May 15-17, 2009
Hosted by Seattle Yacht Club and Corinthian Yacht Club
Report by Mark Forrest
Nine teams gathered at Shilshole to vie for the Northwest District Championship at the 2009 Seattle NOOD. The NOOD event management from registration through race committee work was smooth and professional. After long lines at the party tent last year, the regatta came through with a better (and more timely) buffet and of course all the Mt. Gay Rum you could drink. The three day format makes the event more than worth pulling the boat and provides some hedge in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Friday’s racing was on the lighter side of 5-10 mph winds, but the committee was able to get three races in. Day one ended with Gordon Mattatall’s “H20 Boa” and Evert Slijper’s “Bob” dead tied for the lead, each with a first, second and fourth.
Saturday there was not a breath of wind to be found. Racers hung out on the dock, waiting for word from the committee and socializing as sailors do… futzing with rigging, checking out the new one-designs, and downing one or two cold beverages of choice. Team “Q” purchased a “Cheap Diver” bottom cleaning device which came with a free lesson from the inventor. Imagine a 15 foot strand of black mesh dental floss. The lesson provided a bit of entertainment to break up the day as it took half a dozen people standing on the bow to get the boat at the right angle. The bottom got clean and nobody got wet. By mid afternoon, racing was called for the day and as you would expect, dinner was served just as the evening breeze kicked up. A few of the wilder designs, such as the Moths and I-14s, headed out and wowed the crowd as they took advantage of the evening’s fresh breeze.
An impromptu jam session paired Mark Forrest on guitar with Gertrude’s Hearse frontman Raymond John (also the local Laser SB3 dealer). After a few tunes on the dock, the jam session moved up into the clubhouse where another GH member, guitarist Yusuf Kilgore, helped keep the jam going into the night.
Sunday’s wind forecast did not look promising, but that is part of the sport we love and we were still happy to be by the water. After half a day on the dock, the race committee finally sent the fleet out - about one o’clock. Why exactly remains a mystery. Call it a Hail Mary. After bobbing around for an hour or so, a few boats decided to bag it and race for first to the hoist. A short medal race finally got started just before the 3pm deadline.
In the end, Evert Slijper, Shannon Clune and Ryan Mitchell took second for the day and earned the title of 2009 District Champion. Congratulations to team “Bob.”
Pos |
Skipper |
Sail# |
Boat |
R1 |
R2 |
R4 |
R5 |
T |
|
1st |
Evert Slijper |
115 |
Bob |
2 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
9 |
|
2nd |
Ron Fish |
779 |
Giddy Up |
5 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
10 |
|
3rd |
Gordon Mattatall |
649 |
H20 Boat |
1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
10 |
|
4th |
Jim Martinez |
908 |
Loose Nuts |
6 |
5 |
2 |
6/DNC |
19 |
|
5th |
Rick Gilstrap |
551 |
One Eyed Chicken Boat |
3 |
6 |
7 |
5 |
21 |
|
6th |
Stephen Orsini |
918 |
Inferno |
7 |
3 |
6 |
6/DNC |
22 |
|
7th |
Mark Forrest |
931 |
Q |
4 |
8 |
5 |
6/DNC |
23 |
|
8th |
Lyle Mayer |
906 |
Guano Happens |
8 |
9 |
9 |
4 |
30 |
|
9th |
Jim Hill |
586 |
Chief's Special |
9 |
7 |
8 |
6/DNC |
30 |
|
|
|
||
