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2001 Regatta Results

2001 Frostbite Regatta

Clearpoint Model Yacht Club, Pasadena, TX
January 20, 2001
by Darren Durrett

This was the inaugural event for the Houston area, Clearpoint Model Yacht Club (CMYC). The all Victoria regatta went off without a hitch, thanks to the hard work and commitment of the club's commodore, Mark Cooper. Prior to the regatta, the newly formed club members held numerous yacht building parties to aid in the construction of four new Thunder Tiger Victoria yachts. The sailing site was at Burke Crenshaw Park in Pasadena, Texas, just southeast of Houston. The park is very open, has a small lake just right for model sailing and is interlaced with walking paths. As the racing ensued, many of the park’s patrons, out on a walk, stopped to watch and visit about the goings on. Interests were sparked and AMYA literature was handed out as the day went on. A few of the skippers even handed over their controls to visitors and youngsters so they could sail around the course between races. It was a great day for everyone.

The regatta included four yachts from the Austin Model Sailing Club (AMSC) from Austin, Texas, about a 160 miles to the northwest of Houston. The four AMSC yachts plus seven from the CMYC gave us a fleet of eleven Victoria. The regatta consisted of 20 races. Experience levels ranged from expert to beginner, therefore a RYGGed handicap system was in place. For many of the CMYC skippers, this was the first time to even touch the controls!

Rules were relaxed and a learning environment was in place. However, there was quite a bit a "paint-trading" going on! As expected, the Frostbite Regatta lived up to its name. Although it was a clear, bright, sunny day, the beginning of the regatta was marked by near freezing temperatures (we're talking overnight ice in the parking lot puddles) and very gusty north winds from 8-10 mph. About half way through the regatta, a wonderful lunch consisting of a giant sandwich ring and hot! potato soup was served. The second half of the day brought with it warming temperatures and the challenges of light air sailing. Rig tuning was crucial as wind speeds diminished to light and variable.

At the end of the event, Commodore Mark Cooper presented three beautiful glass trophies for the top three finishers. The trophies were donated to the club and were very nice. This was a surprising and incredible treat that will not be soon forgotten. The photo to the right is Gary receiving the 1st Place Award from Mark. Gary won the event sailing a Vic' that he borrowed form Mark. The boat had been retro-fitted and modified for the 5^th time and was completed just hours before the regatta. After the event, Mark, jokingly, announced to the fleet that he would no longer be lending his boats out, and especially not to Gary! :-)

Regatta Photos: (Click on an image to view at full size)

	The Skippers
	The Winner!

Thanks to all those who helped this first-class event go off so smoothly. The Frostbite Regatta was a tremendous success, and could not have been done without a lot of the hard work and commitment from those involved. A big thinks to all of the AMSC skippers for making the long drive and especially to the Ms Tallman for being the scorekeeper and to Don Keeney for being our Race Director.

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2001 White Rock Cup Regatta

Corinthian Yacht Club, Dallas, TX
March 17-18, 2001

The White Rock Cup IV is now in the books, and two time winner A.J. Moritz of Grapevine, Texas pulled the hat-trick to become the Cup's first three time winner. The Cup almost ended up on a trip to Seattle, Washington as first time challenger Craig Mackey put in an impressive performance, and actually led the way for the majority of the regatta. In third, building on last year's excellent performance was Brig North, of Dallas, Texas.

The White Rock Cup is a yearly Victoria One-Design regatta held at the Corinthian Sailing Club on White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas. Started as the "ultimate challenge" for Victoria skippers, as well as a charity fundraiser for the Spina Bifida Association of Dallas (S.B.A.D.), by Victoria founder Christopher Cafiero, the Cup drew a record 26 participants, with 23 boats actually lining up for racing over the two-day event. In addition to the record number of entries, a record $600.00 was raised for S.B.A.D., which assists families and children afflicted by this serious genetic spinal tube defect. For the second straight year, Les Lacs Model Yacht Club, of Addison, Texas joined the Cup's founding Club, the Trinity River Yacht Club, in hosting the regatta.

White Rock Lake, "birthplace of the Victoria class", can be a very tricky venue for first time skippers. The lake can be very windy in the spring, and first time skippers can find its choppy surface makes for difficult tacking. Despite a very unfavorable forecast, this year's Cup was blessed with generally good conditions; a light wind perfect for the small Victoria, and fairly flat water. The light wind was very shifty however, and kept skippers and the race committee guessing as to the best strategy with which to attack the windward-leeward course. It was also unseasonably cool, although it was quite sunny for the first day of the regatta.

Over the years the White Rock Cup has established a reputation as THE Victoria event of the year, and has attracted skippers from as far away as Washington state, Georgia, and Kansas. While many top skippers such as 1999 National Champion Scott Mauney, and 2000 National Champion A.J. Moritz have challenged for, and won the Cup, the regatta has a Corinthian reputation that encourages new skippers to attend and try their mettle while picking up valuable tips from experienced hands. As is the tradition of the Cup, many skippers left chock full of new ideas to make their boats a bit faster, after sharing information with their fellows. The Cup itself is a perennial challenge trophy, the winner's name, and that of his boat, is engraved on it and he is entitled to hold the trophy until the next Cup. To date the winners have been:

This year's Cup again used the Heat Management System with its promotion-demotion system. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Race Director Ralph Kelley, and Scorekeeper Herman van Beek, 19 races, some 38 heats were run within the day and a half event. As mentioned earlier, Seattle's Craig Mackey (Tabasco, USA-18) got off to a very fast start, grabbing and holding the lead right up to the 17th race. Despite his preference for heavy air, Craig was fast throughout the regatta, and sailed his boat very well. On the 16th race, a collision sprung Tabasco's gooseneck and she was forced to limp home with a demotion to B fleet from which, in the few remaining races, she was unable to recover. But for this incident the Cup could very well be on its way to Seattle!

Joining Craig from Seattle was Gordon Cole's yellow Taxi Dancer (USA-175). Gordon spent all but two races in A Fleet, and pulled a very creditable 4th place overall. Brig North (USA-78), who finished 2nd in the 2000 Cup, also put in a very consistent performance and took home 3rd place. Except for A.J., Brig is the only person to finish in the top three in more than one Cup appearance, quite a record! Richard Jones of Addison, Texas (Welsh Dragon, USA-161), John Kuc of San Antonio,Texas (USA-204) Ray Seta also from San Antonio (24K, USA-2424), Charles LeMahieu of Richardson, Texas (Crazy Horse, USA-03), Gary Ward of Houston, Texas (Majestic, USA-151), and Marcus Pelt from Rowlett, Texas (Poss'm, USA-136) rounded out the top ten skippers.

Of special note was Chuck LeMahieu's beautifully rebuilt Crazy Horse. One of the first Victoria's, this boat had been so badly damaged over the years it would sink to the bottom in (literally!) about half a minute. After many months of repair and restoration, this early Victoria is now once again in racing trim (and quite a sight!). Many skippers were also delighted to see Victoria "01", Defiant, owned by founding Class Secretary Chris Cafiero. Despite her many years, including some tough sailing with the Crazy Horse, the Defiant (a fairly stock boat, she still has all her original white plastic mast shroud attachments!) had some nice moments and finished in the middle of the pack by regatta's end. If nothing else, a Victoria can last if treated right!

Cup winner A.J. Moritz sailed a new boat built for last year's National Championship, Warlock 2000 (USA-5). A.J. is pretty well known to the Victoria crowd, as he is the guy behind MPI, which provides a variety of (in my opinion) pretty nice Victoria after-market and upgrade items, as well as turn-key boats. Indeed, many of the boats at the regatta sported at least some MPI item upon them. Another early pioneer in the class, sailmaker Rod Carr, was also noticeable with several boats sporting Carr sails. Surprisingly, A.J. started out in B fleet, got promoted in the first heat, and chased Craig Mackey and Tobasco for most of the regatta. By very consistent sailing, A.J. closed and held with 5 points of Craig through most of the regatta, finally passing him at the very end when Craig had the aforementioned gooseneck failure.

All in all, the White Rock Cup IV was a resounding success, and I hope to see it grow again next year. Special Thanks are also due to our sponsors and benefactors: Aris Tsamis of Mariner Sails, A.J. Moritz of MPI, Chuck LeMahieu for donating 2nd and 3rd place trophies, Corinthian Sailing Club for the use of their excellent facility, and Ralph Kelley and Herman van Beek of the Race Committee. Also thanks to the many volunteers who helped with the race committee and food!

Regatta Photos: (Click on an image to view at full size)

	Perennial favorite among the child observer's Mark Cooper's Barnycle in action.
	Chuck LeMahieu's beautifully re-built Crazy Horse (USA-03) in the lead on a downwind run.
	Tight Competitive racing to windward
	Bill Sauceda's Black Magic
	21 of the 23 boats that participated
	A. J. Moritz's Warlock 2000 2000 National Champion 2001 White Rock Winner
	Cup founder Chris Cafiero, had his 37th birthday at White Rock Four.
	The Toughest Victoria Regatta around? The White Rock Cup awaits the winner.
	The spirit of the Cup competition. Craig Mackey  takes 2nd place with a smile after a heartbreaking collision and breakdown in the third to last race knocked him out of first place. He'll be back. All photos by Gary Ward. See the complete photo history of White Rock IV (120) photo's at Gary Wards excellent web site.

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2001 Region 5 Victoria Championship

Clearpoint Model Yacht Club, Pasadena, TX
May 19, 2001
by Mark Cooper

The 2001 Region 5 Victoria Championship was held on Saturday, May 19th at Burke/Crenshaw Park in Pasadena, TX. It was co-hosted by the Austin Model Sailing Club and the Clearpoint Model Yacht Club. Although most participants were Texans, several traveled from as far away as Arizona and Georgia for this event. Those who were able to make it to Friday afternoons practice were greeted with some gusty winds and a great opportunity to tune up for what was to come. In addition, they were treated to a Bar-B-Que Dinner hosted by Mark Cooper at Clearpoint Church. Fellowship, food and fun, along with some good old Texas hospitality, successfully completed the day.

Saturday morning everything was in place and final check-in commenced. Measuring of the sails and weighing of the boats were the two main items that were checked, utilizing a sail template and postal scale. Once completed, Micky Peterson, our RD for the day, took the helm. He did not disappoint anyone and controlled the flow of the day beautifully. Dick Rutledge was in charge of handling any protests that may have erupted, but due to some friendly and clean sailing by everyone, he did not have to intervene.

The course was laid and modified as needed based upon the changes in wind direction. For the most part, wind blew from the south and southeast making changes to the course minimal, and thanks to our rescue boat volunteer, Josh Fletcher, smooth as well. We used a standard windward/leeward course with separators at both ends. The morning sailing was in a light breeze and made for some very close finishes. Thanks go out to Nelda Tallman and Janice Grim for handling the line starts and finishes/scoring. As the day progressed, winds began to build and competitors soon found themselves in the same predicament as Friday afternoon. Those who had prepared benefited from the practice on Friday. Craig Mackey's boat "Tabasco" showed why he had traveled so far to compete. As he stated "This boat loves these winds" and it showed. He took control of the event and was soon in comfortable command. A lunch from Jason's Deli gave everyone a break and a time to relax and enjoy the day. Continuing on, we ended up completing 30 races. This was very impressive, as there was little breakage in healthy winds. In the end, Craig finished in first, followed by John Kuc and Richard Jones in third.

Thanks to the Austin Model Sailing Club, certificates of appreciation were passed out to those who had volunteered. The trophies and awards were handed out for 1st through 5th place. Everyone seemed to be satisfied. Due to the generosity of Mariner Sails of Dallas, a set of sails was donated and awarded for one of the lucky sailors.

For Clearpoint and Austin's first time at hosting this type of event, we felt very good about the end result. We know that in the future we will be even more prepared to be able to give everyone a good day of sailing. Again, we would like to thank all the participants who traveled and to the volunteers who spent many hours preparing to host this event.

Full Results

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Victoria Class National Championship

September 29-30, 2001

Craig was posed some questions by the Class Secretary and here is what was said

Brian Roberts: Craig, Now you have done several Nationals. Can you tell how you found them:

Craig

I though the Victoria Nationals were well run. I liked the heat management system. Both the U.S. and Canadian Nationals used this system and it worked well. The CR-914 Nationals used Saturday as a seeding day. Saturday's results only put people in Gold or Silver fleets. The results did not transfer to Sunday. So in effect, you have a 1 day Nationals. I don't think that is the way to run a National Championship regatta.

Brian Roberts: What special about your Victoria?

Craig

Must keep the mast light, especially at the top.

Brian Roberts: What have you used for your mast?

Craig

I use a thin section carbon fiber tapered Kite Spar (a g-force ultra light). You need to have jumpers on this section to control bend.

Brian Roberts: Tell us a little about your home made sails:

Craig

My main has three seams but I don't know what the draft is,( I make it on a block with a lot of shape). The sail has 3/8" of luff curve. The jib is also make on a block, but it has less shape. It has 2 seams and the luff on it is straight.

Brian Roberts: What is your advice to any other skipper:

Craig

Keep your keel in good shape. (I saw lots of rough keels). I wet sand mine with 1200 grit paper.

The following was provided by Hal Slenz-Whalen:

At nationals I was off to a slow start on the first day but came back with a vengeance on the 2nd day. The difference was tuning the sails flatter and tighter for the heavy air and reading a short tactical article from a monthly magazine "Speed and Smarts" ...the article was about the Start and turning on the gas to "Pop Out" at the start like someone squeezing a "watermelon seed".
The winner, Craig Mackey, had lightened his boat to the extent that he could place two and three-quarters ounces (2 3/4 oz) of lead weight into the bilge near the mast strut...helped him pound thru the chop. Also sporting his own cambered Tri-Spi sails hung on a rig built around a carbon fiber mast that tapered down to a pointer-thin tip....cris-crossed stays....and basically Craig was solidly consistent in his sailing.
I too, like Craig, had lightened my battery pack (Craig had a 5 AAA pack made by "APAK" batteries....very light) by removing one AA battery from the Radio Shack holder and inserting a continuity blank (from Radio Shack). This 3 battery pack (vice 4 batteries) also slowed the sail winch (which was great...) but always had enough torque even in the heavier stuff. The stickers came off the sides and I added a 3/4 ounce slip of lead into the bilge to make weight.
The one thing I want to improve is the water tightness....dripping from the cockpit right onto the batteries gave momentary jerks from time to time....overall water quantity was ok...just the dripping right into the battery area was not good. Dubros on the rudder arm and some kind of right angle tube for the main sheet...the heavy air hatch (white) was used both days and was effective...great!

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