1997 North American Championship – Marina del Rey, California, USA
Regatta Report by Joe Londrigan
In mid-June the California Yacht Club hosted the Star North Americans. A very competitive fleet of 24 boats gathered for some very good sailing and fun. The California Yacht Club ran a very good regatta on the water. On shore, a good time was had by all. Hal Haenel, Benny Mitchell, Bill Stump, and the remaining L.A. Harbor members should be applauded for their efforts.
A complimentary breakfast was served every morning, a lunch cart was set-up next to the hoist, and activities were planned every night. These events helped to keep all the sailors together and relaxed during the week. Noblia also added a bit of excitement by presenting watches to the individual race winners. From a sailor’s point of view this regatta was an excellent example for future regatta organizers.
The smaller fleet also made for very close racing. Marina del Rey is noted for light air, waves, and tide lines, but this year the wind direction was more southerly and the wind averaged 8-12 knots. In every race, the crew was able to hike. As a rule, one side of the course generally pays when racing in southern California. This year was no exception. The trick is to try and figure out which side will pay off. This week, more times than not, the left side was favored on the 1st beat and the right side was favored on the last beat of the day. The legs in between could be anyone’s guess. I think everyone had the chance to see the front and back of the fleet this week.
Going into the final race on Thursday, five boats had a mathematical chance to win. Only three points separated the top five boats after counting a discard. Eric Doyle had 10 points, Howard Shiebler and Joe Londrigan each had 12 points, and Mark Reynolds and Vince Brun were deadlocked with 13 points apiece. Under Star Class rules, both Howard and Joe would win on all tiebreakers.
Following form for the week, the boats on the left side of the course were able to establish an early lead. At the first weather mark, Dave Watt from Seattle, took an early lead by demonstrating good upwind speed. Dave’s lead had diminished considerably by the leeward mark. Shortly thereafter on the second beat, both Benny Mitchell and Joe Londrigan were able to pass Dave. Benny rounded the second weather mark with the lead and Londrigan was close behind. The position remained unchanged down the run which set the stage for the final beat.
Eric Doyle and Brian Terhaar were well on their way to sailing their throw out. Ben Mitchell and Bill Stump were checking out their wrist size for a new watch. Vince Brun and Rodrigo Merielles, now in third place, were discussing tactics in Portuguese while sailing off into the left corner. Mark Reynolds and Hal Haenel who were close behind, went shopping in the right corner alo9ng with Howard Shiebler and Mike Dorgan. Londrigan and Strube decided to cover their closest competitor, which was Brun on the left. Following from the right side paid on the last beat. Through the binoculars, it appeared Reynolds might win the race and series. In the end, however, Benny Mitchell crossed the line just seconds before Londrigan, who was closely trialed by Reynolds. As luck would have it the best sailors won!
1997 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP - MARINA DEL REY
Place No. Skipper Crew Fleet Daily Places Pts.
1 7711 Joe Londrigan Mark Strube SDB 1 2 7 9 2 2 14
2 7657 Eric Doyle Brian Terhaar SDB 3 1 3 3 5 8 15
3 7629 Mark Reynolds Hal Haenel SDB 4 3 4 2 4 3 16
4 7636* Vince Brun Rodrigo Meirelles SDB 11 4 5 1 3 4 17
5 7710 Howie Shiebler Mike Dorgan LB 5 5 1 7 1 6 16
6 7630 Ben Mitchell Bill Stump LB 6 8 2 8 6 1 25
7 7862 J.A. MacCauslandPhil Trinter CR 2 6 10 6 7 7 26
8 7604 Cuyler Morris Rick Peters CasB 6 7 13 5 11 12 41
9 7644 Foss Miller Garth Olsen PS 7 10 8 10 9 20 44
10 7463 James Freeman Keith Gardner ISOL 9 dns 6 4 12 15 46
11 7462 David Watt Ed Snyders PS 14 11 12 16 10 5 52
12 7555* Barton Beek Joel Kew NH 18 9 9 13 14 9 54
13 7535 Jock Kohlhas Magnus Liljedahl BisB 10 12 15 12 15 10 59
14 7471* Joe Bainton Chris Rogens NB 12 15 11 19 8 18 64
15 7631 Doug Smith Michael Moore WSFB 13 17 16 15 13 24 74
16 7817* John Rumsey Gerald Rumsey BisB 17 14 19 14 17 13 75
17 7543* Chuck LewsadderChuck Nevel NH 21 16 14 20 16 11 77
18 7305* Ed Sprague Kyle Henehan SDB 15 19 16 11 21 16 79
19 7451* Kim Fletcher P. Hafer SDB 19 13 dsq 17 19 17 85
20 7254* T. Liljestrand Henry Sprague LB 22 20 17 18 18 14 87
21 7030 Tim Seeling John Riddell CD 16 18 20 21 20 22 95
22 6356 George Chester Rick Palmer SBC 20 ocs 22 22 22 19 105
23 7473 Brian O'Mahony John O'Mahony NH dnc 22 21 23 23 21 110
24 7296* E.F Atkinson Glenn Atkinson CD 23 21 23 24 24 23 114
* = Master's Division
