1962 North American Championship - Puget Sound, WA, USA
Regatta Report
by Harold C. Halsted
The 1962 North American Star Championship was sailed on beautiful Puget Sound north-west of the city of Seattle, with Mount Rainier, seventy miles away and the World's Fair Space Needle, somewhat nearer, in view at all times. The boats were launched from newly finished Shilshole Bay Marina, where a 6-foot Anchor Fenced enclosure near a pier with two electric hoists furnished ample parking space. The two fleets are hoping that this new set-up will develop so that all their races can be sailed on the Sound instead of on Lake Washington to the east of the city. The two sponsoring clubs, the Seattle and the Corinthian Yacht Clubs, are near the lake, which is connected to the Sound by a canal. Although we were forewarned by reports that Seattle has plenty of rain, this came only once or twice early in the morning, and sunny days were enjoyed during the series. The Sound runs north and south, and the nearby mountains keep the winds northerly or southerly, with usually a pick-up in the afternoon.
A buffet opened the entertainments at the Seattle Yacht Club. A trip to the Rainier Brewery, a north-west salmon bake at a member's home on Lake Washington, a boat cocktail party on board the 75-foot motor sailor which also served as committee boat, and the final banquet rounded out the entertainment schedule. Everyone took advantage of the opportunity of seeing and enjoying the famous Seattle World's Fair.
Committee Chairman Malcolm Hickey and his assistants did a fine job of setting the marks each day in 600 feet of water, and in holding the committee boat steady by use of its engines to maintain the start and finish lines. Credit for the success of the series must also be shared by Fleet Captain Wayne Chesle don, the general co-ordinator.
The tune-up race, started in a temporary rain shower, was won by Skip Allan. After he had shown the way most of the race, the lead was snatched away from him at the last mark by a shift of wind from the north to the south-east. A scramble ensued until the northerly came in again, and Allan had to thread his way upwind through a number of boats to win. This served as a warning of what might happen during the series, and in fact did happen in the third and fifth races.
The first race was delayed in order to unwind Fiedler's Prelude from Walet's Fantasy after the two had tangled masts. Prelude, the port tack boat, retired from the race. Both sustained some damage. A fine moderate breeze gave the visitors a chance to watch the local boats and find out which way to go. However, the main thing they learned was to watch out for the tide, which two visitors underestimated and were consequently swept into the windward mark. The two local champions finished first and second.
General conditions next day were not very different except that the wind was from the south and only about 8 knots in strength. Most boats headed for the shore. Skip Allan, from Newport Harbor, finished three minutes ahead of San Francisco's Robert Hall, with Bill Buchan third and Alan Holt seventh. So Buchan already led the series with 42 points, Allan 41, Holt 37, and Anson Beard 29.
The third race started in a ten mile southerly and Holt took off from the leeward end of the line, stood well into the shore, made the windward mark in one tack minutes before the next boat, and duplicated his trip on the next round, finishing eight minutes ahead. The rest of the boats went here and there as usual, and as the leaders reached the last mark the wind dropped and the tide took control. The leaders managed to work around the mark, but the next group had a terrible time, and those that had been well back came up and were in the race again. Varying winds caused further shifting to the end of the race.
The fourth race had a fine 10 to 15 knot wind from the south. The solution this time was to tack to port as far as possible and then head out for the mark. Gene Walet from New Orleans won the race, with Anson Beard second. Holt was now just one point behind Buchan going into the last race.
The fifth and final race started with a southerly of 10 miles per hour, and as usual the boats split tacks but nothing really developed until the wind dropped out again at the last windward mark. The last half of the fleet came down with the tide while the leaders were bucking it, so that all became grouped together. The last boats got the wind first and went west and finally around the leaders, finishing one after another with those that had been ahead cutting into the file from time to time. Unfortunately Holt's Ariel had hit the windward mark and had to drop out. Bill Buchan finished 8th, with 94 points for the championship. Allan's 13th left him with 82, the same as Anson Beard, and Holt's fine record in only four races gave him series fourth.
Results
1962 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP - PUGET SOUND Place No. Name Skipper Crew Fleet Daily Places Pts. 1 4078 Boron Bill Buchan Jr Jay Winberg PS 1 3 3 6 8 94 2 4497 Shadow Skip Allan Mark Yorston NH 4 1 6 9 13 82 3 4370 Tsunami Anson Beard Sam Beard GSB 8 9 7 2 7 82 4 3594 Ariel Alan Holt Geert Howaldt Shil 2 7 1 4 wdr 78 5 3496 Perseverance Chick Rollins Mick Shanahan Mis 7 12 2 16 3 75 6 4510 Fury Bob MacLean Don Rathburn Shil 13 10 8 7 6 71 7 4394 No Mo George Mason William West EB 9 4 14 8 9 71 8 4514 Fantasy III Eugene Walet Bill Wynn NOG 6 14 18 1 5 67 9 4103 Prelude III Ray Fiedler Roger Thompson PS dns 17 4 3 2 66 10 4114 Static Ralph DeLuca P. McWhorter LAH dnf 5 5 5 18 59 11 3855 Siren David Bolles John Rumsey Ric 3 21 15 17 1 58 12 3874 Poky Eugene Pennell Frank Rollins Mis 16 13 10 10 10 56 13 4397 Finis I Woody Boudeman R. van Peenan GL 12 6 19 18 11 49 14 4548 Chuckle Harold Halsted Larry Cox BelB 10 11 21 12 12 49 15 4398 Surf Ian Kirkland Ken Kirkland EB 11 16 13 13 16 46 16 4500 Bingo Harry Walker Tom Adams WH 17 20 17 11 4 46 17 4111 Chinook Bruce Wright Bill Stump SDB 14 19 9 14 14 45 18 4411 Circe Thomas Knight Carl Boller LAH 5 18 11 19 17 44 19 4102 Flim Flam Patrick Flammia Walter Cram Coe 15 8 12 20 dnf 37 20 4557 Ballad Robert Hall Jim Harthorne Ric dnf 2 16 15 dnf 36 21 4100 Conflict Daniel Hubers George Peters NCB 18 15 20 21 15 25 22 3791 Sea Ram Bob Fairchild Charles Robey Coe (no measurement certificate)
