SHEET
the St. Francis YC kept the event going like clockwork. There were no protests. Multiple barbecues, a down-home style, and the stunning rural venue made for a great atmosphere. Next year the 110 Nationals will go back to the boat’s birthplace, Marblehead, MA. The regatta then moves to Macatawa Bay, MI in 2015, before returning to Inverness in 2016. — hobey landreth
JIM LAWS
INTERNATIONAL 110 NATIONALS (8/5-9; 7r,1t) 1) Ragtime, Ross Weene/Eli Slater, 10 points; 2) Glider, John Huff/Richard Martin, 12; 3) Silver Surfer, Ann Lewis/Sandy Curth, 20; 4) Grumpy, Julaine/Fred Eddy, 24; 5) Miracles Happen, Tom Craig/Savilia Blunk, 35; 6) Fun, Robert Caldwell/Jim Nobel, 39; 7) Ad Lib, Chris Waddel/Shawn Kelly, 41; 8) Blue Moon, Dan Nolan/John Nellis, 46; 9) Big Pink, Milly Biller/William Peterson, 52; 10) Solar Flare, Malcolm Fife/Steve Myers, 54. (19 boats) Complete results at www.invernessyachtclub.org
Eli Slater packed up their sails, jumped on a plane, borrowed a local boat, and won the International 110 Nationals held at the Inverness YC August 5–9. John Huff, who trailered his 110 out from Chicago, placed second, and local Inverness talent Anne Lewis placed third. The seven-race series was well attended, with 19 boats on the starting line throughout the week. Five were sailed by visitors from the East and Midwest; two of those in borrowed boats, and three trailered in. Gray skies and sub-12-knot southwesterlies prevailed for all four days of sailing — uncommonly light for Tomales Bay. “We did our best to keep focus through the tough conditions — very shifty, inconsistent wind," Weene said after the regatta. "It breaks down sometimes to being very simple: go fast, keep the bow pointed at the mark, don’t foul other boats, don’t hit marks, and have fun.” Weene's borrowed Ragtime won the first two races, and never finished out of
the top three. But Huff and crew Richard Martin chipped away at Weene’s lead and, thanks to the one-throw-out format, found themselves in a tie for first place going into the final race on Friday. “We knew we needed to either beat him or force him into fourth place or worse,” Weene said. "We had a great start, extended, and covered. We didn’t have to engage him too closely, but we were prepared to throw the kitchen sink at him to maintain our lead." Ann Lewis and crew Sandy Curth sailed with the leaders consistently, at one point gliding quietly around almost the entire fleet for a come-from-waybehind second place. They were the only local team to place in the top five. Interestingly, the fleet split down the middle on the use of conventional versus asymmetrical spinnakers. And the results show no favored design in these conditions, as the top 10 finishers included five of each. It was the first national event hosted by Inverness YC since the early 60s, and it’s difficult to imagine how it could have gone any better. PRO Mark Mayer from
Lido 14 Nationals The Lido 14 National Class Championships were held on Santa Monica Bay August 21, hosted by Del Rey, Santa Monica Windjammers and South Coast Corinthian YCs. Richmond YC's Stephen and Olivia Klotz nabbed second in the Gold Fleet aboard ManCave, with Stockton Sailing Club's Butch Michel and Naz Solanki placing 10th. Fremont Sailing Club's Roger and Anne Hinton were the sole Bay Area racers in the Silver Fleet. LIDO 14 NATIONALS (8/21; 5r,0t) GOLD FLEET — 1) Big Red 1, Christophe Killian/Greg Dair, 14 points; 2) ManCave, Stephen/ Olivia Klotz, 16; 3) (no name), Stuart Robertson/ Sammy Elsharhawy, 17. (12 boats) SILVER FLEET — 1) Nui Pilikia, Terry Johnson/
For more racing news, subscribe to 'Lectronic Latitude online at www.latitude38.com. August's racing stories included: Louis Vuitton Cup • Fastnet Race • YRA races • IC NAs • Hinman Trophy • International 110 Class Championship • El Toro NAs • Islander Freeport 36 NAs • Chubb U.S. Jr. Sailing Championships • U.S. Youth Championship • BYC Tri-Island Pursuit Series • A-Class Cats NAs • Tasar Worlds • O’pen Bic High-Wind Slalom • Summer Keel • SSS Half Moon Bay • Wylie Wabbit Nationals • C-GOD • CPYC and BYC Beer Cans • Red Bull Youth AC, Delta Dinghy Ditch, Melges 20 Nationals, F18 Cats and Labor Day Weekend Previews and much more!