2018 Gulfport Mid-Winter Regatta Photos

2018 marked the twentieth time Classic Moth Boats have raced in (mostly) sunny Florida at some point during the winter months.  We first started in 1998 with the "Meet in St. Pete".  These early regattas were conducted out of the St. Pete Yacht Club's small boat sailing center near the Whitted Airport.  After a few years the event moved to the Davis Island YC and then after a couple years to Gulfport.  The Gulfport YC has been our host ever since and the club has proven to be a good and enduring fit for Classic Moths.  What follows is a collection of photos, mostly taken by either Lennie Parker or Amy Linton of this year's action.

First off we now, thanks to Walt Collins, have a perpetual trophy to help us remember who actually won this event.  Fellow CMBA member John Pugh remounted Walt's donated trophy onto the backboard seen here.  The trophy now hangs in the GYC clubhouse.

This poor old SAAB model 96 has been bleaching her bones above the junkyard of the Guide Metal Recycling, Inc. property, outside of the town of Starke, FL for at least the 20 years I've been coming down route 301on my way to St. Pete. Too bad she's a later V/4 model.  If she'd have been the earlier 3 cylinder two-stroke version I would have no doubt stopped and tried to buy her freedom.  Still she serves as a landmark that tells us were getting close to the end of our long slog down from Maryland.

This year we had fourteen boats turn up for the regatta.  Four in Gen II and the rest in Gen I.  All of the Gen I boats were either converted Europe dinghies or scratch built boats using the Europe lines as a starting point.  Similarly, all of the Gen II boats were either Mistrals or based on the Mistral design.

Our cast of characters:  Gen II skippers

Jeff Linton.  Dig the groovy turquoise club house in the background.

John Zseleczky

Mike Parsons

Mark Saunders

Our on the water support team:

Mark boat man of the year and photographer Lennie Parker.

Amy Smith Linton--Mark boat skipper extraordinaire.

GYC Commodore and our PRO Mike Kasper (blue shirt).  Mike is my representative for all of the other hard working members of the RC of whom I don't have pix.  Well done as always!  I hope he shares the rum Amy gives him every year!

Gen I skippers; The Charleston gang:

Tom Kapp

Woody Kapp

Frickie Martschink

Lewis Hay

Rutledge Young

The lone representative from North Carolina

Greg Duncan

From Jacksonville, FL:

Gary Van Tassel--Gary is sailing Anna Tunnicliffe's former Europe.  He introduced this sexy laminate sail to the mix.

Rounding out the Gen I fleet were the Maryland guys:

Bill Boyle from Kent Island.  Bill has built two cedar strip Moths based on the Europe design.  This was his first trip to Gulfport.  We're hoping that he returns next year with his son Shane and the second boat.

Erik Albaugh--my sonny boy.  He sailed my glass Winner Europe while I sailed a woodie Euro that is still a work in progress.

Finally, the old diarist himself mugs for the camera.

John Z in his beautiful Mistral.

Erik holding his own (at least up wind).  During one of the last races on Sunday there was enough wind that Gary and Erik beat all the Gen II boats to the weather mark--I think this has only happened one other time.

Lewis Hay killed us this year with massive boat speed.

A bit of Gen II drama at the mark.

Frickie was also able to push his Euro up among the faster Gen II division.

Mark Saunders in Spyder.

Jeff shows off the bottom of Mousetrap.

Obligatory father-son photo.  If I could just steal a bit more of his air...

Bill Boyle

Mike Parsons

Jeff v Mike during an upwind leg.

Erik and Frickie going hammer and tongs.

Milling around prior to a start

Gen II boats off wind.

Erik rounds ahead of the mob.

The mob.

I like the "see-thru" aspect of Gary's sail.  I wonder how responsive it is to sail shape control tweaks?

At least the boat's pretty.

Rutledge likes to face aft when tacking--very trad!

Jeff going to weather.

In between races Mr. Linton came over to the mark boat for some "electrolites". 
Well, one does need to stay hydrated.

A comparison between my cold molded Galetti and

Bill's cedar stripper

One of the starts.  Looks like I had a clean air lane at least for the moment.

A few seconds later and I was swallowed up.

Another look at Gary's sail.

Erik on my rear bumper just after a mark rounding.

Winds were out of the SE to SW at 10 to 12 with gusts in mid-teens.  Perfect breeze for these boats.  There was a fair  bit of chop however as demonstrated here.  Bill initially had good boat speed but dropped back as the day wore on.  When we got back to the beach we discovered he had a bow full of water!  He'll need to do a soap bubble test after returning home to figure out where the leak is.

Greg is the only one to retain full length battens.  John Z. tried them but didn't like having to crack the whip on light air days and so he removed them from his sail and installed regular length batten pockets.

Woody rounds the mark.  I think I owned this boat at one point. 

At the end of the regatta, Jeff Linton was the overall top dog and thus will be the first name on the new trophy.  Lewis Hay dominated the Gen I fleet.  Do to pressing business back home he and Frickie didn't sail the last two races and they still came in first and second.  Erik had a good regatta and rounded off the podium.  I finished down the list but that's show business.

Happy Ending/New Beginning

Fellow Moth Boat sailor Joe Bousquet has been encouraging some of the junior sailors on the high school sailing team where he teaches to give Classic Moths a try.  To further that end I've been passing freebie Moth Boats to Joe.  Earlier I gave him a boat which a lot of people thought was beyond rescue but Joe has already repaired the holes in the bottom and in the fore deck.  He indicates that it will be ready in time for next season.

I blogged about this poor ol' boat earlier.  Most people who looked said it was too rough to plant flowers in.  Joe B. plans to get her sailing by spring.

More recently Rich Larson, up on Long Island emailed me to say that he wanted to donate a Moth which his daughter was no longer using.  This boat was in much better condition that the boat above and included a road going trailer and a custom cover.  All someone had to do was come get the boat.  After talking with Joe B., diaristdaughter and I hit the road for New York.

For reasons known only to the programmers of Garmin GPS units, our little gizmo decided instead of the GW Bridge that we should take the Lincoln Tunnel and go smack down 42nd St and then to the Queens Midtown Tunnel.

The entrance to the QM Tunnel was blocked and by the time I realized that fact we had passed the detour.  We looped around, trading pleasantries with the Taxi Cabs and saw lots of big buildings of which I'm only vaguely familiar.  Is this one the Chrysler Building?  I think it is.

We eventually got to Rich's house on Long Island.  We were only a little bit late!  The rain magically stopped during the time we were actively hitching up the trailer and transferring boat gear from the garage to my wagon.

This Mk II Fletcher-Cates (blue hull closest to the camera) is in relatively good condition.

The Mk II version featured roll tank style decks while using the same hull as the standard version.  Originally this boat had a center main traveler rather than the current aft bridle.

Before leaving, we picked Rich's brain for some handwritten instructions to override our GPS.  I didn't fancy another ride down 42nd St., this time towing a wonky boat trailer with old dry rotted tires.  No, this bridge isn't the one you're thinking of.  This one is the Manhattan Bridge.

Here's the one you're thinking of.  Now, if you're interested in this bridge, be sure to ask me about my portfolio of prime Florida real estate.

We avoided downtown but every time I turned around we were going over another bridge, this one's the Verrazano Bridge--and no, none of these bridges are free.  I dread seeing my ezpass statement.  Sigh--the things I do for juniors sailors.  At least the sky was getting brighter in the  direction we were headed.

The next morning.  Yes, we eventually did get home in one piece.  I had brought two wheels/tires plus tools in case the old tires gave out but thankfully they didn't.  A week later, I helped Joe B. change wheels before he set out from my house in Maryland to go back to Norfolk, VA.  We had to use a sledge hammer to free one of the wheels from it's hub!

She looks good with her travel cover in place.

The following weekend Joe came to collect the boat.  He decided to stick on some reflective tape in case the tail lights decided to go on holiday.

Joe B. ready for the Grand Depart.  I'm the one who should be smiling--this boat came and went while my wife was out of town!

And yes, Joe also had an uneventful trip.  Perhaps this is a lucky boat.  Hopefully I'll see a new junior sailor in her next racing season.

2017 CMBA Nationals

This year my usual "photographer" couldn't make the trip down to Elizabeth City so I gave my camera to Greg Duncan who was sitting out this year's competition due to a back injury.  Apparently my camera's memory card was full of other stuff so there are limited photos from the first day of racing.  We raced a total of 11 races over two days; 7 on Saturday and 4 more on Sunday.  The conditions were mostly sunny and warm but with only maybe 5 or 6 knots out of the NE.  My son and I swapped boats for this regatta.  The boat that he had been racing seemed to perform well if there was a good breeze and not so well if there wasn't.  We wanted to see if the problem was the boat or the skipper.  After two days of racing we came to the conclusion that it's the boat.  Erik came in second in our division and I came in a distance 5th out of 8 Gen I boats.  At the end of the regatta, we gave the hull to a fellow competitor who is putting interested high school kids into Classic Moths.  If you get an old 175 lb lard-butt out of that boat and substitute a 100 lb kid, that boat might take off!  We shall see.

It wasn't completely glassy but there were plenty of holes!

Donald Hewitt sailed Greg's Connecticut design Moth in the Vintage division. The Connecticut was designed in the late 1940s by Skip Etchells up in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have Mike Parsons seen here in his Gen II division Mistral.  The Mistral was designed by Derek Chester in the early 1970s.

Your old diarist (sail nr 43) at the helm of the boat which we decided to donate after the conclusion of racing.  A nicely built boat--too nice for me to strip off the hardware and get out the sawzall--but she just didn't suit us or maybe we didn't suit her.  Here's hoping she moves on to a brighter future.

Walt Collins was back in form, sailing Feather.  Walt dominated the Gen I fleet winning 10 out of 11 races.

Erik sailing out to the start area in Ooh-La-La.

Zach Balluzzo, sail Nr 90, has aged out of juniors this year but was able to claim the third spot on the Gen II podium.

A study of ancient vs modern:  Don Hewitt in the Vintage Connecticut and John Z in his Mistral.

Walt was quick enough to poke Feather up among the faster Gen II boats.

Your old diarist making the best of things in Nr 43.  Nr 133 is Don Janeway's Vintage winning Ventnor Moth.  Don's father purchased the boat in the summer of 1941.

A jet skier watches as Mike Parsons, the overall 2017 National champion, glides to the finish line.

Erik (Nr 67) and Ed Salva (Nr 10) sniffing out the few puffs on offer.  Both are sailing converted Europe dinghies.

Sunday brought Joe Bousquet plus two junior sailors, plus a little more breeze, but sadly I have no photos from that day.  Joe is working hard to funnel juniors from a high school sailing team where he teaches math into Classic Moths.  I think we'll see some fruit from his efforts in the coming years.