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of two Jacks: Wubbe and Ward John, tell us about the 2007 Gator Regatta. This year we tried something new; a separate fleet race for our Ancient Mariner Award. With our 12 entries spread between the two fleets, we needed a fair way to score. Last year we tried using the Florida fleet scoring, and Ed Gelina (pronounced Jelleena) who won it suggested this year to have a separate fleet race. So, immediately after the skippers meeting each morning and right after lunch Saturday we did a short race with just the Ancient Mariners. This formula seemed to work well. By the way, 46% of the skippers attending were age 65+ “ancient mariners.” Some of our snowbird volunteers were still away but we were able to gather an enthusiastic committee including some of our newer club members experiencing their first regatta. Thanks to Bill Reynolds, Bob Gill, Fred Bucholtz, Bill Koenemann, Frank Garner, Jack Peck and Kent Farndell. I met with the recreation department on several occasions in order to gather support and The Villages was again very accommodating with loaned equipment, which allows us to really stretch our regatta dollars. The event was publicized heavily in the Villages newspaper, TV and radio so the racing drew many interested spectators. Ken, please describe the racing. After a week of rain and thunder storms in our area, Saturday dawned with great apprehension. The forecast was for more storms and strong easterly winds. Instead the morning began with clear skies and a nice steady easterly breeze of around 3 to 4 mph. As the morning wore on the breeze gradually increased to 9-10 mph with gusts to 12. The easterly breeze on our east-wet oriented pond assured us of good square starting lines with solid windward-leeward legs throughout the day. The first race of the day was sailed by the Ancient Mariners with Ed Gelina winning line honors followed by John Rowley and Dick Reinke. We then sailed two races in the Silver B Fleet followed by two races in the Gold A Fleet. By the end of 4 races in the morning John Bottensek was leading the Gold A Fleet and Jack Ward was leading the Silver B Fleet. After a short lunch break a second race was sailed by the Ancient Mariners and won by Carter Cain followed by Jack Ward and Bud Elder. By the end of the day each fleet had sailed 8 races and John Bottensek held a commanding lead in the Gold A Fleet followed by Jack Wubbe, Joe Walter, and John Rowley. In the Silver B Fleet Jack Ward still held the lead followed by Carter Cain, Dick Reinke and Tom Phillips. On Sunday morning the winds again were steady easterlies enabling us to sail one more race for the Ancient Mariners, 5 more races in the Gold A Fleet and 4 more races in the Silver B Fleet. At the end of the Ancient Mariner races, John Rowley and Jack Ward were tied for first place with 9 points. After the tie breaking formula was applied, John Rowley emerged as the 2007 Ancient Mariner winner. In the Gold A Fleet, John Bottensek was unable to stave off Jack Wubbe’s late charge when Jack won 4 of the last 5 races sailed. The final places in the Gold A Fleet saw Jack Wubbe winning with 36 points followed by John Bottensek with 46 points, Joe Walter with 64 points and John Rowley with 66 points. In the Silver B Fleet, Jack Ward and Carter Cain finished 1 and 2 with Jack winning the regatta by one point with 27 points and Carter Cain second with 28 points, Dick Reinke was in third place with 42 points and Tom Germer was fourth with 47 points. Sue, how did things go for the food committee? The timing of the regatta preceded the return of our snowbirds, so feeding over 50 participants could have been a problem for our tiny club, but thankfully Maxine Gill, Phyllis Koenemann, and Nancy Farndell answered the call for homemade goodies, table patrol, and food distribution in the welcome shade of our ancient live oak tree. Kent Farndell and J.C. Peck were tireless in their response to our early morning and constant needs for muscle power, storage and restocking of supplies. The Villages’ welcome support included electricity to the lake, coffee making supplies, ice, tables, chairs, and tents. Chick-fil-A donated 12 lunches for volunteers. We received many compliments about the casual Saturday supper featuring smoked meats with fresh vegetables, salads and desserts, served family style by special arrangement with McCall’s Tavern at Spanish Springs Town Square. Sunday’s award ceremony in the air- conditioned shelter of the Churchill Recreation center was timely, because the sky fell as we gathered for a video recap of the weekend racing on the big screen, and a jovial pizza party sendoff. Any final thoughts John? Yes, our immense thanks again go to The Villages Recreation Department for their excellent support of the Sumter Landing EC-12 MYC. We look forward to hosting everyone again next year for the Gator Regatta in late 2008, including a rematch for the Ancient Mariner Award! Gold-Fleet Results
Silver-Fleet Results
Ancient Mariner Results
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Click here for a video of the regatta.
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