The regatta allowed Fleet 29 to hold a separate start to coincide with the start of the Lightning winter season in Florida. Eight SJ21 registered for the event with one no show.
Saturday on Lake Monroe was a challenge for both fleets and the race committee as the signal boat could not hook their anchor on the lake bottom. Winds were out of the west at a 15 mph with gust lines of 20 or higher at times. These winds create nice sets of rollers across Lake Monroe but the signal boat finally anchored an hour after the published start.
The first boat to call it a day was Ray Gresham’s Temporary Insanity with a broken forestay. This happened before the signal boat anchored which put Ray and his crew out for the day. The second boat to call it a day was Fisk Hayden’s Ole Yella with a part of their rudder giving way in the first race. Jim Goempel’s El Gato went back to port for a crew change after race one and Mike Loughlin’s Irish Juan had the keel trunk seal give way. Irish Juan returned for the fourth and final race of the day. Willie Bleven’s and Juan Too Many left the course after the third race.
Besides all the carnage on the course there was close racing among the fleet. As winds stayed west, the teams battled up and down the course with a lot of crosses and close top mark rounding’s. The team to beat was Randy and Luis Pawlowski’s Justice. They had all the right moves and position in race 1, 2 and 4. Bill Holstein’s Black Jack landed a bullet in the third race over Justice.
The second day of racing was a kinder day to the team with winds of 8 – 10 mph out of the north. This day the race committee was ready to go but where are all the lightning? A small postponement as the RC waited for all the lightnings to make to the course.
Racing was incredible between the San Juan’s. Great starts off the line, crosses on every part of the course. Downwind battles that only a few can say that they have witnessed. The team were out to race and they delivered leaving nothing on the water. Loughlin’s Irish Juan too bullets in the first two races. Beating Ole Yella to the line in a half a boat length in race five and in race six beating Ole Yella by a boat length. Race seven, Hayden and Gresham battled out to the finish line with Ole Yella edging out Temporary Insanity with a few boat lengths to go.
Still the regatta win goes to Randy and Luis Pawlowski’s Justice followed my Mike Loughlin’s Irish Juan with third going to Jim Goempel’s El Gato. A big hand to all the team’s that came out and participated in our first event of the season.
On a closing note. The great thing about one design racing is the comradery and the competitiveness on the course. The boats that needed repairs had other competitors helping each other to make sure they made it to the line the next day. All with smiles and maybe a few adult beverages, no one wanted to be left on the hard the second day.
Up next for the San Juan Fleet is the George Washington Regatta at Lake Eustis. Make sure to register early so that the Lake Eustis Sailing Club has a total for the San Juans.
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