Race Committee:  We need additional volunteers for the race committee this coming weekend which is the 505 East Coast Championships.  Roger Link is the weekend PRO, and Judy and I will be joining him.  Please let me know right away if you can come.   Racing takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with more classes on the weekend.

Fall Series:  Yesterday we held our second fall series race in great conditions with four short courses in the abnormally hot summer heat.  We had six boats on the line:  Gracie, Spirit, Picardy, Endeavor, Stormy and Contrary.  The wind was from the southeast and slowly veered around to the south intensifying as the sea breeze filled in.  Generally, getting a good start and staying left paid off to the weather mark and certainly staying right (I did not one time and lost two places) was the fasted way to the leeward mark.  We had to shift the weather mark twice for a square course.  The final race was particularly fun with lots of wind, probably 15+ right out of West River.  In this race, going right off the start was favored and extra crew a real advantage.

 Bob Blomquist with Jim and Donna Reuters had four bullets, but most finishes were tight with either Picardy or Spirit right behind.  Picardy with Alex De Tessieres , my nephew and me, and Spirit with Robin Hartge and Nicky Schlegel tied, both with seconds and thirds (but Spirit finished second on the tie breaker).  Endeavor came in fourth with Carole McCullough, Bob Angle and Michele McHugh, but would have done better if they had not been late to the first race.  We recruited A-Cat and former International 14 racer David Mack as a first time 20 skipper in Stormy with my usual crew and cousin, Doug Logan.  David was very impressed with responsiveness of a C-20.  We were pleased that Molly Winan, Spinsheet editor, returned and crewed for Andrew Resnick in Contrary (but they were a bit light for the conditions).  Judy Weihe put on an après-race affair with beer, soft drinks and hors d’oeuvers.   We want to thank Roger Schermerhorn, a Flying Scott racer, for running excellent races and filling in so David Mack could race with us since we had been talking about his joining us “old timer” International 14 racers for some time. 

Weigh in:  It has been at least four years since we weighed Chesapeake 20s.  While we did not take out all of the unnecessary gear, we weighed the boats as we launched them.  Glass and new boats must be over 950 pounds and older pre-1988 boats more than 900 pounds.  Here are the results:  Stormy (930), Picardy (1130), Gracie (1000), Contrary (1200) and Endeavor (980).   I am planning to reduce weight in Picardy by shifting to lighter floorboards (something I have been thinking about, but really confirmed with the weigh in).

Upcoming Captain Dick Hartge Regatta:  Our final race of the season is the Captain Dick Hartge Regatta on Sunday, September 28, 2008.  We expect a good turn out with the first start at 11 AM.  Usually, we try to get in at least five races at this one-day regatta.  Robin Hartge is organizing the regatta with the Hartge clan for this event  which honors our most famous Chesapeake 20 founder and builder.  I will be sending out the NOR soon.

Next Year’s Championships:  We have confirmed the dates with the Annapolis Maritime Museum for June 26, 27 and 28, 2009.  AMM has new docks and the museum will have plenty of indoor space if we get rained on again.