INTERNATIONAL
LIGHTNING CLASS NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
By Steve Hayden
WOW!
What a regatta! Where
do I begin? Mallet’s Bay
Boat Club outside Burlington, Vermont hosted 102 boats August 11-17.
Beautiful weather, good winds, and a picturesque venue made for a
great week of sailing. The
competitors experienced conditions from light air (no races one day) to
medium and heavy air (18-20+). PRO
Don Brush and his team of volunteers did a great job and managed to get
in all the scheduled races without even using the make up day.
They kept their word and used all the courses available to them.
Bill Fastiggi and his team of local, fleet, and district
volunteers also did a super job of organizing and hosting this event.
They managed over 100 boats in a confining area very well.
Excellent teams from all over the U.S., Canada, Chile, Ecuador,
Columbia, and Argentina made for great competition throughout the event. I want to thank all those who participated for doing so and
therefore, supporting the Lightning Class.
Congratulations to all of you.
My
team consisted of Jean Hallagan, from Syracuse, NY, and Barr Batzer,
from Deerfield Bch. FL. I
was very fortunate to have these two on the boat.
The teamwork and chemistry came together really well as the week
went on. We had never
sailed together before, but I attribute the cohesiveness to their
experience, maturity, and competitiveness.
Jean is part of the Hallagan Lightning family and grew up sailing
with her dad and brothers and now owns her own boat. Our families have been competing against each other in
Central NY since the beginning of Lightnings (it seems).
I’m so glad she was available when I called her two weeks
before the regatta. Seems
like the three of us were meant to sail together in this regatta.
Many things came together for all of us at the right time.
Barr and I have sailed together for over ten years.
We have done most all the big Lightning stuff plus racing
numerous other boats along the way.
It is a huge asset to have someone that is committed to helping
each other get better. Since
our first NA’s in 1981, we both knew where we wanted to get.
It is awesome to have it all, finally, come together at this
regatta.
The Racing
The
qualifying series started with 3 races on the first day with plenty of
breeze in the morning diminishing to light air by the end of the third
race. We were very happy to
get three top five finishes, but more importantly, happy with our
teamwork and boat speed. The
next day finished up qualifying with race 4 in light air. Given the light conditions it was certainly good the RC got
the third race in on the first day.
After qualifying, the 102 boats were divided into the three
fleets and everything is even again.
Dave Peck won the qualifying series and looked good, as did local
favorite and regatta Mr. Everything Bill Fastiggi.
So
much for the light air. The
Championship races started in 15-18 out of the north.
It did lighten as the day went on, but again the RC managed to
get in that third race of the day.
It makes for another long day, but it paid off because we
didn’t leave the dock on the next day. No breeze, a nice lay day mid week gave me the opportunity to
get to the airport on time and pick up my wife, Angie and 3 year old
son, Jeffrey. After the
first three races on day 1 Matt Burridge and his team from St. Louis
found the conditions similar to those at their home and looked real fast
with three top five finishes for 10 pts.
Our team also liked the conditions of the day and posted 12pts.
The next five or so boats were a few points back, BUT had great
throw outs already. Halfway
through the regatta and anything can happen.
Too many great teams here that will make you pay.
Of course we were very psyched to have that kind of day and the
teamwork continued to improve, just wanted to hang in there and have a
shot at things in the end. The final day started in the most wind of the
week, 18 with gusts over 20. I
managed a not very good start and we fought back all race.
Great gains downwind and we made it back to 8th.
Jim Crane, Tito Gonzalez, and Tom Allen all finished in the top
four and tightened up the scoreboard.
Race 5 had me and Matt sailing our throw out race while Tom
Allen, Tito, Andy Horton, and Jim Crane all finished at the top again to
put six teams in the running for the regatta going into the last race.
Jim Crane was leading with a throw out, but given the history of
the last five races, anything is possible.
The RC used their last course flag and put up the “old”
double triangle. This
course isn’t used much in Lightning these days, but the wind was still
up so the reaches would have plenty of excitement.
We wanted to get to the top mark up front and make the most of
those reaches. We needed to finish ahead of or close to five boats and try
to get enough points on Jim to win.
Knowing Jim Crane and his history of winning big Lightning
regattas we weren’t real confident in that last scenario.
The
Last Race
We
got up the first leg in great shape and managed to force Jim off the
left a few times along the way. Rounding the first mark just ahead of Tito was so important.
We knew the speedy Gonzalez team was going to make us work hard
on these reaches. Somehow
we got into that first puff and planned off.
I don’t remember slowing down for quite awhile.
It was amazing how balanced that reach was for us.
Everything was perfect, boat trim and speed. The spinnaker
trimmed itself, the puffs lined up, and all I did was try to keep the
boat moving on a plane. Upon
setting up for the jibe, we turned around expecting to see Tito and
company close on our heels, and our jaws dropped.
We had a 200-yard lead. Holy
Cow! (it’s Vermont) Couldn’t
believe we were the only ones to catch that bus.
I think we were getting some help from those above watching this
with some interest. We know
who you are. We managed to
get around the course again and extend with the favorable clear air and
fun reaches. I forgot how
fun those reaches are when you are leading and planning.
The last jibe of the regatta was very conservative, of course. Oops! Mental breakdown, the twing is still cleated!
Barr and I had the same vision of our good friend Jeff Linton
(world champ) doing the same thing while leading and crashing and
burning. That would have
been ugly. Barr and Jean
managed to pull it together and we survived.
You get out ahead like that and start to wonder what is going to
break. We used less vang,
less backstay, etc. Finishing
the race we were still amazed at how we sailed that race.
I have never been in a race like that before.
Incredible!! Tito
finished second, while Tom Allen and Jim Crane sailed their throw outs?!
We sailed in, not sure exactly where Jim finished, hoping there
were enough points. Once we
got in and verified the scores: WE WON!!!
We did what we had to do to have a shot in the last race.
I have to also congratulate Jim, Tito, Tom, Andy, and Matt.
Their teams sailed a great regatta.
Thank You
Having
grown up sailing in this class, my list of thank you’s is quite long. I
knew when I stood up to accept the trophy at the awards; there would be
no way I would remember everything I wanted to say.
I was still spinning from the whole thing.
Basically, everyone that I have sailed Lightnings with or against
over the years has had something to do with my progress. Being a fourth generation Lightning sailor must have some
benefits, too (Finally!). You
would hope something would eventually filter down and help. In know I had some Grandfathers above watching out for me.
Barr and I also have a great friend, Tom Degan, who sailed with
me in Juniors and got Barr and I together, whose memory has been sailing
with us for four years now. Thanks.
Of
course I have to thank my team of Barr and Jean.
They were great to sail with.
They both definitely deserve those Brian Hughes Champion Crew
Trophies. I want to thank
my wife, Angie, who is always part of my team, whether she is crewing on
the boat or supporting on shore. I want to thank David Hood, who has been on the boat for a
number of years now, but couldn’t make it this year.
Dave is a big part of this team and our success over the years.
I want to thank Suzy Scalzo, the newest member of our team, for
her influence on Barr. She
is a great addition and also managed to survive the week without Barr.
They are great! I
also must thank someone many of you know, my dad, Fisk Hayden.
He started me sailing and has kept me in it over the years.
Two months before this regatta I would have said I wasn’t going
with personnel problems at our own business.
But, Dad would not accept that.
He said we have been right up there the last few years and need
to keep going after it. You
can’t win if you don’t go. I
was very fortunate everything came together at work at the right time to
focus on getting to the NA’s. My
Dad has always been there for us, rooting for us as much if not more
than we have. He has had as much to do with winning this event as anyone.
I’m glad we finally got it for him, too.
Appreciation
I
appreciate all that the following people have done for me over the
years. I’ll probably
leave out somebody. My Mom
(of course), the Hallagan family, the Batzer’s, the Dodge’s, Florida
Fay, the Milvain’s, the Linton’s, the Fisher’s, the Ewing’s,
Mike Healy, the Lutz’s, the MacDonald’s, Bill Shore, the
Huntsman’s, the Harkrider’s, Kip and Ruth Hamblet, Jim Carson,
Junior Lightning sailing, and the Allen’s.
I have been very fortunate to have so many people to learn from
and with. So many great
friends we see only a few times a year, but over many, many years.
Like Barr says: It’s summer camp for us all. Thanks again and hope to see you all at next years camp!
Come to Florida this winter for the circuit – it’s currently
the toughest District in the World!
