Club News


SDYC Reports from C420 Midwinters in Florida

By | March 13, 2014

Results

By Andy Reiter (sailing with Charlie Miller):

Having to miss Valentines day, my crew Charlie Miller and I flew to Jensen Beach Florida to compete in the 94 boat fleet of C420s at the C420 Midwinters. Without the generous financial support from SDYC this would not have been possible. We arrived in Florida bringing the warm weather of San Diego with us.

Day one of the event was sunny and windy. My crew and I were very eager to go out and sail in the breeze, we quickly launched our boat and headed for the race course. We were soaking wet when we arrived to the racecourse and ready to sail, but the race committee thought differently. The race committee postponed the racing and sent everyone back to the sailing center because there was a squall with predicted 50-60 knott puffs coming our way. We went back to the sailing center waiting to see this squall come through, but it never did. They finally sent us back out to start racing.  We started off the first day with consistent top 10 finishes except for a 14.

Day two of the event was not as windy as the first day sadly, but my crew and I managed to stay very consistent throughout the day. With all top 10 finishes and accidentally finishing with one 24th we sat in 9th place.

Day three was mediocre, the wind was light and liked to shift a lot. With skill, but mostly luck, we won a race and placed 5th in another! While on the other hand, the other two races were the same as the wind, mediocre. Placing a 15, and 16 in the other two races of the final day we ended up placing 11th overall!

This was a great event, and I would like to thank the Competition Fund for helping my crew and I compete in the C420 Midwinters. We will never forget about how amazing a trip this was, and the experiences we had!

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By Will La Dow (sailing with Holley Toppa):

Thank you for supporting me in my travel and competition in the 2014 Club 420 Midwinters Regatta. Thank you for your continued commitment to my traveling. With your assistance I am able to travel all over the country and enjoy the greatest sport on earth. It is my honor to represent and maintain the excellent reputation of the San Diego Yacht Club everywhere I go.

The first day of the regatta saw gusty winds in the 20-25 knot range. The entire fleet sailed out to the race course for an early start, and everyone was ready for an intense day of breezy racing. As the fleet began to gather for the first start, the race committee sent everyone in! There was a forecast calling for 50 knots a half hour from our start time, so the race committee didn’t want to take any chances. The entire fleet was sent in and waited onshore in postponement. Finally after the threat was no longer, everyone sailed out for the day’s racing. My crew Holley and I had a tough day, and ended up in 22nd place. With poor communication and sailing, we ended the day poorly.

The next day we were eager to improve on our poor situation, and sailed out with an open mind. The conditions were extremely puffy, shifty, and the wind was 5-15 knots. Unfortunately we struggled even more in these conditions, and finished the day in 28th place. We were very bummed with our performance, and ready for a good nights sleep. We owed it to ourselves to perform the last day. And that exactly what we did!
The last day held similar conditions to the previous, but a little less puffy. The first race of the regatta we won the pin, and were immediately in first place. We kept sailing, extended our lead, and won the race! This was just what we needed! The next race we had a rough start, but caught up to a 6th place. The last race of the regatta we sailed smart, and finished in second! We finished the regatta with a 1,6,2 and leaped from 28th place to 14th! Although we wish we finished higher, we are still very proud of our finish and thoroughly enjoyed our regatta!

Thank you for making it possible for me to enjoy the best sport in the world, while representing the best yacht club in the world! Thank you for your continued support in my sailing endeavors. Without your support, none of my travels would be possible.