered V15 ownership in ’94 after
many years of Hobie Sailing; thinking that the transition would be an easy one. It was not. Only after having lots of time in the boat and by the coaching of veteran sailors did I become capable of handling my V15
with confidence in all conditions; moral here to James is to
keep sailing the V15 because once mastered; the boat is a
blast!
Having sailed with Doug Shilliday on his V15 in Cleveland and being caught out on the lake when things transitioned from a beautiful sailing day into a major storm in the
time span of less than 20 minutes; I felt it might be worth
passing along some thoughts. Fortunately we had enough
skills to maintain and got in safely; although long overdue
that evening causing distress to friends who knew we were
out there. I don’t think that there is a technical solution
which can be stated as a rule as each situation is different.
The important thing that I learned from my experience was
that in overpowering air you must be able to: (1) understand
weight management so that your weight can be properly
used as ballast, (2) be able to depower the boat as much as
possible by constantly heading up and falling off, (3) let the
jib flog to prevent it from overpowering the helm. A very
important aspect of this is that the jib stay up; this maintains
the rigs ability to stay upright as the tension is on the wire
halyard and not on the small diameter line that we all use on
our forestays. Also as Stephan pointed out any landfall can
be desirable as you can always come retrieve the boat the
next day.
As always my hat is off to all you Northern sailors who have
to contend with many cold sailing trips to have a sailing season that is reasonable long enough.—Peter Crumley (#34)
*
*
*
Fleet Response
Page 6
Winter 2000
Regatta Results
The first-ever Vanguar d 15 Lunar Regatta
One of the most radical ideas to hit dinghy races began at the
Houston Yacht Club last weekend; the first-ever Vanguard 15
Lunar Regatta. Tower stadium lights were trucked in to line
the jetty as thirteen Vanguard-15’s adorned with glow sticks
and flashlights competed in over 20 knots of cold winter
b reeze. As if things
were not challenging
enough, the course
re q u i red starboard
mark roundings for the
benefit of the over 100
spectators.
Spectators lined the
jetty avoiding the biting cold by remaining
in their cars, honking
their horns as boats
s c reamed within 20
y a rds before flying
around the jibe mark.
1999 Vanguard National Champion, Kevin
Funsch, described crossing the fleet on port as “truly frightening, but a blast.” The 5 race event was won by Baylor U.
college sailor Brent Marsden, second place went to ICYRA
North American Singlehanded Champion, Bruce Mahoney.
Farley “Frogman” Fontenot was third. HYC is hosting the
V15 National Championship next October.
—Jonathan Goddard, Houston YC (from Scuttlebutt)
Tim Wadlow & Ery Largay top 53 boat
field to win the 2000 Vanguar d 15
National Championships!
53 Vanguard 15’s made the journey to Larchmont YC for the
2000 Vanguard 15 National Championships, with a fleet featuring sailors from Texas, California, New England and the
Middle Atlantic, weekend
warriors, collegiate all-americans, husbands & wives,
brothers & sisters, fathers &
daughters, and ages ranging
from 15 to 51!
Saturday morning dawned
windless and cold, and
although the temperature
increased, the breeze showed
little sign of doing so. After
watching 50 Sonars leave the
dock in approximately zero
knots of breeze (who knew
you could rock a Sonar
upwind?) and a skipper’s meeting punctuated by the insightful commentary of Senet Bischoff, Esq., the fleet took an extra
half-hour on shore. An 11:30 harbor start showed little
increase in the breeze, but at 2:00, the wind gods threw the
switch. Despite a shiftier-than anticipated southerly, the
expert LYC race committee snapped off 5 windward leeward
races in 8-12 kts. Although the marks and line had to be re-
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set for each race,
there was literally
no down-time
between races,
and only one general recall. Incredibly tight racing
put a premium on
good starts & consistent sailing,
with nearly every
team chalking up
at least one “big”
finish. As the sun
set and temperature dropped, the Vanguards charged back to
LYC to find that a) nearly everyone’s boats could be left on the
docks (nice) b) a heated tent had been erected for dinner (even
nicer), and c) the Sonar fleet had dug into the free Mount Gay,
well, like a bunch of keel boat sailors at a Mount Gay tent (not
so nice). Despite the dwindling supply of rum, a copious
amount of free beer materialized, enabling a well-lubricated
post-sailing barbecue dinner, complete with make-your-own
sundaes. The Wingnuts supplied the tunes, Shaefer supplied
the brew, and a good time was had by all. Sunday morning
showed a repeat of Saturday. The Sonars left the dock, followed soon thereafter by the Vanguards. Despite a half-dozen
fits & starts, the breeze failed to materialize, and at 2:30, the
LYC Committee called it a day. A nice sea breeze filled as the
fleet de-rigged, and chili-cheese dogs and more beer provided pre-awards sustenance (and a potentially eruptive drive
home). As there were no races on Sunday, the awards were
never in doubt, and, with no throw out, Tim & Ery’s consistent finishing gave them the title. A high-stakes raffle of goodies from Thule Racks, Guck Inc, Vanguard, and Gill NA provided the final entertainment.
Special thanks to PRO’s Peter Kelly & Stan Bell, registration guru’s Eva Spelman & Cynthia Parthemos, my parents,
Bizzy Monte-Sano (S.I. legalese consultant), Peter Bauer &
Rob Dailey (charter boat coordinators), Tom Spelman, and
LYC manager John Schuler.
Also thanks to our sponsors: Thule (www.thuleracks.com),
Guck, Inc. (www.guckinc.com), Vanguard (www.teamvanguard.com/vanguard15), Gill NA (www.gillna.com), and the
Boat Locker (203.259.7808), and a final thanks to everyone
who came to the event—you guys make it pretty easy to run
an event like this!—Ted Ferrarone
Results
Top Ten & Top Master, Junior & Woman Skipper:
1. Tim Wadlow/Ery Largay - WHYC - 18 pts
2. Anthony Kotoun/Matt Lindblad - IAYC - 23 pts
3. Jon Baker/Jessi Dimock - SDYC - 33
4. Senet Bischoff/Martha Carleton - CRYC - 36
5. Tim Fallon/Megan Aleardi - WHYC - 43
6. Stan Schreyer/Rich Bell - Lavalette YC - 46
7. Larry Ehrhardt/Jean Steege - AYC - 51
8. Dave Kirkpatrick/Kari Roberts - TCYC - 63
Guck, Inc.
Championship Winning Boat W
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by Lars Guck, Peter Alarie, and Prescott Cronin
Trusted by V-15 Class Champions:
Alarie, Collins, Fallon, Guck, Leonard, McDowell,
Merrick, Wadlow, Woodworth, Zani, and Ziegler! Add
your name to this list!
Expert V-15 Repairs and Performance Mods:
• Centerboard Trunk Repairs and Shimming
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Visit our website:
www.guckinc.com
email: alarie@ici.net
19 Burnside Street
Bristol, RI 02809
(401) 254-5090 phone
(401) 254-5092 fax
9. Ted Ferrarone/Katie McDowell - LYC - 64
10. Alex Ascensios/Jen Doreck - 64
Top Master - Peter Bauer - LYC
Top Junior - Charlie Enright - BYC
Top Woman - Kara Kelly - LYC
Long Island Sound Championships
Well, those of you who skipped the LIS Championships this
past weekend at Cedar Point Yacht Club missed a great event.
Yes, the forecast was for temperatures in the 40s, wind in the
30s and rain, but what we got were two bright sunny days
with 12 knot breezes on Saturday and 12-18 knots on sunday.
We got 14 races with enough time for on the water lunches
and still got everyone in by 3:00 on Sunday afternoon.
It was great fall racing for the 13 boats which came. Shifty
winds, bright skies, planing reaches, (and yes, crisp temperatures). There was also a great dinner and even pitchers of
beer in the locker rooms during showers! We hope to see
more boats next year!—Michael Colnes
The winners were:
1. Blesso/Renzulli
2. Ehrhardt/Steege
3. Ingham/Atkins
4. Ferrarone/McDowell
5. Lurie/Lurie
For full results visit www.cedarpointyachtclub.org
Vanguard 15 Class Association Membership Application
To skipper in any Vanguard 15 Grand Prix or Championship event, vote, receive newsletters
and other information, you must be a member of the class.
Please send completed form and check to:
Vanguard 15 Class Association, PO Box 425609, Cambridge, MA 02142-0012
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Check one:
Full Membership: $15. Includes all publications, helm and voting privileges
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Vanguard 15 Class Association
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Cambridge, MA 02142-0012
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