Series Racing Summary
The 2009 racing series kicked off with some frigid weather plaguing most of the weekend races. With everything from sub-zero temperatures to 18 plus inches of snow; we saw it all. Unfortunately, the weather seemed to keep many boats off the water as the conditions were less than desirable for many racers.
With warmer days on the horizon, boats seemed to creep into the marina with plans for the upcoming season. The Spring Series kicked off on May 6 with the keelboats heading out under typical spring breeze and big shifts. The dinghies headed out on May 7 for their inaugural sail on the lake to find similar conditions. As is typical with spring sailing in Colorado, every week seems to bring a new element of surprise from big breeze to dead flat, making it that much harder to tune for the conditions. It seems now with a few weeks behind us, we are starting to settling into the Spring Series with an increasing number of boats and racers showing up each week. With only three evenings of racing thus far, the Series is anyone’s to win.
Fleet Captains need to continue to rally support to get as many boats as possible on the line. Stay tuned for up-to-date scoring and on the water reporting!
Rocky Mountain Shoot Out & Hornblower Regatta
The 2009 Rocky Mountain Shoot Out and Hornblower Regatta took place on May 16 & 17 on Cherry Creek Lake and was hosted by Denver Sailing Association and Cherry Creek Marina. With the potential for some ominous weather conditions, the Race Committee and competitors kept their fingers crossed for fair weather and consistent breeze. As our luck would have it, the weather managed to clear out on Saturday morning with partly cloudy skies and building breeze from the east.
Our superb Race Committee team was lead by Greg Schertz on the keelboat course and Bill Darling on the dinghy course. The Race Committee was assisted by John Arendt and Chris Jones on the keelboat course with Frank Keesling on the dinghy course.
The race management team was quick to set a square line and get the racers off on well planned courses. The breeze managed to cooperate with fairly consistent breeze from the east varying from 12-18 knots. With some nice steady wind, the race committee was able to get off five fantastic races which provided some intense on-the-water competition and tight scoring. The sailors were brought in around 5:00 pm to be welcomed by the Cherry Creek Marina staff with cold drinks and fabulous food. The evening was enjoyed by all who participated as the review of the day’s scores proved to show just how close some of the racing had been. The air was buzzing with energy and possibilities to see who would prevail in the following day’s races.
As typical with Colorado sailing this time of the year, the wind failed to arrive on Sunday. As competitors waited to see what may develop on the water, it appeared that no races were likely to be started. At 1:00pm, the Race Committee made the decision to call off the regatta after the racers had been kept ashore under postponement since 11:00 am. Finally, scoring was conducted to determine the overall winners of the regatta and the recipients of the Roger Marshall Trophy (keelboats) and the Hornblower Trophy. After final scores were tallied, it was Marty May on a U20 taking the honors and winning the Roger Marshall Trophy and Fletcher Avery taking home the Hornblower Trophy. All in all, a great weekend of racing and social activities, despite the lack of breeze on Sunday.
A big thanks to all the sponsors who helped make the regatta a huge success - Cherry Creek Marina, Mt.Gay Rum, Juice Plus, Vitamin Cottage, Einstein Bagels and Stick’e'Star Restaurant. Stay tuned for the next big event!
