Clearwater 2015 National Championship
- Details
- Category: National
- Written by Tim Sayles
Halloween weekend provided a new venue and great sailing for FD sailors at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center for the National Championship Regatta. Over 3 days on the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico off Clearwater Beach, the fleet had a range of weather conditions, largely based on a weather system that came out of a south easterly direction, moving east and then back to southeast as the weekend progressed. Winds ranged from ligher 7 knots up to mid-teens over the weekend, under sunny, warm skies.
Lin Robson and AUS crew Kim MacDonald (currently living in Texas) provided the pace for the regatta, although they were challenged by a number of teams throughout the weekend. Initially Stan Hyatt and Nathanial Plant of St Petersburg got quite close in race 2. The Wrenn during day 2 were doing quite well and on day 3. Tim Sayles and Ondrej Lehecka thought they actually had USA 36 beat during day 3 until a crab trap intervened during a gybe to allow Lin and Kim a clean sweep of the series.
Derrick and Josh Hiltz spent some time still working out the intracacies of their Lindsay. Debriefing after day 2 helped to work out some of the issues, not only for them but others as the regatta demonstrated that for FDs boatspeed is not the end of the story for winning. We spend a lot of time focusing on going fast, but basic tactics never lose their relavance, as Lin demonstrated quite effectively for Tim.
Dave Ellis provided his experienced PRO skills for the regatta, assisted by Rich White, Director of CCSC, and his team. A friendly Jambalaya dinner on Saturday was very well recieved, as was the overall hospitality of the Center, which Chris mentioned more than once. The staff at CCSC were always available for assistance and information. The facilities are quite comfortable, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, just inside Clearwater Pass.
All sailors were very pleased with the new venue and we can look forward to other events there in the near future.
Flying Dutchman 2015 National Championship Results
| Sail | Race | |||||||||||||
| Team | # | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Total | |
| Lin Robson/Kim MacDonald | 36 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| Tim Sayles/Ondrej Lehecka | 251 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 24 | |
| Jeff Wrenn/Chris Wrenn | 301 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 27 | |
| Stan Hyatt/Nathanial Plant | 219 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | |
| Josh Hiltz/Derrick Hiltz | 306 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | dnf | 5 | 5 | 5 | dns | 5 | 5 | 51 | |
It was a tough start for the FD Nationals at Santa Cruz on Friday. The weather forecast for the weekend promised light winds from WSW, typical for the time of the year, however the local sailors knew better and warned participants on shore that the breeze typically fills in and sure enough – we ended with heavy air, 15-18 mph from SW, gusts to exceed 25 mph which is nothing for the enduring FD's, but requires skills and perseverance.
of first finishes.
All in all, a great regatta – fantastic job of the race officers and volunteers of Santa Cruz Yacht Club, led by PRO Mr. John Buchanan.
The 2014 NAs proved to be three days of working through issues, arrangements and curious weather passing through the Tampa Bay area. Veteran PRO and FD sailor Dave Ellis ran the racing out of the St Petersburg Sailing Center, setting windward/leeward courses relatively close to the harbor entrance. The changing conditions interacting with shore effects were challenging and put a premium not only on boathandling but also quick responses. The last weekend in April was in a transition period on Tampa Bay. During this time the Gulf water temperature is still low enough to allow sea breezes to develop on the Bay, but also bookend fronts that typify spring weather still influenced overall patterns.
The 2014 North Americans will be held April 25-27, at the St. Petersburg Sailing Center in downtown St.Petersburg, FL. Many know that three FD Worlds have been held at this site, 1962, 1997 and 2006.