Since we have spent an embarrassingly small amount of time in the Lightning this year, we were looking forward to all of the familiarities that the Brotz Regatta could deliver.  The date of the event was shifted back a month in the season which fit nicely into our schedule.  Who would want to sail with this rusty team on the cob-web collected 15364?  Rick Bernstein, of course!  He is just a guilty of parting from the Lightning scene, but has been sailing a lot otherwise and is always up for a laid-back good time with old friends.    

The Wake family welcomed us with open arms, provided a steak dinner, too many rum drinks, and comfy beds.  They even arranged a babysitter for our daughter, Molly, while we were on the water.  Twenty Lightnings participated in this 50th anniversary event.  Three teams from our club in Carlyle made the trip up for the free regatta.  Matt Burridge raced with his son Patrick, and our son Ian Moriarty.  Nicholas Beckmann with Mike and Sam Bibb also drove up thanks to Tryg Jacobson who allowed them to sail his boat.  Although Nicholas was the youngest from our fleet, Wisconsinite Cole Orlebeck at 14 years old was definitely the youngest skipper at this year’s Brotz Regatta.  Good job Cole!  The other notable juniors on the race course include Doug Wake crewing for his parents, Jenna Probst who crewed for her Mom, and the formerly mentioned Patrick Burridge.  Apparently twelve of the twenty boats had two or more family members sailing together.    

It was truly like riding a bike, being back in the front of a Lightning.  Before the first start we decided that the pin-end was a bit favored so the plan was to push down the line for a pin half start.  But wait!  The locals that we were watching (along with Matt Burridge, who has likely studied the Sheboygan sailing conditions more than most locals) were queuing up for a boat-end start. So we held back toward the boat end to see what they knew.  As we made our way up the beat we noticed that there was some sort of magical phenomenon that occurred favoring the right-side of the fleet.  We fortunately rounded the weather mark in the top part of the fleet and continued to mix it up with Burridge, Wake, Probst and Faude’s teams around the rest of the course.  We finished happily in third place.

The second race was very similar.  We all marched out right.  I recall watching Burridge and Wake teams hiking out ahead of us while I sat in the middle, but we were still holding our own.  The results of the second race were the same as the first at the top of the fleet.  Burridge earned another bullet, Wakes another second, we came in third, while Debbie Probst collected another forth place finish. 

Apparently forgetting what we learned earlier in the day, we were lured to the pin half of the line for the third race.  We watched the “phenomenon” occur from a slightly different (less exciting) perspective.  Fortunately we had swept the remainder of the dust off the Lightning and we had good boat-speed.  That enabled us to claw our way back up to the top of the fleet and we were actually able to pass the fly-weight Wake team right at the finish.  Did I mention that we appreciated the nice hospitality at their home?  Apparently that doesn’t matter when we are on the water though.

After three races, Dan was certain he wanted to be near the boat end of the line regardless of which end was favored so that we could lead the fleet to the delightful right side.  The weather end of the starting line was actually a flag on the front of the RC boat so there was (a little) room to maneuver in front of the fleet approaching from the stern of the RC boat.  I admit that I held my breath wondering what Dan was doing, but at the gun we were safely off and rolling on the right-side of the fleet without barging or getting wedged.  I’m still not exactly sure how it occurred, but it definitely helped us take the lead early in that race.  That does not mean we won easily though.  There was a couple of teams that could have won that race at any time, but we were able to cross the line first in the end.  

The last race of the day followed suit.  We joined the Wake, Probst, Burridge, Reichelsdorfer, and Faude teams in a fight for the top positions.  We finished the day with a 1point lead over the tied Wake and Burridge teams while Debbie Probst and Bill Faude rounded out the top five. 

Saturday evening was filled with fun and camaraderie on the beautiful, plush, Sheboygan Yacht Club lawn.  There was a “Brat Fry” to fill our bellies and a "Flying Orange" piñata provided entertainment, excitement and ultimately lots of candy for the kids and young-at-heart.  A touch-football game broke out for some while the rest continued enjoying the beer keg of Spotted Cow.  Our team and others were excited to see Pat and Lal Burridge.  They came down from Door County to visit Saturday evening. 

Fortunately the Race Committee, lead by John Strassman, got five races in on Saturday.  There was no wind and rain brewing in the west on Sunday Morning so the remaining race was abandoned while we were still on shore.  That meant we won!  I honestly hadn’t dreamed we would do that well.  Dan and I have fond memories of Sheboygan.  Although we have enjoyed libations at the Yacht Club a few times since, the last time we actually sailed there was when we crewed for Matt Burridge when he won the North Americans.   

Matt Burridge shared a fun story at the awards.  Apparently he allowed Dan to skipper his boat in the 1992 Brotz regatta (20 years ago!) and that is where Dan won his first out-of-District Lightning Regatta.  Dan’s son, Ian, was not yet 1 year old at that event. However, Ian crewed for Matt and almost beat us this year.  It is always fun to hear the stories from years past and recognizing how they seamlessly weave into the next generation’s memories.  The Lightning Class is full of similar experiences.

Thank you to Rick for fitting into our scene so well (and trust me, taking a toddler to a regatta creates quite the dynamic!)  Rick’s approach to racing and knowledge of Lightnings is simply wonderful to have on our boat.  Dan and Rick have been friends and sailed together so much over the years, its no wonder they communicate and think alike both on and off the water.

We look forward to returning to Sheyboygan for the Brotz Regatta next year, and certainly for the 2014 North Americans.  Thank you to the Brotz Family for sponsoring the memorable 50th anniversary event.  Helping eliminatie the regatta expenses was a generous gesture that was undoubtedly appreciated by all.