Charlotte Harbor Regatta kicked off the Weta Florida Spring Series for 2013. The racing fleet was 6 strong, fewer than prior years, but strong in spirit and expecting a great regatta. We were not disappointed, and Thursday's practice started with gusts to the mid twenties. While others huddled on the beach, the Wetas went out and ripped around the bay.
Racing started at 10:55 AM on Friday, and sailors dealt with 44 degrees warming to low 70's. Richard and Keith came out strong, trading bullets and ending the day tied for first. Corsair 28R phenom and National Champion Tom Reese, a fellow New Yorker (in the summers) held on to third, while Dick, Matt and I rounded out the bottom half of the fleet. Shifty conditions dominated the day, with the earlier day's front having departed the area, leaving a turbulent mix for the race course. Boatspeeds as high as 13 were in the puffs, while the lulls offered 4 to 5 knots. Staying in the pressure paid, and the margins of victory were huge as Richard and Keith were able to extend their leads throughout the races.
Day 2 offered lighter air, with more shifts and puffs… The Weta racing was tighter, as the lower half of the fleet benefited from feedback as Richard and Keith shared their boat setup, and Tom worked to help us update rigging to the "improved" tweaks that the New Yorkers had done to the boat. I learned a ton that I'll post later from the perspective of a former Corsair racer.
Richard took the lead, with Keith 2 back and Tom in the hunt as we entered the final day of racing.
This was my favorite day on the water. After over a year off from racing, and having never sailed against a Weta before, I finally stopped worrying about the mechanics and got my head out of the boat. Crazy conditions, tight racing, races being won by feet, not miles and lead changes from the entire crew were the order of the day, and when the dust settled (or spray cleared), Richard took a well earned first place, Keith a hard fought second, Tom third, Cliff fourth, Dick fifth and newcomer Matt sixth (but coming down the curve quickly by the last day. Heartfelt congratulations all…I consider myself lucky to have been able to race with you, and to have you as friends. Well done!
I wish all of you reading this could have all been there. The regatta was well run, had a great venue, and I can't remember having as much fun on the water. It was great racing, and simple fun…I'll post a video, but on Sunday the Laser Masters fleet of over 60 boats started an hour early. I had 3 friends racing, and ran out to watch them. It was blowing as I cut across the fleet doing 15 knots as they went into sequence… Awesome! I can't wait until we have 60 Weta's on the line in a few years. It will be great fun to worry about things like "line sag"…
So yes…the Yankees taught the Southerners how to sail the boat, but know that we are learning fast… Oh, and I'm really from Mass, Dick is from Alaska, and Matt? Matt, where are you from?
The next stop on the Weta Florida Spring Series is WetaFest 2013 – the East Coast Championship being held at FWYC on March 21 to 24. Will Jon live up to his hype, or will Jim Leonard teach him the error of his ways… Come race with us – over 20 boats have now committed verbally, including Chris Kitchen from Weta head office in New Zealand and I hope even more will come now that we have this critical mass. I believe this will be the largest gathering of Weta's in the US, and the winner will be flown to Cali to participate in the West Coast championship. Check out a silly video I made with my iPhone while I was having a rum drink at the regatta…
http://youtu.be/Pc3_60v7d9Y
– I scavenged pics off the web…hope some of you are in this.
HEY - Don't forget about the last event in the series – the Trimaran Nationals at Pensacola Yacht Club in May. Boats that attend all 3 are eligible for a drawing for a new Screecher with special WetaFest graphics.
2013 promises to be a great year for the Weta fleet in North America. We are building momentum, and I'm excited to be a part of it with you all.
C.
The Weta East Coast Champs - WetaFest will be held at the Fort Walton Yacht Club March 21-24. Check out the Weta Yahoo Forum to find out more info about the event or email miranda@wetamarine.com.
For full results and photos check out the Charlotte Harbor Regatta website
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