The Red Flannels Regatta
Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club
September 25-26, 2004

Never Quit –  the Red Flannels

Matt Burridge
14834- Yeti

One of the greatest forces in human nature is hope that promises redemption. In my case it was the hope that I could break the urban regatta Chicago jinx (not the Cubs but the Red Flannels) after having finished 2^nd 7 times in 10 RF regattas over a 19 year span of time. In the bad old days it seemed that we would always tie for the win but lose on the tie breaker or be out sailed by superior talent, more hungry competitors or just more creative minds at the very last possible moment to snatch victory from our grasp. This had become a bad mojo thing.  The excellent social aspect to this event (“more reggae, less ice sculptures”) kept us coming back with hope for redemption.. 

This year was different. We did not practice, project, or think beyond how to rig the boat (duh) and hit the first shift correctly. My relative absence from the racing game fueled my personal desire to win this one despite the old(er) boat, old(er) sails and me (just plain old).  The competition was a mix of the usual suspects, a tough, tested, “old school/ old war horse” group and another type of youthful, fun, smiling, open and learning new competitors as typified by the Lundeen team from Sheboygan. This latter group was pre-selling 2005 NAs T-shirts and had a ticket to Hawaii in their hiking pants (Area K Adams Cup Finalists in training). Both groups are packed with our friends but stood in the way of Red Flannels redemption.

The sailing venue at Montrose Park and has a great view of the downtown of America’s self proclaimed “2^nd city’s” Miracle Mile, Sears and John Hancock towers,  Nippon Airways 747-400s on final to O’Hare and a beautiful green, clean and well policed (ahem) park which  houses the harbor and the Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club.

As with last year, the team was Dan and Tobi Moriarty, who were relaxed but hungry,  Tobi says Dan is always hungry, which is good because 24 other boats all wanted the same thing.  

Race #1 - We were lucky enough to start well and repelled all boarders in a 10 knot breeze from the north with lumpy seas. We rounded ahead of a tight group with Dave “ragae man” Stix ,  Bill Faude and Paul Wurtzebach right on our heels. We sailed cleanly despite a 35’ cabin boat day sailing that appeared to be able to pass us safely on starboard in the 2^nd beat.  However the lady at the helm freaked out when we hailed her to pass, so she slam dunked us, backed her genoa in the process and went hove to immediately in front of us. Dan and Tobi performed air traffic control and we were able to clear us without further incident. After we returned to a normal pulse rate  (10 minutes later downwind), took the gun and saw Faude and Wurtzebach catch Stix right at the finish. For us the sun shone a bit brighter, the wind a bit more fresh and the day was filled with hope for excellent racing. 

Race #2 – The Bill Show.  My recent sub-par starting prowess reappeared and Bill Faude with Deano Cady and Jared Drake on board had this one nailed on the first 2 shifts upwind. By the 2^nd beat we felt we were closing and would have a close crossing situation with us on port. Unfortunately I waited too long to duck and Faude’s team pulled off a sweet slam dunk as we were ducking. Matt completely teabagged himself and Dan sheeted in the main to emerge the sputtering skipper. Faude had a great view of my wet, balding head as he motored to the windward mark and the win. We were 2^nd,  Dave Stix  had the 3^rd.

Race #3 – Revenge of the lumps - The breeze shifted right to almost 30 degrees and came up to 14 knots, the waves got more lumpy and starboard tack was more directly into the waves, forcing a different sail twist set up on one tack from the other.  Dave Sprague port tacked the fleet with Canadian bravado. Our changes allowed us to liftoff of the leeward boats while heading into the waves (but go no faster) and on port we achieved the same altitude (but had a small speed advantage) vs. our competitors except for Faude.  However none of that helps you start better. We cheered for Dave at the start as he sailed by and then set about how to catch him. Off the wind the port gybe was a mini “surf-fest” if the right steering and one pump surf technique was used.. We had a fun, clean race, went the right way and were lucky enough not to be thrown off guard by the lumps and port tack starters.  Dan and Tobi had to be very agile to go from the centerboard trunk to full hiking at a moments’ notice as the changes in pressure made for difficult and variant boat handling depending upon if you were at the top of a lump or mired into one or more. Our speed came from my teammates boat balance. In the end we eaked out a 10 second gap over Bill “give me the epidural” Faude (ask Julie). Against Bill’s team the margins of speed and point were non-existent, boat handling was dead even and it was becoming apparent that these 2 boats had an invisible bungee cord between them.  We collected the win, bill 2^nd Paul W 3^rd  but Stix was OCS.

Race #4 -  No one can leave,  a theft has occurred. - This one was clean despite our significant overstanding the first windward mark and Paulie getting there just in front of us.  Later after gaining the lead, we made a bad mistake at the worst time, the final run to the finish. While sailing deep on starboard gybe Faude and Wutzebach were immediately behind and gybed to port first, gained separation and a puff before we gybed to defend. As a result we were passed by both of these strong teams.   However, while only 100 yards from the finish line we noticed a significant favor on the pin end,  gybed,  caught 2 waves and surged / surfed to nip Bill by 3-4’ for the win.  We’d dropped the ball and been lucky enough to recover it in the end zone! Sometimes luck just goes your way and as Bruin used to say “When it is your turn, it is your turn” (also the pin was closer to the harbor with beer keg and the boat was thirsty). Team Yeti  1-2-1-1, Bill 2-1-2-2, Paul  3-7-3-3,  Dave Sprague with his team of Canadian all stars from Toronto had  5-3-9-4. 

The reggae band “Roots, Stems and Branches” set up their equipment at 3:30pm, however they did not start playing until 8:30pm because it took that time for them to smoke all the roots, stems and branches they could find before the gig. The party was rolling (no pun intended), Tobi got on the bandstand and danced, the moon was nearly full and high in the sky, and the air was cool, dry and crystal clear. There were fireworks in the city on the waterfront. Team Yeti stopped for ice cream and relaxed in a hot shower. I slept like a baby. Maybe the curse was really gone after all. It was nearly a perfect day.

Race #5 – The moment of truth – Was it all a dream?  The next morning the wind was right were we left it, 30 degrees but only 7 knots at a peak.  The usual suspects (Sprague, Faude, Stix and Wurtzebach) all were near pin the start but we were 2^nd row looking right up their transom flaps, oops. We hung on as long as we could and waited for an escape route to present itself. After the tack our boat stretched it’s long legs on port and found pressure to recover from the start and rounded behind fellow Carlylian, Terry Burke with his 2 boys Brian and Edd on board. We worked on going fast with aggressive gibing angles as needed to maintain momentum in the sloppy water and easing wind velocity.  We got the gun right at the boat (loud, ouch!).  

There was only enough time for one race before the 1pm deadline, we speculated. That meant a 6 race , 1 throw out event.  We believed the curse to be gone but started Race #6 anyway, just to be sure.

Race#6 – What me worry? – Have you ever done something so smart (you think) that you look like a moron (what everyone else thinks) later? We decided to start #6 and got a beautiful pin end start with speed and point just in time for a 30 degree right shift with 2 knots more pressure to hammer us to the dirt from the right. The wind was dying and so were we on the great circle route ½ mile away from the wind.  There might have been a boat behind us but I am not sure, I know Faude was first to the windward mark and ¾ of the way down the run before we got to the offset mark.  All I could think was I hope this takes a LOT of time because if this is the last race, we should retire and win the race to the hoist. However if another race was possible, we needed to have a good one because a 20+ was going to be a whopper of a throw out.

As we contemplated our uncertain fate, the time space continuum and why Argon constitutes a measurable percentage of the Earth’s atmosphere,  Terry Burke was sailing the race of his life. He caught Faude played left and then right on the beat legging out on the 2^nd place Faude by 5+minutes.  We retired, caught a DNF and a tow in. Celebration erupted when the 1 pm deadline passed and there would be no race #7. We had been redeemed and the private curse broken.

At the awards ceremony Bill Faude asked the honorable Ms. Janet Baxter, President of USSA, competitors, RC staff and volunteers to observe a moment of silence to honor our friend Jack Elfman. We wished him Godspeed and all felt grateful to have we’d known him and seen his passion for the lightning, sailing and his fierce loyalty to friends.

Come to the Red Flannels it promises redemption, hope and fantastic sailing conditions and a sense of perspective on our place in the sailing universe.