Mark Rinehart won his third EC-12 Nationals
with unmatched consistency. All but one of his 16 heats sailed were
top 5 finishes. The only finish outside of the top 5 was a 7th.
Defending champ, Reichard Kahle, rallied from 11th place on day
one to 2nd place overall. He also took home the Match Racing Championship
for the 2nd year in a row.
Tuesday, November 1
After a full year of planning and preparation, it was finally
time for the 2005 EC-12 Nationals to begin at Walt Disney World’s
Pop Century Resort. A handful of skippers made their way to Disney
early. Some to enjoy the theme parks with family before the competition
began and others to get some on the water practice in. Disney “Cast
Members” as they call themselves, promised that everything
would be ready for our event. They pruned tree limbs that were blocking
the view of the lake and cleared thick algae that had been clogging
the shoreline. I was very happy to hear from the early bird skippers
that the lake was great and there were no problems.
The main field of skippers began arriving on Tuesday
afternoon. With 44 boats expected, Rick West and company had planned
a tight schedule of registration, measuring, and match racing for
Wednesday and nobody wanted to be late. All the skippers, staff,
and guests got rooms on the ground floors of the two buildings closest
to the race site. Frank Angel had the shortest walk of about 20
feet from his room to his scoring tent. The longest walk from room
to shore for any skipper could not have been more than a couple
hundred feet. The large manicured lawn had plenty of space for all
the skippers and the four-story hotel offered abundant shade.
When I arrived on Tuesday with a trailer full of all
the gear needed for the regatta, it was cool and overcast. By the
time we had unloaded all the gear into the Race Central Hospitality
Room, a light mist began to fall. By cocktail hour, it turned to
rain. It seems the rumor that Disney can control the weather is
untrue. Still the rain did not stop a crowd from gathering outside
the hospitality room to enjoy a cold beer and catch up with old
friends or make new ones.
Wednesday, November 2
The rain had let up by morning as assistants, Ron Brown and Ed Atkinson,
arrived early to set up the measuring tank. Rick West got started
right away with the measuring process while Frank Angel began registering
the competitors. The two RDs, Dr. Jarl Wathne and David Brawner,
checked all sails on the floor of the hospitality room. All boats
were measured for beam widths, waterline length, weight, keel widths,
and sails. Rick is compiling a database to help new builders, as
well as those of us trying to figure out what we are doing wrong.
As the clouds moved away, the sky soon gleamed bright
blue, we thought perhaps Disney really does control the weather.
The Chamber of Commerce weather would stay with us for the rest
of the week. With the sun now shining, David Brawner got the match
racing started on schedule with the first flight at 1230. All the
skippers who entered sailed the best of 3 heats against their pairing.
Two losses meant you were done while the winners sailed the next
boat in their bracket immediately so that the field was reduced
from 28 boats to just 8. The second flight was also on time at 1430.
Some very good match-ups were sailed in both flights with the all
favorites advancing, but with a few surprise showings also making
it into the third round. Gerry Cobley, Harry Strunk, Dave Ramos,
and me (Joe Walter) joined the usual gang of Scott Rowland, Gerhard
Kelter, Kahle, and Rinehard to compete on Thursday.
Thursday, November 3
Clear skies greeted us for the start of Fleet Racing on Thursday.
Former Champion, Danny Thomas, unfortunately had to cancel at the
last minute. Still, the 43 remaining skippers made this the largest
EC-12 Nationals on record. After some brief comments from Frank
and Rick at the skipper’s meeting, Jarl Wathne took the helm
as RD with the help of David Brawner and the volunteers.
We started out with 3 flights of seeding races with
each group sailing 2 heats. The total of the 2 heats was used to
set the fleets for the Equal Opportunity Racing System (EORS) then
the higher score was discarded. Kelter, Rick Gerry, Skip Allen,
Mike Zellanack, Bob Dudinsky, and Walter each scored a bullet in
the seeding races. Frank Angel then called a brief timeout to tally
the points and set the four fleets, which were color-coded Gold,
Blue, Red, and White.
Thursday was the only day that had a consistent wind
blowing nearly down the middle of the course. Unfortunately for
the rest of the regatta, the high pressure system that hovered over
the Southeast made the wind come out of the one direction we didn’t
want -- from behind the buildings. Still the course was well laid
out and even though the wind was swirling and fluky at times, at
least it was wind.
The White fleet took to the water for the real start
of the fleet racing. Every skipper, staff member, and spectator
crowded the shore for the start -- everyone trying to figure out
where the favored end of the line was. When a call for crowd control
cropped up, Uncle Frank and his bullhorn eased the spectators back
so the skippers had a clear path to walk. The 4 fleets of 14 boats
each meant waits as long as an hour for many before their next heat,
but nobody seemed to mind at all.
Bob Dudinsky won the first race of the regatta. With
his bullet in the seeding races and a 2nd and 6th for the other
heats, he took the outright lead for day one. Mark Rinehart was
just one point back in 2nd place, while Rick Gerry and Al Sellers
were a close 3rd and 4th respectively.
The third round of match racing took place during
lunch. While Kelter, Kahle, Rinehard, and Rowland each advanced
to the semi finals, it was far from a cakewalk for any of them.
The racing was very close and exciting. Tight pre-start turning
duels, lead changes both up wind and down, and close finishes made
for some great thrills.
Except for the Awards Dinner planned for Saturday
night, free evenings allowed for the skippers and their family and
friends to take advantage of what Disney had to offer. There was
no shortage of activities with four theme parks to choose from,
along with great restaurants, and shopping areas like Downtown Disney,
or just hang out by the pool. The fireworks and light shows in the
evening, visible from our hotel, added to the grandness.
Frank Angel stayed up late Thursday night to redistribute
the skippers into 3 fleets. This made the fleet sizes a little larger,
but we hoped more heats could be sailed. The color-coded fleets
were renamed White, Red, and Yellow. The blue clothespins kept breaking
and after some poor performances in the Gold fleet, Frank demoted
them to Yellow.
Friday, November 4
Friday’s wind was out of the ENE, which meant it came from
two different directions as it tried to go around the buildings.
Wind shifts of 180 degrees where not uncommon as we sailed from
the start line to the windward mark, and back down the course. Fortunes
were won and lost as skippers searched for the best wind. Some who
hugged the shore would make huge gains over those who sailed for
the middle of the lake, only to see the results reversed in the
next heat as the middle would then become the best place to be.
The patient skippers who kept an eye on the shifts steadily moved
to the front of the fleet.
More match racing during lunch saw Rowland and Kahle
advance to the finals while Kelter and Rinehart would sail in the
consolation round on Saturday. Some very good racing was done throughout
the 3 fleets. At the end of the second day of fleet racing Rinehart
had moved into a comfortable lead with just 34 points. Dudinsky
dropped to 2nd with 55 points and John Bottensek, Walter, and Kahle
rounded out the top 5.
Saturday, November 5
Great weather stayed for the third and final day of sailing. The
wind, though, was still a source of anguish as it tried to sort
out which direction it would blow. The leader board would shift
yet again as racing began. Some like Kahle, Bottensek, and Cobley
would climb higher in the standings, while others like Walter and
Dudinsky slipped back. Rinehard remained solid throughout the regatta
and with two races to sail, it was clear that he would not be caught.
A trashcan full of ice water, poured on him from the third floor
of the hotel was his reward.
Unknown to most at the time, Kelter and Rinehart agreed
to sail each other’s boat for the consolation match. The pink
boat proved to be very fast as Kelter took the win for third place.
Kahle and Rowland would sail three very exciting races to determine
the Match Racing Champion. It was some of the most exciting racing
of the event with tactics and boat handling playing a major role
in the outcome instead of just boat speed. Reichard would prevail
in the end for the second time in a row. With 16 full races and
a total of 57 heats sailed in the fleet racing, and more than 60
match races sailed, it was time to head to the awards dinner at
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center.
The bar at the banquet hall opened early at 6:15,
which set the evening off to a good start. Disney put out a fantastic
spread of steak fajitas, marinated chicken, and catfish, along with
salads, veggies, breads, and wonderful desserts. After a great meal
and plenty of camaraderie, it was time to hand out the awards. Gifts
and thanks were also given to all who made this incredible event
possible. The Class Secretary, Rick West, took the podium for a
short time to field some questions from the audience and the evening
was closed with a round of applause for all the skippers who sailed
like true sportsmen for the whole event and for the staff who kept
it all running smoothly.
I wish to thank all the skippers who came from far
and near to be here, including Woody Cook who crossed the big pond
from England to sail with us. I want to thank all the volunteers
who helped measure boats, run errands, and call the marks throughout
the five days: Ed Atkinson, Doug Bowe, Ron Brown, Nick Quinn, and
Dick Ruffe. I want to thank David and Jarl for doing an amazing
job as RDs and for keeping everyone focused on sailing clean and
having a great time on the water. I must thank Frank and Rick for
the unfathomable amount of work they did before, during, and after
this event, and Kent Farndell who was my right hand man throughout
the planning and who was instrumental in getting us in the door
at Disney. I need to thank Christina Bantug and Roberto Cruz with
Disney for bringing it all together with the help of their wonderfully
supportive staff. And last but nowhere near least, the three ladies
who really made this event possible for their hard work, support,
and patience with us big kids: Merrilee West, Linda Angel, and my
bride, Janet Walter.
Thank you all very much, and I hope you all had as
much fun as I did!
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