2010 David Oursler Star Spring Regatta
A hardy group of three visiting teams and four
local teams braved the elements to participate in this year’s Miles River Spring
Star Regatta. The forecast for the weekend was 20-30 knots with gusts
around 40. In anticipation of the building wind, the race committee
promptly set us out and we completed two races with plenty of excitement but
without mishap. The first race was a three lap windward-leeward course.
The first two laps saw Ben Fransen and Keith Donald in the lead rounding every
mark practically overlapped. Ben held the lead for the final lap although the
rest of the fleet closed the gap. During the final downwind leg, Carroll
McCallum came blasting in on an incredible non-stop plane. For a while it
looked like she would take it all. The finish was surprisingly close after
three laps in shifty winds with strong puffs.
With no delay, the second race was started, this
time two laps instead of three. With stronger gusts, the downwind legs
separated the fleet. During the first downwind leg, Ben managed to jibe at
the right moment and held his lead position. Andrew Parish was in close
pursuit. Carroll did a safety jibe and screamed back into position.
Keith was carried off course, unable to jibe due to the unrelenting wind.
Most boats had their moments of excitement.
All through Saturday evening the Northwest wind
continued to howl. By morning, most of the water had been blown out of the
Bay and the air was considerable cooler. Having survived the previous day and
with little evidence that the wind was abating, the general consensus was to
stay ashore so that we could sail another day. That gave Ben Fransen with
crew Ian Coleman the top honors and Keith Donald with crew Jim Pickering and
Carroll McCallum with crew Jock Kohlhas tied for second.
The visiting teams were warmly welcomed with housing accommodations provided for all. The Miles River Yacht Club provided continental breakfast both Saturday and Sunday morning and Hors d’oeuvres after the racing Saturday. Sam Hopkins graciously invited all over for cocktails and dinner both Friday and Saturday evening. The Race Committee did an outstanding job of getting two races off in challenging conditions. The hospitality of MRYC is greatly appreciated. This event is a must for all Star sailors and we look forward to returning.
Star
Place
Boat
Skipper
Crew
Sail #:
Fleet
1
2
Total
1
7713
Ben
Fransen
Ian
Coleman
7713
AN
1
1
2
2
Hope
Keith
Donald
Jim
Pickering
4125
AN
2
4
6
3
Ciao Bella
Carroll
McCallum
Jock
Kohlhas
7715
CLIS
3
3
6
4
Black Seal
Andrew
Parish
Rich Hoff
8131
MES
6
2
8
5
Locus
Jim Ryan
Tim Paris
7585
MES
4
5
9
6
Mary Jane
Sam
Hopkins
Adam
Dolezal
7970
MES
5
6
11
7
Cover Girl
Karen Alt
Matt Joyce
7786
MES
DNF
DNF
16
Click on the images for full resolution photos of the race committee and participants.