One Design 35 National Championship

October 23-25, 1998
Annapolis Yacht Club

Final Results
Skippers and crews from Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Delaware and Maryland assembled in Annapolis to race the new One Design 35 Class boats in their first national championship. After completing registration and measurement on Thursday, most of the boats went practice sailing and got a taste of fall on the Chesapeake Bay - a 25 knot gusty northerly behind a front with the air temperature in the middle 60's. The regatta got underway with a reception at the Annapolis Yacht Club.

Day 1 of racing brought a crystal clear morning with the breeze out of the NNW at about 15 knots and the promise of a great day of sailing. The Race Committee took the fleet across the Bay from the mouth of the Severn River and set a 4 leg windward-leeward course at 310° M with 1.5 mile legs. With the breeze at 15-16 knots, the racing was tight and exciting. At the finish it was Kip Meadows, ROXANNE, out of Rocky Mount, NC with Nick & Tina Worth, WIDOW MAKER, out of Hampton Yacht Club in second and David Bowen, HIPPY CHICK from Muskegon Yacht Club in third place.

Race 2 was sailed on the same course. Two boats were over early and had to return to restart. Too much of a penalty to recover from in this closely matched fleet. The race was won by Kip Meadows, ROXANNE , with Roland Arthur, EXCALIBUR , from Ft. Worth Boat Club in second and Robert Salk, PICANTE, from Conanicut Yacht Club in third place.

Race 3 was 5 legs, finish to weather just off the mouth of the Severn River. A sudden shift of 30° to the south as the fleet ran down leg 4 put poles to the headstay for some. The beat back to the changed weather mark saw some big oscillations and resulted in plenty of place trading. Sledd Shelhorse, AVALANCHE, out of Hampton Yacht Club was first home followed by Roland Arthur, EXCALIBUR, and Kip Meadows, ROXANNE in third.

DAY 2: At 0930 when the fleet gathered at the rendezvous the wind was again out of the northwest under a cloudless sky. The Committee took the fleet across the Bay near the Eastern Shore opposite the mouth of the Severn River to the same area as Day 1. Race 4 went off looking a lot like Day 1. A 4-leg course set at 315° M with 1-1/4 mile legs. The wind, however, was significantly lighter than Day 1 - about 8 knots. For two legs the course did not appear to have a favored side, but on leg 3, the right side turned out to be the only side. The breeze softened leaving some pressure to the right but much less out at the left corner. The race was won by Kip Meadows, ROXANNE, followed by Robert Hughes, HEARTBREAKER, then John Fisher, JAZZ, from Eastern Yacht Club.

The breeze came back up to nearly 8 knots for the start of Race 5, another 4 leg course but with legs of only 0.75 miles. As the fleet started, the first downwind leg, the dying northwesterly began to be replaced by a southerly. The Committee swung the second beat 110 degrees and the fleet sailed the last two legs in the first of the building southerly. Kip Meadows won another with HEARTBREAKER, Robert Hughes, again second. Third went to Roland Arthur in EXCALIBUR.

Race 3 was six legs in the kind of weather that makes the reputation the Bay has for great fall sailing. The breeze built steadily to about 10 knots. The sky was still cloudless and the more hardy sailors were in T-shirts and shorts. In what was probably the nicest sailing conditions yet, Roland Arthur, EXCALIBUR, just edged out Kip Meadows, ROXANNE, with Sledd Shelhorse, AVALANCHE right on his transom. Throughout the fleet the racing was extremely close. At the end of Day 2 Kip Meadows has a solid lead, but from there on back the scores are very close.

DAY 3: Morning gave us the promise of another pretty day on the Chesapeake. Scattered high clouds, great visibility, temperature headed for the upper end of the mid-70's and the northwester still producing 6-8 knots. The course was set for 4 legs with 1.0 mile legs at 305°M. Two boats paid the price for being a little early. As the boats approached the weather end of leg 1 the wind went right about 15°. The Committee responded by placing a new leeward mark and the wind held for the next three legs. The final downwind leg produced some great jibing duels. The tightness of the series standings meant a couple of places were really important for many boats. AVALANCHE, Sledd Shelhorse was first to finish, followed by Robert Hughes, HEARTBREAKER, in second and John Fisher, JAZZ, in third.

The breeze died during the first 5 minutes of the sequence for the second race causing the Committee to postpone. During the wait from noon till 1340 when the Committee brought the fleet in, temptations of breeze came from the NE, SE and NW, but none was able to push through. Three pleasant days, seven good races, good parties and great people make for a great regatta.

Pos.	Boat	Skipper	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6	#7	Pts.
1	Roxanne	Kip Meadows	1	1	3	1	1	2	4	13
2	Excalibur	Roland Arthur	10	2	2	6	3	1	5	29
3	Heartbreaker	Robert Hughes	7	10	5	2	2	6	2	34
4	Avalanche	Sledd Shelhorse	5	12	1	7	8	3	1	36
5	Widow Maker	Nick Worth	2	7	6	4	5	7	7	38
6	Jazz	John Fisher	11	4	4	3	6	11	3	42
7	Picante	Robert Salk	8	3	7	10	9	4	6	47
8	War Bride	Pete DuPont	5	8	8	5	4	9	11	50
9	Sotet Lo	Phil Kubat	6	9	9	9	7	5	10	55
10	Hippy Chick	David Bowen	3	6	12	8	11	12	9	61
11	Victory	Buddy Cribb	11	5	11	12	12	8	8	68
12	Canvasback	Doug Croker	9	11	10	11	10	10	12	73

 

Entry List
Sail #	Boat	Skipper	Home	Club
35002	Hippy Chick	David Bowen	Muskegon, MI	Muskegon YC
35004	Heartbreaker	Robert Hughes	Grand Rapids, MI	Macatawa YC
35005	Jazz	John Fisher	Peabody, MA	Eastern YC
35006	War Bride	Pete du Pont	Rockland, DE	Annapolis YC
35011	Picante	Robert Salk	Jamestown, RI	Conanicut YC
35010	Avalanche	Sledd Shelhorse	Virginia Beach, VA	Hampton YC
35012	Excalibur	Roland Arthur	Roanoke, TX	Forth Worth BC
35014	Widow Maker	Nick Worth	Norfolk, VA	Hampton YC
35015	Roxanne	Kip Meadows	Rocky Mount, NC	YC of No. Carolina
35017	Canvasback	Doug Croker	Oxford, MD	Tred Avon YC
35019	Sotet Lo	Phil Kubat	Boston, MA
35020	Victory	V. J. "Buddy" Cribb	W. Palm Beach, FL

 

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