The Ice cube Regatta was Exactly That!!
Hi Everyone – The forecast today couldn’t have been much worse with temperatures in the 30’s with rain. Fortunately, that didn’t discourage anyone. The 19-boat fleet arrived for setup and it was sleeting. Thankfully, the race committee forged ahead and got started promptly. Yes, it was cold, but the rain stopped and the sailors had 7 extremely competitive windward-leeward-windward races in the 7-14 mph northeasterly (down the Glen Cove creek).
In the 11 boat Sunfish fleet, Lee Montes again sailed the shortest way more consistently than anyone else to take the title. Lee frequently found himself rounding the windward mark with many boats in front of him only to make his way to the top 3 at the finish. Doug Wefer, Griffin Sisk, Dave Lawson & Keith Maler chased Lee without success. Meanwhile, Kevin Ryan, Ryan Dunn, and Nick Russo all made some strides at mastering the puffy conditions. Joe Beitch, Annika Kaelin, and Naadira Gafar might have found the wind a little too brisk to be optimal but they all showed brilliant moments with top 5 finishes.
The 7 Lasers and 1 RS Aero had themselves a great afternoon. Sean Murphy started off with two bullets until he swam in the third race. Meanwhile, Dan Rapelje got hot and ripped off four firsts in the last 5 races to be the Laser Ice Cube Champion. The Lasers welcomed a couple of new sailors in Dylan Williams, Trey Johnston, and Jon Renz. It was great to have them mix it up with the regulars and Dylan’s Aero proved competitive with the Lasers.
After sailing, everyone enjoyed some hot chocolate and Mary Ellen Wefer chili – outside the Club basement. The Ice Cube Regatta trophies, appropriately, were neck warmers.
As always, thanks go to Dave Lawson for scoring and to the Race Committee support crew led by Mary Ellen Wefer & Charles “Button Boy” Beitch. Further, many thanks to support boat operator Pat McCann for his attentiveness and the extra effort setting up for the ugly weather. Lastly, a special shoutout to Sea Cliff YC General Manager Charlie Walsh for pitching in to make our day a success