HERNANDO DESOTO REGATTA

Batton Kennon
Hernando, MS
Lake Arkabutla
May 19-20

Well, after a second year of being fleet captain means one more time to run our spring regatta. That gave me another chance to correct any errors I had made last year. Don't get me wrong, everything went according to plan this year and last, but there is the occasional glitch. This year, just when I had taken care of everything, I learned that the Hernando Desoto Regatta made the list of the class' traveling regatta series. I couldn't help but to feel panicked from not knowing just how many boats we would have. The last thing I need to happen is to run out of beer. We can do without everything else. But, for those who didn't make the trip south to Memphis, you missed six great races sailed in a breeze anywhere from 12mph -18mph.

Race 1-2
The morning races started out with the wind out of the west from a line of thunderstorms in the area. We had plenty of air but, fortunately, we saw no storms. The morning races would be the windiest races sailed of the weekend. The only game plan needed in race 1 would be keeping your main halyard from failing or keeping from having rudder problems. This accounted for about half the fleet. Race 1 started out with the left side being favored, but though out the race and even the rest of the day, would move to the right. Bill Baxter III, Bill Killebrew, and Bill Baxter II would make the weather mark first and would lead the rest of the race. This trend would continue the whole regatta. Race 2 would have its own set of difficulties. Having a clean start was your first concern. The race committee called four boats over early. Myself, being one of them. The shifts in this race were favoring the right side of the course. I learned this the hard way. One both weather legs I sailed the left side of the course. The shifts that were there just an hour before had dissipated. As in race 1, the leaders stayed the same. Bill Killebrew won race 2 making that the only race Bill Baxter III would not win. Baxter III wasn't for behind sailing in second.

Race 3-4
The afternoon races were sailed in a breeze just under 15 mph. The weather forecast had predicted that the line of storms in the area would have passed by now but they hung around all weekend. By now, everyone had fixed their morning breakdowns. The shifts that were favoring the right side of the course earlier in the day eventually shifted all the way to the north during race 3. Bill Baxter III and Bill Killebrew made the most of this shift by an early jibe left during the downwind leg. By now they had gained so much distance on the rest of the fleet that they had their own tacking duel up the last weather leg. I think a few boats paid more attention to this race than their own race to the finish. Race 4 offered a little more of the same. Crit Currie Jr. put a good race together sailing in third during the last race on Saturday. Crit Jr. was one of the boats to have rudder problems during the morning races. Oh yea, Bill Baxter III won again in race 4. Bill wasn't even sailing in this boat.

Race 5-6
Sunday morning didn't start off quite the same as Saturday, but there was still plenty of air to sail two races. The wind was out of the south, which always provides an interesting weather legs. If you can have clean air off the start and play the middle, you can take advantage of any shifts coming over the south shore. The results in race 5 were pretty much the same. Bill Baxter III won again followed by Bill Killebrew, and Bill Baxter II. Baxter III, who had already won the regatta stayed on the racecourse anyway to win race 6. However, Rick Conaway from St. Louis had a good race sailing to a second place in the last race. It's good to see someone not named Bill in the top three.

Baxter III was able to through out a 2nd to have 5 bullets for the regatta followed by Bill Killebrew in 2nd and Bill Baxter in 3rd. My next regatta strategy is to first change my name.

HERNANDO DESOTO REGATTA 2001
May 19 & 20, Arkabutla Lake