2012 Brigantine Moth Boat Regatta

We had 16 boats (two Generation II, twelve Generation I and two in the vintage division) show up for this year's BYC Moth Regatta. We also had a very strong NE wind show up as well.  The fifteen knots steady part was OK, but the fluky and harsh gusts (in the mid-twenties) caught out several skippers and kept the crash boat crew busy.  Roughly half the fleet went for a swim before the day's six races were in the books. On the plus side, the strong wind was a great equalizer between boat designs and skipper weights which lead to closely grouped clusters of boats at the marks and finish line. Walt Collins in particular was very competitive in his Europe giving the two Mistrals plenty to think about. At the end, Joe Bousquet was first in Gen II, Walt crushed the rest of us in Gen I and Bill Boyle took his newly restored Abbott to the winner's circle in the Vintage category. All in all a very enjoyable event. My right wrist is still swollen but it was so worth it even if I couldn't sheet in very effectively!

Mike Parsons (Mistral design) leads a gaggle of Shelleys and Europes around the weather mark during the first race.  Your diarist had muffed the start and so was in the following pack of boats.

Bill Boyle had a good first outing for his newly restored Abbott (Nr 92).

Stephen Ditmore came down from New York with this boat of his own design.  Stephen continues to improve the boat each time we see her but Saturday's stiff breeze left no doubt that she's still a work in progress.

Gen II winner Joe Bousquet demonstrates how to right a Mistral without so much as getting the soles of your boots wet.

Bob Patterson sailed his Bill McCutcheon-built Shelley.   This boat was originally sailed back in the '60s by fellow Sea Isle City YC member Carol Zimmerman.

My son Erik, seen here in the middle of a roll tack, sailed our wood Europa Moth GYPSY.  But where is the old diarist?

Here he is.  Finally, in the fourth race I managed a decent start and led the pack around the first two marks.  This however, was to be the high water mark of my regatta.

Walt Collins (and others) quickly got by me as I continued to blow tacks and had a hard time sheeting in with my right arm.  I managed to finish sixth and out of the money.

At the prize giving, I hand Bill Boyle, from Harrington, DE  his keeper tea tray as the Vintage division winner.

Bill will also get his name engraved on FOX's Cup, the BYC Vintage division perpetual trophy.    Russell Post (worked for Ventnor Boat Works and Egg Harbor Yachts before founding Post Marine) won this cup here in Brigantine in 1935 sailing FOX, the first Moth Boat he built as a teenager.  Russell kindly donated the cup to us in 1999.  Fellow CMBA member William Duffield created the wooden throne on which the cup rests.

Walt Collins from Chesapeake, VA accepts his keeper tray and also the Les Kammerman trophy as the Generation I winner.

Joe Bousquet from Norfolk, VA won the Generation II division and will be added to the South Jersey Trophy.