AUTUMN REGATTA '96
Mansfield Sailing Club, Mansfield, Ohio, Fleet #150
September 21-22
- Bill Woodrow
The attached report is HISTORY! The birth of a new Ohio District Regatta! It wasn't real fancy, but it was a regatta. At this point we do intend to continue the regatta and probably in the same time slot in September. This will be firmed up at the annual District meeting. Our fleet is still on the upswing!
It was a major breakthrough for our club! For the first time since the founding of the Mansfield Sailing Club in 1953, we hosted a Lightning Class regatta!! We had talked among ourselves over the years about holding one, but for one reason or another, it never happened.
Credit for this regatta must go to Tom and Kay Varley, who, after joining our club this year, encouraged us to go forward with it and guided us throughout the process of preparing for it.
Most of our members had never even seen a regatta, much less knew how to present one, so we were semi-apprehensive as the big weekend approached. But, the preparations we had made seemed to work adequately as our out-of-town quests arrived on Saturday morning. We had a total of 17 boats register from four Ohio District fleets: Pymatuning #36, Atwood #212, Leatherlips #27, and our club, #150.
There had been a Bonfire Party in "Varley Valley" on Friday night, and all the sailor-celebrants seemed ready to go Saturday morning. By the time the boats were launched and the Skipper's Meeting convened, the wind out of the southwest was fluctuating between 10 and 15 knots with some "holes" here and there.
The Saturday races were interesting as the lead changed hands often between Dave
Werley, Tom Varley, and Kurt Andrews but with Dean Caley closing fast to win the morning race and Kurt Andrews prevailing in the afternoon. Jack Borland, John Werley and Eric Brandt all turned in impressive performances as well.
Following the Saturday afternoon race, we had a "happy hour" on the shore followed by some fine barbecue chicken and rib cuisine prepared by our club chefs. All hands seemed to "call it a day" in a good mood.
On Sunday morning the wind had switched to more directly out of the west at the same velocities as on Saturday. Dave Werley took the lead at the start and "never looked back" (well, he probably glanced a few times) until he crossed the finish line.
Caley, Varley, Andrews and John Werley fought it out for the runner-up slots with Varley finishing second. Caley's good last leg earned him third pace and enough to win the overall first.
