HOT-TO-TROT RESULTS PHOTO GALLERY

Big Air = Big Fun at Portage Lake
2009 Hot-to-Trot was NOT August Doldrums

By Clark Chapin

For 2009, Fleet 22 at Portage Yacht Club in Pinckney, MI moved their annual regatta from mid-September to Saturday of the weekend before Labor Day, August 29. Twenty Interlakes responded and sailed a one-day event that had more than enough wind for everybody.

The forecast was for winds in the 10-20 mph range and as Interlakers know, 10 mph is one thing and 20 mph is quite another! During registration, people willing to crew were at a premium. Jeremy Bronheim, visiting from Washington, DC was shanghaied onto Kirsten Petro's boat despite minimal sailing experience. By the time the fleet headed out for the Noon start, puffs in the teens were evident.

The first race featured nine windward-leeward legs. Scott Savage and Steve Aspery started near the pin with Bob Sagan and worked the left side of the course. Others, including Tyler Cathey and Don Wilson, got onto port tack early and were in the hunt at the first mark.

Around the offset mark and the sleigh ride began downwind! Sagan and Aspery dueled down wind, but then a vicious gust tossed #1402 sideways into the water, although Steve, David, and Conner Smith did manage to recover and finish the race in 14th place. The same puff pulled a block from Scott Savage's boat as well.

Scott, with wife Lynn crewing, got caught on the wrong side of a wind shift and dropped to about sixth place, but fought back to take the lead at the second weather mark and never relinquished it.

Tom Marriott and Becky Vardian steadily moved up through the fleet as the race progressed and finished 5th ahead of Mike McClinchie, who was the first boat to finish sailing with three aboard.

Don, Jane, and Tim Wilson had difficulties lowering their spinnaker and went wide of the leeward mark, but managed to hold on to 7th place, ahead of Bill O'Donnel and Brian Hawkins.

Steve Wiseman broke a jib fairlead car and made a quick trip to shore between races for a replacement part, but was unable to make it to the line in time for the start.

The second race was a shorter, six-leg windward-leeward race. The starting line was not so pin favored, but Aspery, Savage, Sagan, and PYC's Bill O'Donnel all fought to start at that end and again worked the left side of the course.

Tyler Cathey's day took a turn for the worse when he was OCS and had to return and start correctly. Soon afterward, a jib fairlead car failed on his boat and he struggled to finish in 10th place.

Savage led this race at each mark, followed by Clark and Bill Chapin in #1317. Behind them, Tom Marriott and Don Wilson traded places throughout the race with Marriott finally taking 3rd to Wilson's 4th.

On one downwind leg, Clark and Bill caught a huge puff and careened wildly down the race course, but high of the mark. As they rocketed down the course, Clark said, "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that we're making distance on Scott. The bad news is that we have to jibe." They managed to keep the boat under the sails, but were not able to catch Scott and Lynn.

There were more downwind thrills and upwind slogging and feathering. A total of four boats capsized or failed to finish: Greg Harrison and Elona Van Gent in #1168, Ron Gall and Cara Bown in #1325, Brook Smith and Sheri Hartlep in #1380, and Mike McClinchie, Brian Boso, and Rob Ciccotelli in #1066.

When Brook and Sheri righted the boat, they found minnows swimming in the cockpit, which must have been "Brook" trout minnows.

The race management team of Forest Rogers, PRO assisted by Jim Davis, Michael Ehnis, Steve Steckert, Lisa Berg, Dave Moody, and Roy Toth did a masterful job of laying out the courses and keeping track of the racers scattered all over the course. Chief Judge George Griswold made certain that proper and fair procedures were followed.

Because the race committee saw several gusts in excess of 20 mph in the second race, the PRO sent the racers in to shore. When the conditions failed to moderate significantly, the remaining races were abandoned and everyone set about to get the boats back on the trailers before heading to the party tent.

Carole Moody and Felicia Cathey organized a pot luck dinner with pulled pork sandwiches to warm everyone up. Everyone had stories to tell, although few could top the "brook trout" minnows.

Results

Key: f = DNF, c = DNC, s = DNS