| Santana 20
Championships July 31 – August 2, 2009 San Diego, CA |
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Day Three - Team Disaster Area wins 2009 Class Championships
Well, it all came down to the final race. Team Disaster Area (Chris Winnard/Andrew Kerr/Lance Purdy) had a 4 point lead over Team Alexa (skippered by Eric Kownacki), and he just needed to keep him close to earn his 5th S20 championship title. Chris Snow and Pete Hunter were close too, but not close enough to challenge for the big trophy. The race started with a general recall, and the “I” flag was hoisted. The second start went off without incident in 8-12 knots of wind, now coming from a much more traditional westerly direction.
It did not start out well for the team of Winnard/Kerr/Purdy, buried in 10th place on the first upwind leg while Eric and his crew of Bob Martin and Tom Jenkins were chasing Chris Snow around the race course, in second place and well up the course on that first leg. But that’s what Champions do – they never give up and slowly, methodically, and patiently they started working their way back into it on the long 3½ lap course that had been set. They new they had the time to climb back into it, but would they have enough time?
Most of the race the front-runners were Snow, Kownacki, and Derek Martin, going around the buoys 1-2-3. Martin, who was tied for 5th with Nic Genovesse, was playing the classic game of get on top and covering. Pete Hunter, buried initially with Winnard, was also making his climb through the fleet. So you knew it was just a matter of time before these guys started challenging the leaders. But would it be enough time?
The short answer is yes, it was. Although, the course was shortened from 3 ½ to 2 ½ laps in order to finish the race under the 1 hour and 20 minute time limit, Chris was able to cross the line firmly in third and preserve a well-fought overall victory in this year’s championships. Chris Snow lead the way, Eric finished 2nd, Winnard was third, and Hunter was able to tack just in front of the dueling duo of Martin and Genovesse at the finish line for 4th. Derek, who thought he was dead even with Nic Genovesse, shoot the line and finished just in front Nic right in front of the RC boat. That was good. Then the leeward genny sheet (which was let go in crossing the line) got wrapped, the genny back-winded, and “Gratitude” blew over right into the RC boat. That was exceptionally bad. Derek had to clear and re-finish, allowing Nic, Jason Crowson, and Ron Fish to finish in front of him. To add insult to injury (other than writing about this), afterwards the RC told him that shooting the line wasn’t necessary. Oh the pain! Oh well, such is racing.
The weirdest part of the regatta, was that on the sail in, the fleet was told that they could not approach the Club because . . . the police was searching the area for a body! Seems that the night before, three over-intoxicated revelers on the “Bahia Bell” paddle wheeler that cruises Mission Bay had jumped off the top deck of the paddle wheeler on a dare. Only two surfaced. The body was soon found and the boats were finally allowed in.
Shortly afterwards, the keg was tapped, appetizers were served, and the awards ceremony was held. The team of Winnard/Kerr/Purdy finally got to hoist our new WD Schock Perpetual Trophy that was constructed by our own Dave Wright. They sailed a fantastic regatta, never finishing lower than 3rd for all seven races, and really put it together on the last race when all seemed in danger of being lost. Chris dedicated his victory to his Dad, who spent the weekend in the hospital with a double knee replacement. CONGRATULATIONS and well done guys – a fantastic job!
For more pictures, visit the photo gallery of a friend-of-the-class
Day Two
As 12:00 noon approached, Stan Betts and the rest of the RC wondering if they should postpone for a bit to let the wind fill in a little. The wind was there, still out of the SSW, but the marine layer was burning off and it looked like we might get the more regular and westerly sea breeze. Stan made the good call to go for it, and off we went at 12:00 sharp. Again the left side seemed to pay off, and Eric Kownacki played the shifts beautifully with the bullet. “We had to work hard for everything today – nothing came easy”. Chris Winnard and Chris Snow came in very close behind.
The second race started with multiple boats being over early, the wind dying and shifting, and the RC deciding to abandon the race very shortly after the start to re-assess and figure out what was going on with the wind. The wind today seemed to have its moments of pausing and then filling right back in as if it was trying to figure just what it wanted to do. After about 5-10 minutes, we were back into a starting sequence and off we went. Chris Winnard took the bullet on this one, with Eric close behind. Britt Williams really started to find his groove and finished with a very impressive third. To this writer, the great story of this race was the 5th place finish of David Thomsen and his crew of juniors, and the mid-pack finish of Paul Fetterman. Paul is part of our brand new Fleet 11 out on Weatherby Lake in Kansas City. All seven boat owners are fairly new to their S20s, and up until a month ago, they had never even flown their chutes! Paul’s goals for this regatta were to have fun, learn a lot, and maybe not be DFL for one of the races. Great job guys!
Race number three was truly a race - against time – as they wind died on the last upwind leg. One and a half times around the buoys was the course, and those that played the patches of wind well on that last leg profited greatly. The left side was a bad place to be on that leg (I know – I was there), and the middle and right of middle was where the wind was. Eric Kownacki finished well ahead with Pete Hunter and Chris Winnard taking second and third, respectively.
After the long slog in, appetizers and a buffet dinner were served up, and afterwards the big raffle-off took place. All kinds of great gifts were given from Sailing Supply, North, Ullman, and Quantum Sails, and WD Schock. However, the big-ticket item was the two round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines to anywhere in the US. Ellen Schmidt came up huge, winning not only that but a pair of forward hatch covers earlier in the raffle. Way to go Ellen!
One race to go, and you know it’s going to be interesting! [Ed. No races will be discarded in the scoring]
Report by Derek Martin
Day One
Good wind, minimal kelp, excellent courses, and very tight racing between 24 well-sailed boats were how Nationals 2009 kicked off. The winds were uncharacteristically out of the SSW at 8-10 knots, but PRO Stan Betts set three great courses with two upwind finishes and one down wind finishes with the courses running two and a half, to two laps around the W-L race course, respectively. The racing began at exactly 12:00 noon.
With the winds more out of the south, the left side played better with better pressure, especially on the last race. 2008 Champion Eric Kownacki, with Bob Martin and Tom Jenkins, picked up where they left off and launched after the start and pretty much led wire to wire, with Chris Winnard finishing second, and Pete Hunter close behind in third.
Race two announced the arrival of Chris Snow back into the Santana 20 Class, with a well-fought victory. Chris is jumping back into the Class after a 10-year hiatus and has teamed up with Willem van Waay and John Wagner to get “Moon” back into fighting shape very quickly. Chris Winnard and Pete Hunter finished second and third, again proving their excellence and consistency.
After two, the clouds moved in and there was a brief moment when the winds went light, but by the time Race Three kicked off, the velocity had returned and all was well. Chris Winnard’s patience finally paid off, and he took the gun with Chris Snow and Ron Fish (nice race Ron!) leading the rest of us across the line and back to the dock, where the beer was flowing like wine and a fantastic dinner of brats, roasted corn, chili, salads, etc was consumed with great gusto and vigor.
Report by Derek Martin
For official results, please visit Mission Bay Yacht Club's website @ www.mbyc.or
For more information about this regatta (Notice of Race, etc.), please click here.
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The friendly sailors of Fleet 7 invite all members of our Santana 20 family to join us on the beautiful crystal blue waters of the Pacific Ocean for the our 2009 National Championship! Home to some of the best weather on the planet, San Diego offers not only a world-class sailing venue, but also a multitude of vacation options for your family as well. All based out of the warm and hospitable confines of Mission Bay Yacht Club, the 1996 USSA One-Design Yacht Club of the Year. You will love the experience!
New Presentation on Class Championships Posted
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Nationals 2009 Update!
March 24, 2009
Preparations are well underway for this summer’s National Championship regatta at Mission Bay YC in beeeeeeautiful San Diego, California. We just wanted to let you all know how things a shaping up and what you can expect. We are all well aware of the just how crappy the economy is and we are going to really make a herculean effort to make sure that if you make the trip out, you’re not gonna have to take a loan from your now much-smaller 401K to cover the costs. While nothing has been finalized yet, here’s what’s cookin’ (in no particular order of importance):
Finally, with the recent passage of the Constitutional changes, to sail in our Class Championship regatta, all you have to be is a paid member of the Santana 20 Class Association – period. That’s it. So if you’re new to the Class, or returning to the Class because you’ve realized there just isn’t a better boat out there that combines performance, camaraderie, and competition all at a cost level that doesn’t force you to choose between sailing and groceries. Then this regatta is for you. Our goal is throw a 5-day party for the best dang Class who knows what the soul of sailboat racing is all about, all built around some of the best sailing weather on the entire frickin’ planet. Life is meant to be enjoyed – please come join us!
Derek Martin Regatta Chairman S20 Aficionado and Prime Cheerleader
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Nationals Timeline: Wednesday, July 29 – Registration and measuring Thursday, July 30 – Registration, measuring, and two practice races Friday, July 31 – Race Day 1 Saturday, August 1 – Race Day 2 Sunday, August 2 – Race Day 3
Race Course Location: Approximately 1NM off Pacific Beach, and 1NM north of the Mission Bay inlet.
Weather: Sunny (it stops raining in May), air temps around 80, water temps around 69, wind west 7-12 knots
MBYC Amenities: Full-size clubhouse, outdoor grills, dining room, the world’s greatest YC bar, showers, 2 modern electric hoists, private beach with playground
Additional Support: All major sail lofts, Sailing Supply, WD Schock, West Marine, located locally
Family Diversions: Numerous beautiful beaches, surfing, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Legoland, Tall Ships, USS Midway (a restored US Navy Aircraft Carrier), Coronado Island, Mexican border is 15 miles south, Disneyland 2 hours north, etc - get the picture?
Sailors of ALL experience levels are welcome – come join this most excellent sailing experience in the most beautiful of sailing climates! |
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