2016 Paw Paw Lake Open : Races by Class

1st Place Overall – Gene McCarthy (left) and Glenn McCarthy (right) with the brand new perpetual trophy graciously donated this year by Race Technician Blan Page. What devious plan is Glenn thinking up now?

2016 Paw Paw Lake Open

Champagne Sailing:
By Glenn McCarthy

With hearty breakfasts and the meatiest sandwiches in sack lunches on the race course, the weather was picture perfect. Almost all of the time it was rail sitting weather, with three short-lived moments with thoughts of mini-hiking, and a few moments sitting down in the boat.

Saturday's racing started right on time with 8 double windward leeward races run. Two of the races were "purple flag" races, meaning that the crew and skipper exchange position for that race. We have crew steering boats in our regatta! Good times.

Recent transplants Race Technicians Blan & Julie Page from Mobile, AL with locals Danny Tobin and Sherry Meyer on the mark-set boat just kept the whole shebang going, with ease and great delight by the competitors.

With 24 mark roundings, 8 starts and finishes on Saturday, the conversation on shore afterwards quickly turned to the three "A"s: Aleve, Advil and Aspirin.

All teams gathered at a local restaurant for dinner along with the race technicians, good stories, good friends, good times and the Saturday results were read.

Sunday awoke to a new race, with the "Tour de Lake." Marks were set in different spots around the lake, even up in Sherwood Bay which hasn't been visited in at least 20 years by the fleet. Think "Little Traverse Bay 'U Gotta Regatta'" type course. Some marks were rounded to port, others to starboard. With 1 start, 7 mark roundings, 1 finish and a whole lotta big windshifts with a mixture of holes up and down the length of Paw Paw Lake a great race was fought. Then the day finished off with 1 more double windward leeward race.

All races run were scored for the overall prize (including the crew skippered races), with Gene McCarthy (an 88-year young skipper, first sailing a Star some 68 years ago) and his son Glenn winning. Jack Rickard and Sam Eadie taking second, Neal Turluck and Norm Wilhelmsen third, with Jeff Phillips and Isaiah Meyer taking 4th.

In the two "Crew as Skipper" races, the results were Norm Wilhelmsen first, Glenn McCarthy second, Sam Eadie third, and Isaiah Meyer fourth.

The crew really dig the Crew skippered races and clamor for more.

Over two days, there were 10 races in all, 10 starts, 10 finishes (all boats finished all races), 34 mark roundings, 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, refreshments and snacks all for an $80 entry fee. What a deal.