SEASON CHAMPIONS, PART II stice Regatta. ODCA fleets will sail two races on the Olympic Circle on June 23, then join the Summer Sailstice festivities on Treasure Island. This new event will be a fitting close to the first half of the ODCA Summer Season. The Corinthian YC-hosted ODCA Season Closer this year proved popular, and will be back on the schedule for '07. There was a good turnout on both Saturday and Sunday, with several ODCA fleets opting to sail along with the HDA boats on their Islands Tour Race on Saturday. The always-gracious CYC offered burgers on their deck and overnighting in their harbor. Additional ODCA fleets have already signed up for the 2007 version, which will again offer either ODCA-specific racing in the Knox area, or the option to sail with HDA in their Knox-Bonita Race on Saturday, followed by two windward/leeward ODCA races in the Southampton area on Sunday. Again, the CYC will offer dinner and berthing on Saturday night. Finally for 2007, ODCA is going 'paperless' using YRA's newly redesigned website. Individual sailing instructions for each ODCA race day will be posted, including classes, starting order for the first race, and courses. There's plenty of time for ODCA fleets to round up new participants and prepare for next year's ODCA Season. There's also time for additional one design fleets to contact the YRA office and explore the possibilities of participating in next year's ODCA racing. For more information, go to www.yra.org. — pat broderick We didn't have room to run profiles of the winners in all one design classes, so first congratulations go to the following ODCA winners and runners-up in the following fleets. BENETEAU 36.7 — 1) Mistral, Ed Durbin; 2) Serendipity 2, Thomas Bruce; 3) Bufflehead, Stuart Scott. (5 boats) ALERION EXPRESS 28 — 1) Eagle, Chuck Eaton; 2) Maeve II, Nancy Pettengill; 3) Scrimshaw, Michael Maurier. (6 boats) ANTRIM 27 — 1) Max, Bryan Wade; 2) Cascade, Steven Reinhart; 3) Always Friday, John Liebenberg. (5 boats) CATALINA 30/CAL 29 — 1) Goose, Michael Kastrup; 2) Starkite, Laurie Miller; 3) Missy B, Russell Calvery. (3 boats) EXPRESS 37 — 1) Expeditious, Bartz Schneider; 2) Golden Moon, Kame Richards/Bill Bridge; 3) Elan, Bill Riess. (6 boats) J/105 (ODCA) — 1) Whisper, Eden Kim; 2) Orion, Gary Kneeland; 3) Kookaburra, Philip Jensen. (3 boats) OLSON 30 — 1) Hoot, Andy Macfie; 2) Naked Lady, Jeffrey Blowers; 3) Family Hour, Bilafer Family. (5 boats) Page 150 •
Latitude 38
• December, 2006
Moore 24 No Idea
Olson 25 Vivace
Scott Sorensen San Francisco YC
Nelson (left)/VanKirk Richmond YC
With two season championships in the three years he's been racing Moore 24s, it's obvious that Santa Clara firefighter Scott Sorensen and his crew are well-dialed into these boats. That's no small feat, since the Moores consistently field one of the largest starting fleets and some of the most prominent sailors in Bay Area racing. Sorensen, class president and 2005 season champion, attributes his success almost entirely to his crew: Chris Chapman, Maria Flores and John Kernot. "We gel better and we work better. It's not just about having good crew work, but the amount of fun onboard," he says. "I've actually noticed that the amount of laughter on the boat directly translates into our success." Just because Sorensen won the season doesn't mean it was a runaway victory. The top three boats this year each won three regattas. One of Sorensen's wins this year, the Gorge Regatta in Oregon, was his favorite race of the year. Part of the class's Roadmaster Series, the Gorge trip was a hit all around. The water was 70 degrees, the air was 90, and the wind blew a consistent 18 knots. "It was beautiful," Sorensen says wistfully. Impending fatherhood is causing Sorensen to relinquish his presidential role at the end of the year, but he has no intention of giving up the Moore as well. It's just too much fun.
Larry Nelson and Frank VanKirk compiled an impressive record in 2006. After discarding their three worst finishes, all that remained were seven firsts, four seconds, a couple of thirds, and just one fourth — nearly a clean sweep. ("No, that's the name of the second-place boat," Nelson points out.) "It was closer than it looked," he explains. "We had a few races that went our way toward the end of the season. But the competition was really strong." Although this isn't their first season championship (they also won in 2004), Nelson says that this year they really earned it. Last time around, former season champion Jens Jensen spent most of the season travelling for work, so they snuck into first. This year, both Jensen and Clean Sweep's Tom Nemeth gave Vivace a run for the money. For Nelson (who skippers the summer season) and co-owner VanKirk (who drives the winter races) having a consistent crew contributed to the season win. Terry Bennett, Mike Quinn, Harry Weiner and Baird Lloyd Nuckolls have been sailing with Nelson and VanKirk since they bought Vivace four years ago. "We have such a great time together, and it's an awesome boat. And we love racing one design!" Nelson says. Looking to next year, Nelson is excited about the class's prospects. Ten boats have already signed up for the ODCA season, with two more hopefully on the way.
2) Eclipse, Brad Butler; 3) Paramour, Rowan Fennell. (54 boats)
2) Clean Sweep, Tom Nemeth; 3) Hamburger Haus, Jens Jensen. (9 boats)