Flags
Represented
At the 2008 Victoria National Championship Regatta
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After Report
for The 2008 Victoria National Championship Regatta
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Thursday,
October 16th, 3:52 pm -
Author: Mike Wagstaff
Subject: What I did on my summer holidays.....
Greetings from San Antonio, Texas, home of the Alamo.
I wasn't going to write a Nationals wrap-up report this year, but some
people had asked for one.
Also, after all that went on, I would feel bad if I didn't share a few
tales from what was an incredible trip.
The Woodlawn Sailing Club, led by Ray Seta, hosted the 2008 US Nationals
in a manner that will be hard to match.
There were 34 sailors from 6 States and 2 Provinces starting the event
which was combined with Woodlawn's Annual Alamo Regatta.
Perennial favourite, reigning champion and all-round nice-guy, Geoff
Becker from Maryland sent me an e-mail last week saying that sadly he
would not be able to attend. This left the door open for a new champion
this year. Also absent were the great crew from the Detroit area. They
were hosting a regatta at home over the weekend and chose not to make
the trip, which was a great pity because they are great guys, sharp
sailors and they would have loved the quality of the racing.
Last years 3rd place finisher, Hew Hamilton from Team Katrina (New
Orleans, LA) was the favourite going in, but many people talked about
the threat that Chris Macaluso from Texas could provide.
Though I know I don't have what it takes to vye for the title, I was
excited to see who would win the event. As with every year, if I
can scrape into the top 10 amongst these guys, I would be delighted.
But this event was going to be so much more than just a series of model
yacht races...... It was going to be a "show"......and that became the
nick-name for this amazing event.
Ray had organized what appeared to be more volunteers than sailors to
help host this regatta.
There was live internet coverage (hopefully you weren't watching my
struggles), a 25 page program with skipper bios etc, a Saturday dinner
in downtown San Antonio near its famous and beautiful Riverwalk,
wonderful breakfasts and lunches at the club, a raffle that featured too
many prizes of boats, servos and sails to mention, and the Grand-Prize
of a week cruising on a luxury catamaran in The British Virgin Islands
for four people.
FRIDAY
Friday's events consisted of practice races in the afternoon, and a
reception/measuring session at the host hotel (only $69- per night, for
sailors!!) in the evening.
Friday's wind was light, shifty and blowing directly onshore. The upwind
mark was a little white bleach bottle that appeared to be half-way to
Oklahoma. We were having great trouble judging the distance to the mark
and seeing whose boat was whose.
As boats cut under the mark, grossly over-stood it, or all got
bunched-up trying to get around it, there were great laughs, and
comments thrown out like "don't worry, it's not for points", or "thank
God it's only Friday".
It was great to be back sailing with this bunch, and sailing in a mood
slightly more relaxed than what would be coming in the next two days.
My boat was slow to respond at times, and became quite erratic downwind.
After several laps I bought it to shore for a tune-up, and found it to
be full of water!!
Somehow it had developed a bad leak, through either the keel or rudder
post. Despite being packed in foam in an expensive case, I suspect our
zealous anti-terrorism TSA agents at the airports had put my boat
through a thorough examination. So after every two laps I had to drain
out what seemed like half of Lake Woodlawn.
Besides getting to see some good friends that I had met at previous
regattas, there were some new faces too. George Geogiadis (don't
worry, nobody else can pronounce it either) came in from Portland
Oregon, and is just new to RC sailing. From Toronto there was Bill
Shorney and our CRYA Victoria Class secretary Charlie Mann. These two
guys have been sailing all sizes and shapes of RC yachts for years. They
seem to be constantly sailing at a major event....or driving to one.
They drove 35 hours straight to get to this one. Charlie may be 82, and
his knees don't work as well as they used to, but he can still sail very
well, especially when the breeze gets up, and he just laughs all day.
Now that's a great way to grow old. You are an inspiration, Charlie!!
At the Friday practice session, George realised he had left his battery
charger at home in Portland. So on his way to the hotel, he stopped at
Radio Shack and bought a new one.
Back at the hotel, I noticed that the bottom of Calculation's rudder
tube was loose in it's hull-mount, and as I was attempting a repair of
that, George came running into my room hollering that his room was full
of smoke and that I needed to call 911 !!!!
A few moments later, as I was on the phone raising the alarm, he came
back saying to cancel the alarm because it was just his DX6 mellting !!
It seems there is some incompatibility between DX6 transmitters and
regular chargers. (NOTE; use ONLY the Spectrum charger!)
George carried his molten (and very stinky) charger down to the Front
Lobby, where he threw it into the garden, and requested a new room.
He then quickly learned something that I had noticed over the last few
years at these regattas.... the out-pouring of support from other
sailors to get your boat back in running condition is amazing. Within a
few hours of the melt-down, he was ready-to go for the "show".
You could set your watch by the way things ran to schedule, so at 7pm
sharp, the measuring inspection started. There was a long line of
Victorias in the hotel hallway, while their skippers waited their turn,
munched on snacks, and sipped on Alamo Golden Ale. Now that's what I
call a Regatta......having a great local micro-brewery sponsor the event
!!
The technical inspection was fast, fair and efficient. At 9pm the
Welcome speeches began, some rather bawdy awards were given out and then
everyone headed to bed for some sleep.........all except Ray Seta and
his team who seemed to work through the night getting ready for the next
Act of the "show".
SATURDAY
The skipper's meeting started with an introduction of the skippers. We
all had to stand below our State flags. There were two Canadian
flags.....an 'Eastern' one for Bill and Charlie, and a 'Western' one for
me at the other end. I wasn't alone at my flag for long
though.....Woodlawn's Clown Prince, JK, (John Kuc) decided to join me!!
This is one funny guy, and he always finishes in the top 10. As he ran
around with the 'western' Canadian flag on it's pole, I announced that
JK had defected to Canada. Immediately there were several witty replies
about how 'defective' JK really was. Thanks for all the laughs, JK, you
are "unbelievable".
As skipper's got to hear where I was from....(the Okarganagnnagan (don't
worry they couldn't pronounce it either) Sailing Association), they all
wanted to know about this guy James Anderson that runs the website. Many
of them said how much they liked the site and how they send new Vic
sailors there to build a good racing boat from the basic kit.
Racing got started with two seeding races, then the fleet was divided
into two fleets, with 19 boats in each heat, and 4 boats being
promoted/relegated after each heat.
The start line was just wide enough to fit us all in, and yet still be
exciting. The marks had been moved a little closer to the 'barge' where
skippers stood, and replaced with much larger inflatable balls. The
rounding marks were numbered, and the start marks coloured. This made it
very easy to understand the course as it was called-out during the
'two-minute' count-down.
The Race Director, John Oliveira, was supposed to race in this event,
but had to withdraw and step-in as RD when the previous RD had to
pull-out to attend to family issues.
John was very professional. His calls were calm, clear, patient and that
kept the skipper's tension on the barge to a minimal level. As the winds
shifted, John would call course changes to keep the racing fair and
exciting. His co-ordination with the scorers on the dock, and with Ray
the announcer, was a pleasure to watch. Real smooth, John, thanks!!
After a few races we could see that Hew Hamilton would be pressed hard
by Chris Macaluso. I sailed against Chris in California in the 2006
Nationals. He would match-race against anyone that came near him, and he
was darn good at it. I didn't feel this was a good tactic in 'fleet'
racing, but we had some great battles during the regatta. Though I ended
the 2006 regatta slightly ahead of Chris, I quickly saw that wouldn't be
the case this time. Chris started well, had a boat that could point very
high, and he constantly attempted to get clear of everyone else, and go
for speed. The improvement in his speed and skills was great to see.
One of the sailors I had heard of but never met before was a huge bear
of a guy named AJ Moritz. He has been sailing RC yachts for many years,
and has a business making and selling sails and parts for RC yachts. His
list of victories and reputation is enormous.
He hasn't been racing on the Victoria circuit for the last few years, so
he appeared a little rusty at first.
But that didn't keep him quiet....he always had lots to say, and sailed
quite aggressively. What a way to re-introduce yourself !
Another very vocal and lovable character is Al Ross from Team Katrina.
We had a great battle in Detroit last year, with me squeaking ahead of
him by one point over-all.
I knew he would be tough to beat this year, and we spent a lot of time
crossing tacks and rounding marks together. Thanks, Al, that was fun.
George from Portland was realizing just how tough an event like this
was, and struggled to keep his boat going in a straight line downwind as
a few gusts blew through. His big-boat racing skills were obvious, but
he just needed more practice at driving an RC controller.
A few sailors like Dick Azzam from Alabama were constantly jumping up
and down from fleet to fleet, and seemed to be permanently on the water.
(Sounds like our Dick Duggan). The breaks between heats were very short
and carefully managed.
At 1pm a BBQ hamburger lunch was served, the thin overcast sky was
clearing, the temperature was in the high 20s celcius, and the breeze
began to blow stronger.
No results were published, but this wasn't a bad thing....it kept up a
certain amount of tension as we had to guess who we would be battling
for points with.
The sunshine and fresher breezes after lunch made the sailing more
challenging. The upwind mark still appeared to be a long, long way out
to us with old eyeballs.
The carnage at the top mark often resembled a train wreck, as the first
locomotive would hit the mark, bounce backwards, then all the carriages
in pursuit would plough into the pile. It became such a common event
that I suspect some sailors were enjoying it....like baseball players
jumping on a huge heap after winning the World Series!!
My day was going reasonably well, but not great. I had noticed my lack
of current racing skills at this level and was sailing very
conservatively to avoid being over the start-line early, to avoid the
port lay-line (though often it was favoured), and over-laying the top
mark to skirt the regular pile-ups there. This wasn't great for my
score, but it kept my stress level down. Calculation seemed slow when
sailing upwind, boat against boat, and I think my old sails need to be
retired at last.
The leak repair hadn't worked, so my boat was still taking-on water each
race, but I think I was only relegated down to B fleet once on Saturday,
and fought back into A fleet again.
One B fleet race had a huge gust rip through it. Victorias were skipping
all over the pond. The collisions were horrifying to watch from ashore,
with A fleet sailors, volunteers and public spectators all groaning
EWWWs and ARRGHs as boats punched into each other. The highlight was two
yachts getting their mast-heads tangled. Instead of just spinning in
circles, they pointed downwind, directly at the amazed
on-lookers.....then took-off !!
That was quite a site.....two Victorias running down the course at great
speed, wing-on-wing-on-wing-on-wing.
After a great day of sailing we headed to a wonderful Texan BBQ beef
brisket dinner in the Texas Ranger Museum in downtown San Antonio.
The members of the Woodlawn Club are known as the Pirates of Woodlawn.
and play-up the title quite well.
Saturday night was no exception. "Captain Jack" Ray Seta, his girlfriend
and son, were all dressed in very theatrical swash-buckling bucaneer's
costumes. It must have been hot and uncomfortable, but it looked great,
and made a great setting for an incredible raffle prize give-away.
Just before the end of dinner, an interim result sheet was passed
around. Chris Macaluso had a slim lead for first place over Hew
Hamilton.
In 9th and 10th places, Bill Shorney of Toronto, and Chuck Porth from
Houston were only one point apart, with me just one point in trail of
Chuck in 11th over-all.
Sunday was shaping-up to be a battle to get into the top 10 against
these guys. The guys on each each side of us, Al Ross in 8th, and
whoever was in 12th were quite distant.
I tossed and turned in bed all night trying to figure-out a way to claw
back some points without getting too aggressive and getting dangerously
tangled in all the "action".
SUNDAY
Sunday morning started with breakfast tacos being cooked at the lakeside
clubhouse by Ray's great culinary crew, led by his parents. Thanks, Mom
and Pop Seta.
Then it was time to hand out MORE raffle prizes, as a big box of them
had been misplaced the previous evening.
A really nice Futaba transmitter and pair of servos was about to be
given out, but Ray asked if we minded if he gave it to John, our Race
Director.
Ray told us about John's truck being broken-into on the previous day,
with most of his RC equipment being being stolen. We were all shocked to
hear the news, and just too happy to get John's racing hobby back on
track. Very classy Ray, nicely done.
A reminder was given to skippers to do a 360 after they have committed a
foul, even when the penalty wasn't directly requested. At this level of
racing we are all expected to know the basic rules, and to behave
accordingly.
Some of the out-of-control collisions from the previous day were too
hard to call who was at fault. That happens when racing in tough
conditions.
But most infractions were very obvious port/starboard violations
approaching the distant top mark, and therefore very easy to spot the
guilty party. Though a penalty at this point could be deadly to your
race, that is racing too, and a 360 must be taken.
The final piece of business was for all the skippers to sign the
commemorative banner on the wall of the clubhouse.......well, all the
skippers except JK. It seems he had already signed it........18
times in fact !!
Racing began under a thicker overcast, which seemed to make the
visibility a little better for most of us...or maybe we were just
getting a feel for how far away the marks really were. Temperatures were
warm, and the moderate breeze made for great sailing.
With fewer collisions and more 360s being done, the tension on the
'barge' was greatly reduced, and there were plenty of witty comments
being thrown-out amongst us as we battled around the course.
As the day progressed, I could see that AJ's rust was being
polished-off, and he was sailing very well. He has a beautiful boat, and
his sailing skill was really starting to show. This seemed to have him
in a quieter frame of mind, and it was great fun and an honour to sail
beside him all day.
George Georgasdasidias (sp??) from Oregon was really coming to grips
with his controls and spent most of Sunday in A fleet, often kicking my
butt. It will be great to see him come sail with us in Kelowna some
time.
JK called for a Technical Time-out so that he could finish his beer
between heats, but was denied by the head Pirate !!
My Sunday was going better than Saturday. A second night of repairs on
Calculation's rudder tube had not worked either, and it was still
leaking, however I was quicker on the maneuvers at the starts, and was
more daring chasing the wind shifts. I often found myself going up the
left side of the course with great locals like Budman and JK. Sometimes
it paid-off, and other times we just arrived on port tack at the
starboard layline, looking for a slot to tack into. Always risky, but
somehow it was paying-off.
Bill Shorney and Chuck Porth were both having a tough day, and were
floating between A and B fleets a lot. Would my efforts be enough to
catch them???
As we broke for another great BBQ lunch (Ray Seta swears that no-one
will leave Woodlawn hungry!!), an interim result sheet was published.
Chris had a good lead for the Championship and I was barely ahead of
Bill and Chuck. AJ was creeping up from behind, but hopefully wouldn't
catch me before racing finished at 3.30pm.
The breeze started to really blow in the afternoon, and some sailors
were de-powering accordingly. But there were still some quiet breezes
that needed full sails, so some sailors stayed powered-up, and just
eased sheets for the gusts. The variations of sail trims and mast rakes
of the top skippers in these conditions were huge, so there is obviously
no one 'magic' way to set-up a Victoria.
In the second-to-last A fleet race my boat was becoming very dull and
unresponsive in the gusts. I was confused as to what the problem was,
and suspected the water in the hull was splashing into the receiver
during the gusts. I had taped it well to avoid such a problem, but still
the boat wouldn't tack properly, and I even had to resort to gybing to
change directions while heading upwind!!
As I struggled back to the dock at the bottom of the A fleet, I knew I
would be dropped-down and have to race immediately in B fleet. Though I
could have called for a 5 minute Technical Time-out to make repairs, I
had no idea what to fix. So I drained the water that I suspected was at
fault, and headed back out in the hopes of clawing out a top 4 finish in
B fleet and getting promoted back up to A fleet for a better score in
the last race. Every point was crucial now.
But that wasn't to be the case. My boat wallowed around the course,
steering erratically, bumping into marks at will and giving me grey hair
as most of the B fleet sailed away from me.
Sadly, I didn't make it into A fleet and carried my tired yacht back to
its cradle. What I did know was that Calculation was due for a well
over-due refit and new set of sails.
After a few minutes of tinkering I found the problem.....the tiny allen
screw holding the tiller onto the rudder shaft had backed-off slightly
and the rudder was flopping around like a wet noodle....it's no wonder
it didn't respond and wouldn't tack.
As we ended 22 races (44 heats) Bill and Chuck were still out on the
water claiming good points to finish their regatta while I had to sit on
shore and watch.......
It wasn't until the awards were handed out that I found out the final
score.....Bill Shorney in 12th only one point behind Chuck Porth in
11th, with AJ Moritz having a great Sunday and getting up to 10th, and
my middle-of-A-fleet consistency holding me in a clear 9th place. That's
not too bad considering some of the skippers and challenges I had to
face over the weekend.
The over-all winner was a very deserving Chris Macaluso, with Hew
Hamilton in second, and three guys in a close finish for 3rd, 4th, and
5th.
After a prize-giving ceremony several of the sailors said good-bye and
got on the highway for home.
Those of us that stayed in town over-night were invited to the
volunteer's wind-up dinner at a great Tex-Mex restaurant. This was
another opportunity for some great laughs with some great guys and a
chance to drink a few more bottles of that wonderful Alamo Golden Ale.
Then it was a lot of handshakes and a few hugs before we headed towards
our respective homes until we meet again at the next regatta.
Only Brian Roberts, (the US Victoria Class Secretary) and myself (a
Canadian and non-AMYA member !!) have attended all of the last four US
Nationals.
Why do we keep going back? Well, I tease Brian that he returns because
he pays himself to go....and for me it's because the racing is that
good, and the laughs come so easy with some real gentlemen. This year
was no exception to that.
Though no-one has announced the hosting of the 2009 US Nationals yet,
even if it doesn't happen I won't be too upset, because I'll just go to
the Annual Alamo regatta in San Antonio next October.
Hopefully some of you guys will finally take the advice I've been
offering for the last 3 years......come and join me, you won't be
disappointed.
Regards, and DRINK ALAMO
Mike Wagstaff
CAN 177
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Thursday,
October 16th, 12:36 am -
Author: Marvin Burrows
Subject: Re: [VictoriaYC] 2008 Victoria Nationals - San
Antonio, Texas -
Oct 10-12, 2...
Ray & The Pirates,
You guy's rock!!!!!
What an event! Great Everything!
Most fun you can have ...with your clothes on!
Cannot say enough to express appreciation to you, your family and
Eric & the
Pirate Clan for and AWESOME Regatta. Weather and Competition (and
food)
keeps em' coming back! What an organized effort!
Your's, Eric's and Mark's absence on water in order to make it
happen....allowed this hacker to look better an have a few
highlights!
Congratulations Chris, great sailing. Hew I know Geoff's rum will
ease the
pain. There is next year! And Budman...way to go!
There will be more. Plan to see you and the crew in Houston!
Marvin
Vic # 508
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Wednesday,
October 15th, 7:25 am -
Author: Ron Stephanz
Subject: [VictoriaYC] Re: 2008 Victoria Nationals - San
Antonio, Texas -
Oct 10-12, 2008
Ray,
To you and all the Pirates at Woodlawn, "Well Done!"
Once again the Woodlawn Sailing Club has distinguished itself as the
premiere provider of a well run Championship Regatta. All the hype
from Capt. Jack for "The Show" was fulfilled by the hard work of
Ray's
family and the members of WSC. The sailing venue does not require
further praise. The praise goes out to all the unselfish volunteers,
yes volunteers, who gave up not only the opportunity to race, but
many, many hours of their time to see to it that the visiting racers
all had a great time. The food was outstanding, as usual. The race
organization was outstanding as well. The timetable for the event
was
adhered to closely.
This regatta once again raises the bar to meet for a first class
regatta.
Thank you Woodlawn!
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Tuesday,
October 14th, 9:15 pm -
Author: Ray Seta
Subject: [VictoriaYC] 2008 Victoria Nationals - San Antonio,
Texas - Oct
10-12, 2008
MEMORANDUM: Sponsorship Thanks!
To: All fellow Victoria Skippers
For all the Skippers that came to the 2008 Victoria Nationals,
the
members/Pirates of Woodlawn want to also thank you for your kind
words
and great support this past weekend. THE SHOW may be over but
the work
is never done. In the next few weeks I will be sending out
personal
notes of Thanks to many and more e-mails to Skippers. To me, the
regatta is not over at Trophy Presentation. It's the way you end
the
show is the way the Sponsors remember the show! Sponsors are a
very
large part of major regattas. From the guys who might donate 10
bags of
Ice to the guy that donates 7 days/7 nights in the British
Virgin
Island on a 47' Catamaran, they are all important for the most
important thing.......next year!
I would like to take a moment to Plug (Shamelessly) the
Sponsors,
Individuals/Manufacturers, that made this event even
better. I will not
go into all local Sponsors, but rather the Manufacturer that
every
Victoria Skipper has come to know on a National level. It is
through
our patronizing of these Sponsors throughout the year that
enable them
to give back to Major or even your local event. I would ask all
Victoria Skippers to remember these Manufacturer/Individuals
when
shopping for new products. Without them making a small profit on
Victoria products they would not be able to donate or have any
reason
to donate to this or your event. I personally have ongoing
positive
relationships with all these Sponsors and I can't Thank them
enough!!!
Mariner Sails (Aris Tsunami) - Complete Victoria Kit with Sails
- Extra Set of Sails
- Materials for all Victoria Hull Covers
Ace Hobbies - New Thunder Tiger ETNZ "One-Meter" Complete Kit
Windjammer Sails (Scott Rowland) - Specktrum Radio Discount Cert
(x2)
Isobar Sails (Todd Olson) - Set of Victoria Sails
Maritime Marine Products (AJ Moritz) - Set of Victoria Sails
PineApple Sails (Hew Hamilton) - Set of Victoria Sails
BlackMagick Sails (Alex Newald) - Set of Victoria Sails
Orion Sails (Brian Roberts) - Set of Victoria Sails (x3)
Alamo Beer (Eugene Simor) - All the "Alamo" Beer we wanted!
(Mainly in the South but is sure to find it's way North soon)
(Especailly when you have to Canadian Duo of Charlie Mann and
Bill
Shorney constantly crossing State lines with cases in their car
for
me!......lol...)
Continue to support your Sponsors, your local club, your newbie
Victoria skipper in your club, and especially the Victoria Class
Association.
Capt Jack Seta - Pirate's of Woodlawn - San Antonio, Texas
(King of the Shameless Plug....I even have a trophy for this
now! Don't
ask!....Thank You TEAM KATRINA)(Why do I support you guys!?)
|
Tuesday,
October 14th, 8:25 pm -
Author: Bill Shorney
Subject: [VictoriaYC] Vic Nationals
Every time there is a big regatta there is always alot of hype
that
this will be the best etc. --well I am here to say that
everything that
was promised with this regatta was delivered and it far exceeded
the
hype. I have never witnessed such a well organized event. "THE
SHOW"
was nothing short of spectacular and it is true THE PIRATES OF
WOODLAWN RULE THE WATER! Thanks Ray to you, your great family
and all your Pirate helpers for a great time. Thanks to all my
new found competator friends for a great learning
experience. Finally Congrats to Chris on his win. It was a
pleasure to sail with you on the pre-start and the
starting line and hopefully one day I may be able to sail the
regatta
with you(if you throw out an anchor). Great sail Chris! Thanks
again to
all and it was definitely worth the 36 hour drive home--Cheers
the
Canadian East Fanatics.
|
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Tuesday,
October 14th, 8:02 pm -
Author: Mitch Martin
Subject: [VictoriaYC] Re: 2008 Victoria Nationals - San
Antonio, Texas -
Oct 10-12, 2008
I am
finally recovered enough to put together a few words.
What a great regatta! Thank you to all the gang who worked to
put this
on for us. I know you would had rather been racing and hacking
it up
with us so I really appreciate it your efforts which go way
above what
is expected.
It was also great meeting some new Victoria skippers, especially
the
folks who made it down from Canada. I won't bitch about the
drive to
Dallas anymore.
Best Rergards and congratulations to Chris for sailing a great
regatta.
I hope to sail with you all soon again,
Mitch
118 mid fleet hacker
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Tuesday,
October 14th, 3:40 pm -
Author: Bob Piper
Subject: [LLYC] Re: Victoria National Championship Day 2
This was a well run event and I think everyone had a good time.
There
is something about having wind that just makes it fun. Heats where
there is a lot of floating just makes it a little bit of a drag...
I am not going to give a great write up because frankly I just had
too many distractions to know what was happening. I can tell you that
I know Saturday Marvin was in A fleet most if not all of the day. I
played the man in the bubble. I had skippers say things like "You
still down here?" I just said if I was going to drive all this way I
was going to sail... By the way if you are reading this, this is not
how to place well at a regatta. The bubble gets you mid fleet at the
very best.
Dennis and I had good talks with Ray Seta. Hopefully we can discuss
these with our club and see if can get the whole club involved in our
regattas. In order to do this we will need a good up to date
membership roster and boat survey. More to come on this in the "VERY"
near future. We have White Rock cup coming up soon!
Bob
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|
Subject: Re: [VictoriaYC] Re: 2008 Victoria Nationals
Chris has been sailing hard for several years, to get where he is.
Great
boatspeed, starts and tactics put him ahead of the fleet in most
heats.
I enjoyed sailing against all of the skippers in San Antonio this
past
weekend, but wish more Pirates could have been on the water too...
Geoff
included, arrr!
Nice touch with the "Captain" Geoff, I certainly will enjoy it! Hope
to
see you at Frostbite!
Hew Hamilton
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Tuesday,
October 14th, 9:39 am -
Author: Geoff Becker
Subject: [VictoriaYC] Re: 2008 Victoria Nationals
Congratulations Chris! I know you have worked hard to get to the top of
this class and your hard work has certainly paid off. I wish I could
have been there to sail with you, hopefully next year!
Geoff Becker
P.S. Enjoy the rum Hew!
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Monday,
October 13th, 9:41 pm -
Author:
AJ Moritz
Subject: [Victoria YC] Vic Nat's What an awesome event!!!
Holy Cow Batman! The 08' Vic Nat's are over! I didn't want it to
end, it's in the history books!
An excellent event was offered by folks with real know how! The
Woodlawn Sailing Club continues to impress this skipper and I know there
are many others who believe this as well. As conveyed to the Head
Pirate, he should some how market himself and the WSC team as a model on
how to manage and execute a successful event for all AMYA Sanctioned
Regattas. It's not the volume of events a club can host, rather it's
the Quality of the event in which all should measure from.
The following attributes are what I had the pleasure to experience;
* Excellent coordination between all the WSC Team, with the
knowledgeable leader for the BIG SHOW, HEAD HONCHO, Mr. Ray Seta at the
helm! The Chairman! -CEO! * Excellent Course management, with 12
well identified multiple preset courses covering all degrees of
prevailing wind conditions on the course. Excellent use of
communications and management with state-of the-art equipment/gear, real
time score posting, on-line PIRATE Cam. John Olivera performed
magnificently as the hands on Race Director with over-view by Ray in the
CONTROL CENTER. Awesome execution on facets of running a regatta. No
down time between heats, no glitches upon the start up Saturday morning,
a well oiled machine to say the least! * HOSPITALITY, OMG, there
aren't words to express the efforts behind the scenes by Mr. and
Mrs. Seta and team WSC. Food, was at another all time high - 5 Star
Rating! Excellent eats, entrees were cooked on-site via char grilles to
perfection by WSC's cooking staff. Unbelievable when one stops to think
of everything that goes into pulling all this together...No other RCR or
NCR event I have attended in my 16 years with AMYA even comes close!
This statement in "Tall Standing" as I have participated in several
EC-12 3-day events, which I have always considered to be the Blue Blood
of AMYA. * All events at Host Hotel, and Saturday evening's Banquet
Dinner were handled at a "professional level".
All skippers had a good time, there were no complaints what so ever,
at least none this skipper heard about. Check-in, measuring and holding
to strict ONE DESIGN w/o gray areas was of high specification! West of
the Continental Divide (Central Western US) skippers may have needed to
make corrections in spec compliance to our Class to participate in the
08 NCR, enough said. This event marks the 4th or 5th time I have had
the pleasure to attend at a Woodlawn Sailing Club event. It seems as
though every time I participate in a Championship / Annual or any Class
event hosted by this club, they reach a higher plateau of excellence.
The '08 Victoria Class National Championship has topped them all. It's
awesome to live in a State/Region where the Vic Class originated.
Annual regattas like the White Rock, Frostbite, Round Rock and other up
coming events hosted annually are well done but WSC sets the standard,
no-doubt about it!
Thanks for a very nice time, hospitality and a well managed regatta by
none other then the Pirates of Woodlawn!!!
AJ Moritz
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Monday,
October 13th, 6:44 pm -
Author: Dave LeBlanc
Subject: Re: [Victoria YC] 2008 Victoria Nationals - San Antonio, Texas
- Oct 10-12, 2008
Ray and all the Woodlawn Pirates,
I just got home a little while ago after the long ride back to
Louisiana and wanted to tell all of you what a wonderful time I had
at "The Show" this past weekend. You and all the Woodlawn volunteers
put on a first class regatta.
If you are a Victoria sailor and were not in San Antonio this past
weekend you missed out on a real special time.
Thanks again,
Dave LeBlanc
Victoria #866
Team Katrina (MBRC)
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Monday,
October 13th, 6:14pm -
Author: Ray Seta
Subject: [Victoria YC] 2008 Victoria Nationals - San Antonio, Texas -
Oct 10-12, 2008
PRESS RELEASE: Wrap-up!
Thank You Skippers - Thank You Mother Nature!
The 2008 Victoria Nationals billed as THE SHOW has now faded to
black! With 34 Skippers participating, it was a show in itself to see
19 boats on the Starting Line every race. With winds all weekend
averaging around 10-12mph and gusting to 18mph at times and with the
beautiful temps of around 80 degrees with slight overcast to shade
the sun, some would say it was perfect Victoria Regatta conditions.
With two days of full racing with 21 races(42 heats) and seeding
races, 18 "Staff" WSC members to run the days, you could not of ask
for better numbers for a regatta of any caliber. Ask any skipper that
attended and they can honestly say they did not go home hungry for
more racing, Texas BBQ, Mexican Feast, and a party socials
every night. And this includes the no less than 15 skippers staying
over night on Sunday just to attend the traditional WSC members after
show dinner at one of San Antonio's finest Tex/Mex Restaurants for
dinner after performing the show after The Show called "loading out"
the venue! What took all day Friday to set-up only takes 1 hours to
load in trailers and trucks to remover. One Canadian Skipper was so
astounded by the organized chaos by the WSC members that he was seen
loading scaffold parts on the trailer just to help! Telling me later
he could not believe the talent of folks I have to draw from in this
club. With many accolades going to the wife's and girlfriends of this
club!
We did experience some technical difficulty with out "live" updates
during the day, but word has it that both "Pirate Cam" worked
beautifully throughout the weekend. Many phone calls coming to cell
phone during the racing from all over the country from skippers we
all know watching the action. Hope you had a chance to control the
camera and see for yourself. Now that our webmaster is back at his
home base he will be making all up dates and adding photos of everyday
in the next few days this week. As far as more coverage, how about
the local newspaper posting a full color photo on their Sunday's
Front Page and then following up with a staff journalist spending all
day on Sunday and doing a wrap-up story with more photos on the Front
page again in Monday's paper. Interviewing the newly crowned Champion
Chris Macaluso was a treat for all of us! Even Geoff Becker, 2007
Victoria Nationals Champion,(unable to attend!) got into the show by
writing a special letter that I read to mainly the second place
skipper (Hew Hamilton), donating a huge bottle of Capt Morgan's Rum
to help ease the pain, as he (Geoff) knows what it's like to finish
second.
I can keep going on with details all night here, but I will let
the skippers themselves take that time. I just want to say that it
was an honor for the Pirates of Woodlawn to host this event. and we
all hope that for those that attend that you had a great time. And if
you didn't, you had a chance to view it on Pirate Cam. Keep checking
back with www.woodlawnsailingclub.org for additional photos
and final race-by-race results. I will also be posting in a few days
the 2008 Skippers Boat/Equipment Spreadsheet in the files section of
this group. Tonight I will post a scanned copy of the Front Page
newspaper color photo that appeared in Sunday AM newspaper.
Special Thanks from me for the special "Shameless Plug" Trophy
presented to me Friday night during the Registration Reception at the
Host Hotel. I personally won't post photos of this!.....lol.....You
had to be there!
The final results are in and here they are:
Congratulations to Chris and all the fine competitors at the 2008
Victoria Nationals Regatta!
1. Chris Macaluso - 2008 Victoria National Champion - Houston, TX.
2. Hew Hamilton
3. Budman Garcia
4. Gilbert MacLachlan
5. Ron Stephanz
6. Mark Cooper
7. Al Ross
8. John Kuc
9. Mike Wagstaff
10. AJ Moritz
11. Chuck Porth
12.Bill Shorney
13. Bob Piper
14. Richard Azzam
15. David LaBlanc
16. Bruce Huckaba
17. CJ Brustowicz
18. Phil Geren
19. Mitch Martin
20. Charlie Mann
21. George Georgiadis "Special Finisher" awarded for finishing
every race with the highest points
22. Jerry McBride
23. Mike Biggs
24. Marvin Burrows
25. Charles Sudduth
26. Brian Roberts
27. Vicky Stones
28. James Taylor
29. Denis Corder
30. Ray Mireles
31. Tom Kern
32. Mauricio Dantas
33. David Rogers
34. Don Kenny
The Show is over - Fade to Black
Ray Seta - Regatta Chairman - King of the Shameless Plugs!
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Monday,
October 13th, 1:25 pm -
Author: AJ Moritz
Subject: Re:[Victoria YC] Victoria National Championship Regatta Day 2
EXTREMMMM-CHRIS takes the 08 Victoria NCR in excellent form!
My sailing buddy, I know this guy, at least I think sometimes, he can be
quite complex at times, hard to figure out...Chis Mac - "Extreme" takes
the Vic Class Championship in a fashion I have never witnessed before.
This guy knew what the odds were, he knew the competition and he knows
how good some of these front-line skippers. Chris handled it
perfectly! His boat was tuned and fully optimized for what
happened to be his most desire wind conditions.
I have never seen a Vic blast through choppy wave condition or handle 12
to 22 MPH of wind gust like Chris's Vic. Looking back some 3
years ago when Chris and I first meet at Clearlake MYC annual frostbite
regatta my first impression was "he has the fire" the right
determinination and attitude to Go-Fast to the top. MPI was to
help get Chris started providing an window of competitive entry-level
into Class. The rest is history as they say. He is witty but
yet cagy, he knows the program! It took him only 3 years to reach
GOLD!
The only thing I can say as a past National Champion is wow! Have
I got my work cut out or what. It will not be easy, no cake walk
by Geoff, Greg or any other Class Champion or for that matter any other
excellent skipper as like Hue Hamilton or Al Ross along with may
others that are hungry, they will be there next time, this anyone can
count on! If Chris maintains his "ZIN Zone" it will be hard to
rustle the title away from him.
CONGRATES TO
AJ Moritz
Maritime Products International
Performance Scale Sailing
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Monday,
October 13th, 9:52am -
Author: Charles Sudduth, LLYC, Dallas, TX
Subject: [VictoriaYC] Victoria National Championship Regatta Day 2
Hi Everyone,
The 2nd day of the Victoria National Championship was much like the
1st day but with many place changes occurring.
Congratulations to Chris Macaluso, the new National Champion, and Hew
Hamilton, Budman Garcia, Gilbert MacKachlan, and Ron Stephanz for
their outstanding performances.
The results were:
1. Chris Macaluso
2. Hew Hamilton
3. Budman Garcia
4. Gilbert MacLachlan
5. Ron Stephanz
6. Mark Cooper
7. Al Ross
8. John Kuc
9. Mike Wagstaff
10. AJ Moritz
11. Chuck Porth
12.Bill Shorney
13. Bob Piper
14. Richard Azzam
15. David LaBlanc
16. Bruce Huckaba
17. CJ Brustowicz
18. Phil Geren
19. Mitch Martin
20. Charlie Mann
21. George Georgiadis
22. Jerry McBride
23. Mike Biggs
24. Marvin Burrows
25. Charles Sudduth
26. Brian Roberts
27. Vicky Stones
28. James Taylor
29. Denis Corder
30. Ray Mireles
31. Tom Kern
32. Mauricio Dantas
33. David Rogers
34. Don Kenny
I would just like to thank Ray Seta and all of his group for the
outstanding National Championship Regatta. I have never seen a
regatta so well organized. I can't think of a single item that was
not covered. There were two rescue boats manned by three people
continuously throughout both days. The racing started on time and the
communication between the RD and Ray and the score keepers was
terrific. There was plenty of food so as Ray always says, "No one
will go home hungry". John Oliveria was outstanding as RD. Many of
the WSC Victoria sailors gave up their opportunity to sail in the NCR
to make sure everything ran smoothly and it did. I made mention of
the lack of penalty turns being done on Saturday. Sunday I thought
this situation was much better. I asked Ray Seta to say something
about this situation Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. He did
and it did improve.
Thanks to all the competitors for their congeniality and camaraderie.
Even though I performed poorly, I still had a great time.
Thanks again to Ray and his group.
Charles Sudduth
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