1942 World Championship - Lake Michigan, USA

1942 World Championship - Lake Michigan, USA

The following results are from George Elder's book "Forty Years Among The Stars". In common with the early Logs it is interesting to note that in his results Elder does not give the yacht numbers of the boats which participated in the World's, but only just their names. It was not until the 1950 Log that yacht numbers were included in the results. From 1950 through 1976 both yacht numbers and names were given, but starting with 1977 frequently only yacht numbers were given. The last time both yacht numbers and yacht names were given was 1989.

In later years sometimes fleet designations were omitted. In these cases some of the more obvious fleet designations were supplied. Also from time to time only last names were supplied. First names, where known, were added.

Abbreviations etc: Dsa - Disabled. Dsq - Disqualified. Dns - Did Not Start.
Wdr - Withdrew. Ch - Chairman. B - Builder. * - Defending Fleet. 0 - No points, reason not given.

1942 - ON LAKE MICHIGAN (War-Time Skipper Series)

Best Boat Score: No. 1861, Rhasody. B - Perkmen Yachts, Brooklyn, N. Y., 1939.
Ch. Meeting - G. W. Elder. Ch. I.R.C. - G. A. Corry.

Regatta Report from 1943 Star Class Log

NYE WINS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN FIRST SKIPPERS SERIES

The World's Championship, held at Chicago according to schedule, was a huge success from every angle. Harry Nye and Stanley Fahlstrom, representing the Southern Lake Michigan Fleet, won the title with the almost perfect score of 75 out of 80 points. In no race did Harry fail to collect any daily prize. Incidentally, this is the first time that this classic has ever been won by a skipper from fresh water.

Sterling Potter and Ed Douglass were runners-up for Santa Monica, winning three races, while Tommy Scripps and Maurice Watson further maintained California tradition by giving San Diego Bay third place in this wartime series.

Before proceeding further, it might be well to answer the question uppermost in the minds of our members, namely, "How did this skipper's series work out and how were the boats allocated?" As a matter of fact, it worked out to perfection chiefly through the advance efforts made by John Pirie. It proved that the boat is after all a negligible factor. Opinion was practically unanimous that had the skippers sailed their own craft the final results would have been practically the same. Sailing a different boat each day would have been an excellent alibi but not a single skipper who finished down the list so much as referred to it.

In order to avoid the element of luck as much as possible the local boats were split into two divisions. The presumably better ones were called Group A and half of the entry list drew from this group on alternate days. On the last day the half who had the highest point score drew A boats in order that no one close to the top might be inflicted with a questionable boat for that final race. To prevent members from staying up all night conditioning their boats, drawings were not made until 10:30 the morning of the race and these drawings developed into quite a ceremony. The Committee delayed starts when necessary that minor repairs might be made and there were workmen on hand to recondition boats each night for the next race.

Lake Michigan was no mill pond on those first two days when Potter and Douglass won over the windward and leeward courses, establishing a two-point lead over Harry Nye. The last three races were sailed over a triangular course on which Nye's uncanny ability to reach stood him in good stead. In the third and fourth race the Lake Michigan skipper put a sufficient number of boats between himself and the California threat to put the series on ice. Potter again won the last race, but the golden star was already practically on Harry's sail.

Paul Smart who was nosed out of third in the last race won the Distant Fleet Trophy. Bob and Stan Lippincott took the First Challenge Trophy, finishing fifth in the series although they were disabled on the first day. Charlie Cardenas made history on two counts. Little Charlie, age ten, was the youngest individual who has ever raced in a World's Championship. Likewise, Charlie added to his point score of the past two years sufficiently to take the series to Habana for 1943, providing conditions make that possible.

"Pop” Corry was Chairman of the Race Committee, on which also served John Pirie, Buddy Ebsen, Lt. Enright, Max Hayford, and Bert Williams as an alternate. They are to be congratulated on the efficient manner in which all races were run off. The time was unusually fast, there were no wind shifts worthy of mention, and the entries were for the most part well bunched.

The Chicago Yacht Club, Jackson Park Yacht Club, and the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club cooperated with the Columbia Yacht Club, which was headquarters, in entertaining the visitors throughout the week. Every evening was provided for with Buddy Ebsen taking the gang to see "Good night, Ladies," in which he himself starred. Although squalls threatened, the only ones that hit were on rest day.

 It was sloppy, wet sailing at times on the Lake but it was also wet ashore--the wettest party that Star members have experienced for some years. No one can sing the praises of our Chicago members high enough. They were hospitality personified. They made this series possible by loaning us their boats and extended every possible courtesy to the visitors. If conditions are such that another skipper's series becomes necessary there is no place where it could be held to better advantage, where local conditions are fairer or where a Star member could have a better time than in Chicago.