The 2013 International Invitational Masters Championship hosted eleven teams from across the country and the world. As many of the teams had learned from previous years sailing in the bay race course off the spectacular San Diego city waterfront, going left seemed to pay off about 85% of the time!
Taking advantage of that "local knowledge" were none other than Chuck Nichols's team from SDYC. With a trio of Staff Commodores aboard, it was hard to imagine how they ever made decisions going around the race track; nevertheless Nichols amassed a nearly un-assailable lead after the first day of racing, winning three races, taking three seconds and finishing with a total of 40 pts in eleven races to take the overall 2013 crown as the "master of masters!" Second was past Masters Champion John Jennings from St Petersburg, FL. After an even slower start than Jennings, J/105 designer Rod Johnstone (sailing with son Jeff) from Wadawanuck YC sailed the best last day of any team, tallying a 1-3-1-9 to finish with 53 pts to leap into third place overall.
Rounding out the top five for the regatta were St Francis YC Bruce Munro’s team taking fourth overall and yet another StFYC member, Jon Andron and crew, taking fifth by virtue of winning a tie-breaker over last year’s Masters Champion— Dennis Case.
While the sailing saw plenty of action and blistering hot competition, the onshore social festivities are perhaps the highlight of the regatta and why many
Masters enjoy coming back every year to catch up with one another and, hopefully, meet some new ones that have joined the "almost over-the-hill gang." Regatta Chairman, Jeff Brown and his volunteer team, did a fabulous job organizing and managing the logistics and volunteers for all participants. Jon Dekker (owner of the J/105 AIRBOSS ) did a fantastic job looking after all twelve J/105's, thankfully donated by their proud owners for the event. As past regatta founder and chairman for years, St Francis YC’s Don Trask, noted that he was quite proud to have the event in the capable hands of San Diego YC’s team of sailors and volunteers and was hoping that he might again be “invited” back next year!
