This one's for Erky; Part One

This year's CMBA National Regatta was in honor of our past President and fierce competitor Linwood (Erky) Gregory.  Erky passed away earlier this year.

Joe Bousquet brought a newly restored Swiss Moth to the regatta to see if he could break the strangle hold which the Mistral design has had on the Gen II division for decades.

The Swiss Moth designed by Dunant in the mid-1960s is like the Mistral in as much as she had narrow water lines and a generous amount of keel rocker, but differs in that she's sports a chined hull rather than a round bilge.

This year also saw the arrival of several junior sailors to our ranks including Sam Moncla  in John Pugh's Europe, Nr 118 and Bodie Blackford  in John Sanders' Dorr Willey Nr 913.

Another junior sailor is Lorelei Kelly sailing Greg Duncan's Europe Nr 125;

And Josh Kiggans sailing Joe Bousquet's Mistral Nr 48.  We would have had even more juniors but for the revised date, due to hurricane Florence.  The new date conflicted with SAT testing.  Lorelei missed the first four races due to the test but sportingly sailed the remaining three heats.

Continuing on last year's strong showing, the Vintage Division fielded a five boat fleet with five different designs!  New member Craig Hatcher is seen here in the Russell Post-built Ara Too.  This boat has a bow deck comprised of canvas stretched over lath strips and tightened by painting the canvas with aircraft dope.

Bill Boyle sailed his Abbott.

Donald Hewitt returned to sail Greg Duncan's Connecticut Legend.

Bodie Blackford in John Sanders' Dorr Willey Red Robin.

Rounding out the Vintage fleet is Don Janeway in his father's Ventnor.

The Generation I fleet had five boats.  Here is my son Erik sailing our ex-Meg Gaillard Europe Ooh La La.

Lorelei also was in a Europe.

Sam sailed a Europe

Eric Bellows in the ex-Merv Wescoat Shelley Look Out.

Your old diarist rounded out the Gen I fleet sailing a Galetti-built wooden Europe Femme Fatale .

In the Gen II group we have Josh Kiggans sailing Joe Bousquet's Mistral Try-Umph.

Zach Balluzo Sailed his newly acquired Mistral Y2K Bug.

John Zseleczky sailed Y2K2.

Mike Parsons (NR 79) sailed the newly redecked Revolution.  This is Revolution's third deck.

And of course Joe Bousquet was in Swiss Miss.

With the cast introduced, I will take a short intermission before sorting through more of the over 200 pix which my daughter Ingrid took.