TELL TALES (Dec. 16, 2009)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sami Tornese, Portsmouth skipper, who will become Sweet 16 on Saturday.

SCHEDULE:

Dec. 19 – Winter Series, race 3

Dec. 26 – Optional sailing (1000 to 1500)

Jan. 2 – Optional sailing (1000 to 1500)

Jan. 9 – Winter Series, race 4 (hs, SP4, St. Petersburg)

Jan. 16 – Winter Series, race 5 (hs, SP5, Coral Gables); 16-18 – Opti Team Midwinters, St. Pete

Jan. 23 – Winter Series, race 6

SCHEDULE COMMENTS:

1.      Coach John Thomas wants to have a couple of teams for the Optimist mid-winter team racing regatta, which will be in St. Petersburg on Jan. 16-18. Monday, the 18th is a school holiday. We will have regular series races for the Green Fleet as well as the RWB this coming Saturday morning and Jan. 9, but he will be creating those teams those Saturday afternoons. Portsmouth Division will have practice and series races on those dates with Blake Waldron.

2.      Six sailors have signed up for optional sailing on both Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 and thus, we will have both sessions from 1000 to 1500. Others may still sign up, but notify us so we’ll know how many are coming. Coach Thomas will work on team racing then too. Bring your lunch.

REGATTA RESULTS: * denotes trophy winner

1.      Ernest Green Fleet – 1*, Bogan Whitehead, 24; 2*, Alexis Jenkins, 50; 3*, Truett Whitehead, 61; 4*, Garver Whitehead, 91; 5*, Courtney Purcell, 91; 6, John Light, 105; 7, Sara Frajerman, 105; 8, Jacob Hinshaw, 125; 9, Nick Etz, 126; 10, Brianna Trecartin, 128.

2.      Red, White and Blue – 1*, Stephan VerHulst, 13; 2*, Lucas Galarza, 18; 3*, Stefan Johnson, 45; 4, Samantha Wood, 46; 5, Alex Soodak, 66; 6, Scott Trecartin, 83.

3.      Portsmouth – 1*, Tyler Thorpe, 12; 2*, Paul Kreider, 16; 3*, Carla Johnson, 28; 4*, Chloe Dietrich, 33; 5, Sami Tornese, 37; 6, Andrew Sosa, 40; 7, Cara Patete, 42.

REGATTA COMMENTS:

1.      We had very good wind (10 to 12 knots) and thus completed 10 races (nine for Portsmouth) allowing all competitors to throw out their worst score. There were only a few capsizes.

2.      Celeste Patete provided coffee, hot chocolate, donuts and bagels in the morning. Celeste, Lynn Paul and Diana VerHulst then served as race committee. Coaches John Thomas and Alex Whalen were in the safety boats. The Venice Women’s Sailing Squadron, better known as the Bitter Ends, provided lunch at Higel Park. Debbie Wood and Jackie Trecartin set up the trophy table. Dr. Mark Bills, Venice Yacht Club’s rear commodore, and his wife, Sandy, presented the regatta trophies as well as the Fall Series awards. Many, many thanks to all.

3.       There were a couple of interesting items that happened during the event:

a.      Stephan VerHulst and Lucas Galarza battled back and forth all day and between them won eight of the races. Stephan was first and Lucas second in five of them.

b.      Bogan Whitehead won the first and last race and had he been competing in the RWB Fleet, would have taken third place. All Optimists vied over the same course at the same time, but the Green Fleet was ranked separately after the racing was done.