On two delightful days, the Triangle Model Yacht Club hosted 20 skippers at the 7^th annual Triangle Cup Regatta at Lake Johnson.  The festivities started with a welcoming BBQ on Friday night attended by a majority of the skippers.  Many spent the afternoon sailing on the race course.

Saturday morning started with steady brisk winds from the west.  Four seeding heats were run to divide the boats into the two fleets for a promotion/relegation regatta.   By the end of the day, 6 additional races composed of two heats each were run before quitting.  Racing was quite competitive with lead changes occurring regularly during a heat.  During the day winds built from the west and at least two skippers switched to B-rigs. It proved to be challenging to those with A-rigs.  At the end of day one, Gerry Cobley (Triangle MYC), Reichard Kahle (Charleston MYC), Richard Hawley (Columbia MYC), Rick Gerry (Charleston MYC), and Chris Kakavas (Piedmont MYC) were in the top five positions. 

Sunday started with light breezes from the east and moving around to the south by mid-day.  Light air was to rule the day, with the course changed three times in an attempt to find a windward leg.  In one race three boats were called and scored in relative position due to lack of wind.   The regatta ended with 13 completed races comprising 26 heats plus 4 seeding heats.  All skippers sailed in at least 15 heats, with many “riding the bubble” between the B and A fleets.

Gerry Cobley finished in first place with 30 points, Reichard Kahle in second with 38 points (4 first place finishes), Chris Kakavas in third with 38 points (3 first place finishes), Rich Gerry in fourth with 48 points, and Richard Hawley in fifth with 53 points.   Close racing was found with Winston Mathews out scoring Frank Angel by one point for 6^th place, and Pete Kremlick out scoring Carl Olbrich by one point for 9^th place.

All skippers earned points in the first leg of the Dixie Cup competition.

In one memorable moment, Pete Kremlich’s boat broke across the starting line at the bell and surged ahead to the lead the fleet, only to keep on sailing beyond the weather mark and across the lake.  With the rescue boat following, the boat maintained a close hauled trim through various wind shifts until it came to rest in a sheltered area.  Pete fixed the problem and from the rescue vessel sailed the boat back in time to participate in the next heat.

Many thanks need to be given to Justin Flint (scorekeeper), Charles Hall (marks judge and rescue boat), and to Jim Utley and Ron McMenamin for race planning and course setup.  Without the help of these volunteers, the regatta would not have been a success.

Finally, we need to thank the City of Raleigh Department of Parks and Recreation for the use of their facilities at Lake Johnson Nature Park. 

Respectfully submitted:

 Douglas Hale,

Race Director

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