Frigid Digit
2006
Severn Sailing Association and
Lightning Fleet #329 teamed up to host the 55th annual
Lightning Frigid Digit Regatta on October 14th and 15th.
41 teams participated in what has historically been the biggest fall
regatta of the year. The slogan of “I survived the Frigid Digit”
came due to the extreme conditions of the past years. This year
people not only survived, they were greeted with exceptional weather
and it made for a competitive and enjoyable weekend for all
competitors and race committee.
This year the regatta was held
immediately after that US Pan Am Trials, and as a result the fleet
included some new and important faces. The regatta was very lucky
to have the International Lightning Class President Steve Davis, and
his wife Jan, who is also the new ILCA Executive Secretary. Not only
was it great to have these them with us, but they came all the way
from Denver! Thanks Steve and Jan. There were also boats from
Canada, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and
Connecticut which made the pilgrimage to Annapolis to participate.
The racing on Saturday was
sailed in a shifty 15-20 knot westerly which challenged the
competitors and race committee alike. 3 races were sailed and there
were mixed results for many. Jim Carson, with his crew of Ryan
Staggard and Kevin Dunn won the first race in very shifty
conditions. The smile on their faces was worth a million bucks and
they had a great start to their weekend. Jody Starck managed to win
the final two races of the day which put her in the lead for the
regatta.
Saturday night Fleet #329
sponsored a great party including a cocktail hour with snacks
followed by a great dinner. Everyone enjoyed the night talking
about sailing and catching up with friends from around the country
that haven’t been seen for some time. After the dinner, many teams
ventured into Annapolis to appreciate the town that all of us locals
take for granted.
Sunday was an absolute beautiful
day with 5-10 knot westerly breezes that were shiftier than on
Saturday (which many thought not possible) Jody Stark had 2 2nd
place finishes to win the regatta by 6 points. Jody and her team of
Cory Sertl and David Starck sailed the purple machine to her second
Frigid Digit victory. As a side note, there was incredible talent
on their boat as both Jody and Cory have been Rolex Yachtswomen of
the Year, Jody is a past NA Champion and Dave is the US Pan Am
representative and was 2nd in the last world
championship. That’s quite a team!
It was a great regatta and we
look forward to seeing everyone next year!
