Home	Nationals Regatta Golden Gate Yacht Club October 4, 2008

(If you like, you can skip down through the prose and go straight to the pictures below!)

Mother Nature smiled on the Nationals Regatta on Saturday, October 4th at Golden Gate Yacht Club. Overnight rain broke into a rainbow over the Bay, towering piles of cumulous to the east, and deep blue over the Golden Gate. Six Islanders and crews gathered at the Golden Gate Yacht Club for some great sailing.

The Racers included Kit Wiegman, Cassiopeia (6763), Kris Youngberg, Tenacious (6741), Dan Knox, Luna Sea (420), Tom & Dave Newton, Captain Hooke (6780), John Melton, Freedom Won (447), and Harry Farrell, Pacific High (574). You'll want to note the number for looking through the pictures below.

Corky & Anna Stewart brought Brigid over so Anna could crew with Harry, and Rick Van Mell (Vanishing Animal) could climb aboard Brigid to take lots of pictures.

Special guests were Steve & Kristen Harrington from Salem, Massachusetts who sail their I-36 Ciara from Hawthorne Cove in Tiara Bay between Boston & Gloucester. Steve sailed with Dan Knox on Luna Sea, and Kristen joined up after her conference in San Francisco.

Other Islander participants included Race Committee leaders Gary & Pat Salvo (Ophira), and committee members Roger & Linda McClellan (4 R Sanity), and Judy Bush (Natural High), while Dennis Bush also crewed for Harry. Cheering the racers on were Don Schumacher (Blue Streak) and Peter Szasz (ex-Midnight Sun).

So when you add it all up, 14 Islanders were represented for a wonderful day of racing and a great gathering at Golden Gate following the race to enjoy great nibbles and beverages.

There were two races, starting at 1100 hours. The first race was 8.7 miles and included a reaching leg over to the Harding Rock buoy after upwind to Blackaller, then did a windward - leeward loop from Ft Mason back to Blackaller, down to Ft. Mason and a short beat to the finish. Cassiopeia won the first race with Captain Hooke and Tenacious right behind. Tenacious won the second race, with Cassiopeia second and Luna Sea third. Dan Knox with Luna Sea fought to the middle of the fleet with demonstrations of how to loose boats at marks and how to pass them downwind. John Melton looked great, but couldn't whip Freedom Won into high gear, and Harry Farrell broke the fitting at the end on Pacific High's spinnaker pole and retired from the second race.

When all was totaled up, it was:

1st Cassiopiea, Kit Wiegman
2nd Tenacious, Kris Youngberg
3rd Luna Sea, Dan Knox
4th Captain Hooke, Tom & Dave Newton
5th Freedom Won, John Melton
6th Pacific High, Harry Farrell

While Rick was out taking pictures, the mighty Maltese Falcon, which had been anchored across the Bay off Corinthian yacht Club, set sail and charged out into the Bay. It was fun to watch this 289' sleek square rigger roll out 30 sails and slice across the Bay. She first sailed as close hauled as a square rigger could toward the Golden Gate. You could see the leading edges of the square sails luffing as the wind shifted, and she would bear off to get them full again. Then she squared away toward Alcatraz and eventually the Bay Bridge. You could see the rake in he unstayed spars as she made the turn. She is so large that you don't get an impression of speed even though she was probably doing well over 10 knots.

So thanks to Michele Williams, our Fleet Captain and organizer of the Nationals Regatta, Gary & Pat Salvo for running the Race Committee, and all the skippers and crews who came out and made it a wonderful way to close out the racing season on a day as perfect as you could ask on San Francisco Bay.

Enjoy the pictures and videos below.

Pictures by Rick Van Mell. Click on images to enlarge, click "Back" to return.

Rainbow shower ...	Golden sun.	Happy Islanders ...	Dan & Cindy ...	Harry too ...
Hi Freedom Won ...	& Luna Sea.	Great crew & ...	great logo jackets.	PH is high too.
Luna Sea lunatics!	Time to go.	Leslie & Gary ...	pick a course ...	got it? ...
get it together ...	Race Committee!	War party chases ...	fast fowl ...	not a chance!
Dave & Tom are ready ...	aboard Captain Hooke	Kit takes off with ...	Cassiopeia	Teanacious
Alcatraz & Cassiopiea	Harry hoists ...	as does John.	Tune up time	Dan runs the line ... (Maltese Falcon background)
with Hooke for company	Looking good ...	nice breeze ...	line run ...	testing angles ...
nice jib ...	port track try ...	checking wind ...	bearing away ...	getting serious ...
first pass ...	lonesome three-some!	starting run ...	wide angle for start.	They're off!

1st Race Start

Splitting tacks	Clear air	great racing	Go Kit!	Latitude 38 Picture!
Heading west	Who will cross?	Tower match	Still going strong	Traffic ...
cleared.	Not ours.	Picture-book sailing	Corky goes to sea	Approaching gybe mark

Cassiopiea Rounding Harding Rock

Eased off	Luna Sea leads ...	Teanacious, but ...	rounds wide, and ...	Teancious is ...
inside & away!	Here comes Harry ...	and John.	Weather leg	Beautiful day
Hooke is ...	driving ...	with great ...	concentration.	Bye.
Crossing astern of ...	the Green Machine	Herre comes ...	John!	Looking fast
Harry's got the ...	right angle.	Like a bird ...	wing and wing.	Sausalito background ...
for Captain Hooke	Relaxed ...	Then Alcatraz	Luna Sea shows ...	how to overtake ...
to leeward ...	bow to bow ...	side to side ...	parallel ...	and pretty.
A perfect beat	Sparkling finish	Was fun	Time to ...	plan ahead.
Race 2 jockey ...	takes a turn ...	slow down ...	going for it ...	speed

2nd Race Start

Race 2 start	getting away ...	spltting tacks ...	working the shore ...	close coverage ...
in the groove ...	tacking out ...	great going ...	working out ...	coming back ...
eating dirt ...	rail meat ...	gets a fast ride ...	all smiles ...	next? ...
This guy ...	is looking ...	for something.	South Tower	North Tower
Weather mark ...	next around ...	starboard approach ...	and around ...	John tucks in ...
on Dan ...	clean rounding.	Dave & Tom.	Downwind chase.	Morning's weather
Alcatraz	Inmates?	PH retires.	J 105s play	Maltese Falcon sets sail ...
close hauled ...	making headway ...	driving ...	great background ...	bearing off ...
note rake ...	gaining speed ...	full & bye ...	at speed ...	flags fly ...
passing Alcatraz.	Again to windward	and down ...	rounding ...	time to finish.
Sandy, Pat & Judy	Pacific High crew	Magically ...	more burgers.	Roger, Dennis, Linda & Gary
Captain Hooke crew	Carol & Michele	Steve Harrington, Salem, MA	Anna & Corky	Freedom Won crew ...
plus 1.	Cindy & Dan	Luna Sea crew	Gary thanks all ...	for attending ...
it's a great crowd.	3rd Place Dan!	2nd Tenacious	1st for Kit Wiegman, Cassiopiea

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