2000 IC Nationals (a.k.a. The 2000 Roll Tack Nationals or The Kinetics Inter-Galactics)
The 2000 IC Nationals had all the makings of a great event, but a great sailing event it surely was not. The Manhasset Bay YC and the Frostbite YC (MBYC IC Dinghy Fleet) were well prepared for the 63 competitors, but a little less prepared for the complete lack of wind over the weekend. All three races that constituted the series were held on Saturday in 0 to 2 knots of wind and an ebbing tide. There may have been a puff to 3 knots, but this could be widely disputed, and I was certainly not in the right place to sail in it. Any reports of wind greater than 3 knots is a wild exaggeration. As hosts, the Manhasset Bay fleet was organized and gratious, and the social events certainly made the trip worthwhile despite the lack of real sailing. Basically, it was a race organizer's nightmare - no wind in a class that favors extreme kinetics.All the players were there again - a magnificent gathering of one-design talent that has become the trademark of the IC Nationals. Familiar names like Adams, Bowers, Proctor, Benjamin, Cesare, Fowler, Monro, Lynn, and many other IC greats littered the fleet. The RC divided the fleet into 4 divisions to sail in a round-robin, with each division having its fair share of ringers. With an extremly strong presence of 10 boats, the Annapolis IC Fleet was poised to sail among the best in class had there been wind. Perhaps it was a clash of cultures, because without question, the Annapolis sailors were ill-prepared to play the game that needed to be played to win in these conditions. Falsone/Frymier were quick studies on the first windward legs, twice rounding the windward mark in the top 3 by executing well placed roll tacks every five boat lenghts "in response to starboard tackers or a tight lee bow" (that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.). Whether it was a sense of guilt or just sheer stupidity, Falsone/Frymier couldn't bring themselves to "keep the pace" downwind, losing an average of 10 boats in the long, slow drift to the leeward gate. The best overall finish from Annapolis goes to Eric Reinke and Kim Couranz who placed 14th overall, with a second place finish in one race. Nice going, guys! In a repeat victory, Jim Bowers and Myrna Chan Macrae won the regatta with a 2 point margin over fellow Winthrop sailors Paul Adam and Kim Queene, and perenial favorite, Steve Benjamin and Adam Walsh. Jim also won the new Banks sail which he received jeers for when he accepted the prize. Hey, when your good, your good. To Jim's credit, he made great escapes at the windward mark when others (namely IC 802) got caught up in the frenzied roundings. Jim and Myrna are great champions, and I'm happy to see them win again. See complete results here: http://www.mbycic.org/
In retrospect, its hard for anyone to really call this regatta a real test of skill. I feel that as a fleet, we have come a long way as competitors, and it was just unfortunate we didn't get to prove it to the sailing community. Had there been big breeze, many of us felt that we would've been sailing at the head of the pack. It would've been interesting to see what would've happened if there had been judges on the water on Saturday. You really can't fault the RC for getting those races in - no racing on Saturday would've meant no championship, and perhaps an emptier feeling among competitors.
So, many thanks go out to Pedro Lorson, the MBYC, the Frostbite YC, and all the volunteers who helped run this event. It was a first-class job despite the conditions. I'd like to hear some comments from other participants. Am I off the mark on this analysis?
Other random notes:
1) The IC Technical Committee is looking into getting Jibe Tech (Andy Pimmental) into the IC building business. The goal is to build new molds from existing tooling (or slash off an existing hull). The new molds would have improvements aimed at cutting production time and lowering costs. A $4,000 IC rigged and ready is the goal as far as I know. Tom Stout can shed details on the meeting results.
2) My paranoia last year over having "championship sailing conditions" was proven to have merit this year. We absolutely (IMHO) made the correct decision to have on-the-water judges for the 1999 Nationals. I hope that future nationals will do the same.
3) The 2001 IC Nationals will be held at Indian Harbor YC in Connecticut. The 2002 IC Nationals will be in Scituate.
4) The GW Bridge was clear sailing on the way home. I hope everyone listened to the radio and averted the traffic disaster on Staten Island.
5) Steve Moore from MBYC presented some great citations to Ben Cesare for dumping with his mother in the sound (see IC web site for classic picture) sailing in big breeze, and to Steve Benjamin for dumping his wife in the drink in very little breeze during a "maximum roll jibe".
6) Anyone thinking they had seen Eric Reinke before they met him in sailing gear had probably seen him on the acclaimed 70's dance show, "Dance Fever". Eric, Barb, and Kim tore up the dance floor all night.
7) Taking a page from The Donald's book, "The Art of the Deal", Steve Benjamin bought and sold a Manhasset IC with two cell phone calls, netting a cool $200 bucks. The beauty was that he didn't even have to move the boat - "Yeah, come by and pick 'er up. She's here on the MBYC lawn." 8) I really miss New York deli's.
9) The Annapolis IC Fleet has the best-looking, and most available crews of any IC fleet as determined by an esteemed panel of married judges. Tell your friends.
Note to Eric, Kim, and Barb - that was Alex's vertical smile pressed on the passenger's side window on the NJT, not mine. It was, however, my idea.