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Racing News
Hardesty Crowned 2008
Etchells World Champion In Chicago
Bill Hardesty, Erik Shampain,
Steve Hunt, and Jennifer Wilson of San Diego take
their first Etchells World Championship title after
ending the regatta with a strong 12 place finish in
race 6. After dropping a 39 point finish from their
score, the team secures first place overall with a
total of 30. Hardesty was the pre-event favorite
having won both the Midwinters East and West.
 Chris
Busch, Chad Hough, Chuck Sinks, and Peter Burton,
also of San Diego, came in second with 38 points
followed by Jud Smith, Henry Frazer, and James
Porter with 41. After protest and redress hearings
at the end of today, Peter Duncan moved from 16th to
tie Beadsworth/Dwyer at 56 points for 4th. Duncan
won with tie breaker with his 2nd place win in
today's race.
The 6th and final race of the
regatta was run today in beautiful conditions with
10-20 knot westerly winds, waves, and warm sunny
weather. Bush, Hough, Sinks, and Burton took the
lead on the first downwind leg, and from there they
proceeded to walk away from the fleet on every leg
and capture first place by a substantial margin.
"We went right on the first beat
while most of our competitors went left," Busch
explained. "We were pretty behind after a bad start
at the right end of the line, but we found better
velocity and some good shifts on our side and we
were able to work out way back through the fleet.
Once you're out front, it's a lot easier to stay
there It's the races where you're deep and have to
fight your way back that really make the
difference."
Busch, Hough, Sinks, and Burton definitely take the
role of the stealthy stars of the regatta. After a
disappointing 49th finish on the first day, the team
moved to 8th with a 2nd and a 4th on the second day
of racing. They continued their climb up the score
board with respectable finishes in races 4 and 5
which brought them up to 6th and then into the top
three. With a decisive win today, the San Diego team
ultimately captured 2nd place by three points from
Smith, Frazer, and Porter.
 Winners
Hardesty, Shampain, Hunt and Wilson sailed an
impressive regatta. "Our two firsts on the second
day really helped. We've been training hard, and it
paid off." Hardesty said. With the exclusion of
their 39 point drop race, the team never scored
below 13th in the racing this week. On how the team
managed to stay consistent in the tricky conditions
Hardesty explained, "We sailed conservatively. Once
we figured out what was working for us, we stuck
with that strategy."
Remarkably, with the exception of
one drop race apiece, Hardesty, Busch, and Smith all
posted top 20 finishes in the five races counting
toward their final score. It is undoubtedly this
impressive consistency, despite challenging
conditions, that places these three boats on the
Etchells Worlds podium this year.
The next Etchells World
Championship will be held in March 2009 on Port
Philip Bay, Melbourne with the host club being Royal
Brighton Yacht Club. For a complete list of the
final results link to event photos log on to
www.etchellsworlds2008.com or
www.chicagoyachtclub.org.
ABOUT THE CHICAGO YACHT
CLUB
The Chicago Yacht Club is one of the oldest and most
respected yacht clubs in the world. The club is one
of the preeminent organizers of regattas, races and
predicted-log events in the United States at both
its Monroe and Belmont stations.
ILYA Class A Scow
Open Invitational
Fourteen boats assembled at White Bear this weekend
to compete for the ILYA Class A Open Invitational.
The event drew competitors from White Bear,
Minnetonka, Calhoun, Clear, and Oshkosh. The
experimental Victory by Design, V38 boat, sailing
but not scored, proved again it is faster than an A
Scow around a race course.
 Two
races were completed in winds of 0 to 6 knots,
providing very challenging conditions for
competitors. Home lake knowledge paid off in Race 1
for the White Bear womens’ team (W-11) led by Kathy
Sanville and Patty Zak Newell. They captured their
first regatta win by keeping their wits and sailing
smartly through the slot between the Peninsula and
the Island. Staying left both times to windward paid
off big for them and brought home the victory.
Trophies
were awarded to the top three boats, with Jack
Strothman of the Minnetonka Yacht Club taking the
top prize. While Strothman is no stranger to the
world of Scows, having sailed in various classes for
many years, this is his first year campaigning an A
Scow. He and his team put together an impressive
first and three seconds on their way to victory. The
experimental Victory by Design, V38 boat skippered
by Tom Burton crossed the finish line first in all
four races, but was not scored in the event./span>
Minnetonka's
Dave Willette took second place followed by Lee
Alnes from White Bear in third place. Jason Brown
and Ken Broen, both from White Bear, rounded out the
top five finishers.
The
Minnetonka - White Bear Challenge trophy was won by
Minnetonka. The trophy was re-dedicated a few years
ago, to be sailed for when White Bear and Minnetonka
A scows compete.
1. Jack Strothman, M-10;
2. Dave Willette, M-11;
3. Lee Alnes, W-1
4. Brown/Crary, W-3;
5. Ken Broen, W-28;
6. Hod Irvine, W-8;
7. Blair Jenness, M-6;
8. Kathy Sanville, W-11;
9. George Winter, J-314;
10. Steve Johnson, W-7;
11. Fletcher Driscoll, W-9;
12. Tom Erickson, Z-1;
13. Bill Coppage, C-1;
V-38, Tom Burton, not
scored.
Race Results: The HOOK
The first HOOK Race
was sailed in 1984 with 12 boats racing from Racine,
WI to Menominee,
 MI.
Bud Garcia, RYC Past Commodore, and John Bennett,
Custom Sails, ran the HOOK Race during its first 5
years. In 1986 the finish location was changed to
Sturgeon Bay, WI. To date, the fastest elapsed time
was just under 24 hours in 1987, by Foxfire, a
Hunter 54 owned by Mark Westdale.
The HOOK Race is a
challenging 197.4 nautical mile race that begins in
Racine and ends in Door County, the "Cape Cod of the
Midwest." The HOOK Race combines strong competition
with the navigational challenge of Death’s Door.
Finishing the race in Door County provides
opportunities for cruising vacations afterwards.
This Category 3 race is open to all sailboats
eligible to make a race of this distance and
duration, with full regard to the safety of the
vessel and crew.
PHRF 1:
1. Assassin;
2. Flash Gordon;
3. Marianthe;
4. Rumors;
5. Zapada;
6. Hasten;
7. Volante;
8. Grateful Red.
PHRF 2:
1. Retention;
2. Alchemist;
3. Probe;
4. Wind Chaser.
PHRF 3:
1. Ruffian;
2. Sirocco;
3. Songline;
4. Caravel;
5. Sirius.
PHRF 4:
1. Whisper;
2. Unplugged.
DBL Handed:
1. Adria;
2. Pegasus;
3. Whisper;
4. Thunder.
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