This past One Design Weekend put on by the South Coast Corinthian Yacht Club was a primer on great Race Committee work.
Bill Stump, Bruce Fleck and the gang over at one of the friendliest clubs on the Santa Monica bay did a wonderful job setting up 4 great races on Saturday.
After threatening early on Saturday evening to combine some of the next day’s starts due to an overall low turnout, the race committee came up with another stellar day of racing on Sunday, with a separate start in each of the remaining 3 races for the six boat fleet of Martin 242s.
Ninety six boats raced this past weekend at Cal Race Week in a weather pattern that was significantly more benign than the conditions dished up on the Santa Monica Bay two weeks ago for the California Cup Regatta. Kellie Fennessy, who chaired the event, had more than 75 volunteers working on three courses each day to provide excellent racing for all.
With light shifty conditions on Saturday, Keith Kraemer and his team seemed to have it all figured out in the first and third races with two bullets.
There was plenty of rock “n” roll breeze for the California Yacht Club’s Midwinters Regatta. It was in the low teens on Saturday with nearly twice as much on Sunday, resulting in Small Craft Warnings flying from the USCG Station. The wind, combining with an ugly sea state resulted in broken masts in two of the other fleets.
It was close to being a total surprise when Mike George was honored with the prestigious "Yacht of the Year" by California Yacht Club during the Installation Dinner on January 9th. A half hull of "All In" made by Ken Gardiner will be displayed in the bar for all eternity next to other honorees such as Roy Disney, Jeff Janov, John Kilroy and Craig Leeds.
Fleet Two (Vancouver Island) has been awarded the 2010 NAs, which will be held in conjunction with the RIPS Regatta in mid-August 2010 at Port Browning, BC.
In 2011 the event shifts back to Fleet 3 (Marina del Rey) in Los Angeles, where it will probably be held in July, and in 2012 it will return to Canada, and be hosted by either Fleet 4 (Sylvan Lake) or Fleet 1 (Vancouver).
Competitors are advised that the IMCA Committee has finalized the M242 Class Rules, which will go into effect January 1, 2010.
The Class Rules are available for review and commentary by competitors here.
Changes have occurred since the last set of draft Rules went into effect March 1, 2009. The following are the Rules that have had updates: 2.5; 3.1; 3.2.12; 3.6.3; 3.7.10;