Smyth planes "YO!" to a win: 2008 GATRegatta at FWYC > Results

Photo Gallery from FWYC

Fort Walton Yacht Club, April 25 - 27:  Seventeen teams from Iowa, Illinois, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Florida and our panhandle lined up for seven starts, and sailed over fifty - seven miles during the Gulf Area Trimaran Regatta on Choctawhatchee Bay in light to medium conditions.  Tommy Garner served as Principal Race Officer, and the Race Committee volunteers offered great course management.  Bill Grady's barbecue at Lincoln Park was a real treat after the "ReachFest" from the yacht club.  The support of the Board Members, the staff, and sailors along with beautiful sunsets after a day of racing make Fort Walton Yacht Club a venue to remember.  
 
The Bermuda starting format for day one launched us into breeze for the 13+ mile distance races to Boggy Bayou (lunch in the park) and back to the yacht club.  The Fleet Captain for the YC, Sam Grant, wrote a software program that prescribed each mark of the course (five in the first leg and four in the return leg) with bay marker id's by chart and descriptions which included bearing and distance to each mark.  His program was based on the wind forecast, and it even revealed the percentages of upwind, reaching, and downwind legs.  Friends and neighbors, he was spot on.
 
We sailed in single digit pressure for most of day two, and the Sprint 750s and Randy's F 25 C were semi - planing in the puffs.  Wayne Jablonowski, with Mike Parsons on board the F 31R, Phoenix, fought a tough sea battle against "YO!" and Evolution, a C28 R, sailed by Kathryn Garlick for a second in PHRF Class A.
 
The Sprint 750 Class saw the most number of starters on the line (six) in the history of this new and exciting class.  Don Wigston came back in the planing breeze with Brioso on Sunday to outshoot Phil Styne for the regatta win.  Bob Hodges sailed to a consistent third.
 
Larry Shaw, Peter Clay, and Bruce Kuerten sailed their F 24 MK I, Riaka, to another decisive win over Bert Rice's, Mark Twain, a stock C 24 MK II.  ED and Lois Dixon followed up a second place finish in the 2008 St. Pete. NOOD with a third in PHRF B aboard TriPower.
 
For the results and future updates anchor on www.gulfsailing.com.
 
By the way: we hit about 18 knts. on the reach back to the club to finish the second leg of the distance race.  When the big sportfishing boat went by us going into the channel for the finish we surfed his wake at 14 knts.  Every wave counts.
 
Aloha,
Bert Rice

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