"Magnitudo Parvi--The Grandeur of the Little." (Victor Hugo.)
- Class Championship 2001
- Annual Meeting Report
- Daddy's Boat Broke by John Field, 2001 Class Champion
- Scallop Cup 2001 - Oct. 13
2001 Cape Cod Frosty North American Championship
May 12-13, Salisbury, MD
| Pl. | Pts | Competitor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21 | John Field | New York, NY |
| 2. | 27 | Paul Hull | Salisbury, MD |
| 3. | 42 | Ross Weene | Portland, ME |
| 4. | 52 | Lee Beauchamp | Salisbury, MD |
| 5. | 58 | Eli Slater | Portland, ME |
| 6. | 61 | Jen Kano | Cataumet, MA |
| 7. | 83 | Philip Swanton | New York, NY |
| 8. | 85 | Deke Sheller | Salisbury, MD |
| 9. | 93 | Mary Kay Noren | Salisbury, MD |
(Scoring based on 1 throw-out.)
The Rest of the Story:
When Deke Sheller walked out his front door at 627 N. Pinehurst Ave., Salisbury, MD at 6:00 a.m. on the morning of May
the 12th he discovered two Frosty hulls and associated bits and pieces scattered over his sidewalk and front yard. Ross
Weene and Eli Slater had driven all night from Kennebunkport with two still curing boats which needed all their hardware
installed before they could race that morning in the first Frosty NAs to be sailed south of the Mason Dixon line. With a little help from their Frosty friends the boats were completed in time for racing on a beautiful 75 degree very unfrosty like day.
The Wicomico River served up winds from a more or less (depending on where you were on the course at any given moment) northerly direction of 3 (Saturday morning) to 12 (briefly on Sunday) knots along with it’s usual menu of auto tacks and highly individualized gusts that left almost everyone (again, at different times) in a state of dire need of a central nervous system depressant.
Of course, Eli and Ross were 1,2 in the first race. Then the river took over and showed who was in charge. During one race, for example, Class Treasurer Jen Kano and I were about 4 feet apart, headed in the same direction and on different tacks. After the morning lesson the fleet broke for a cookout and R and R. Although the afternoon breezes hardly made more sense John Field and I emerged in 1,2 at the end of the day. John maintained impressive consistency through the four races sailed Sunday morning and emerged the new NA Champ. Ross Weene won the last three races to place third and local sailor Lee Beauchamp posted solid middle of the fleet finishes for fourth place. This is 18 year old Lee’s second year in Frosties and second year in one design racing! It is safe to say that everyone was pretty ragged out after the 13 race regatta.
Del Walter, SSU Sailing Coach, served as RC Chairman and somehow managed to set fair WL (nominally WL) courses in a venue that hardly knows the meaning of the word. It is testimony to his ability to say the starting line was square enough to fool everyone some of the time and some of us most of the time. Del was assisted and the crash boat was ably manned by Denise Baird, Connie Dunham, Kate Bassett, Mike Yowaiski, and Tomas Sisk of the SSU Team. Finally, Judy Hull filled in for Lou Elin when Deke and Lou Elin were called away on Sunday.
Most importantly, everyone had fun. For the northern sailors this was their first experience of bathing suit Frosty sailing and even though wet and dry suits were worn after the front blew through for Sundays racing they were hardly necessary. The water temperature was in the mid 60’s as certified by Eli, Ross, brand new Frosty sailor from Ireland via NYC Philip Swanton and Mary Kay Noren.
Thanks are in order to the Fleet 14 members Mary Kay, Deke and Lee who provided accommodations and special thanks to Deke and Lou Elin who provided the racing venue, storage and beautiful deck, lawn, dock and committee and crash boats for the event. It goes without saying that without their generosity this event couldn’t have happened and Fleet 14 wouldn’t exist. We have enjoyed sailing at their house from the very beginning.
Report on the Annual Meeting
By Jen Kano
The 2001 Annual Meeting was held on Sunday, May 13th. in Salisbury, MD at the conclusion of racing at the North Americans. Class Secretary/Treasurer, Jen Kano, reported the association is in good financial shape with a positive cash flow of $700+ for the last fiscal year. The newsletter's publication last August (the first since Fall 1998) brought in a rash of renewals, as did the combination dues billing/regatta mailing for the Championship. Many renewing had not done so since 1997 or '98. The net result is that paid-up memberships have more than doubled over last year. There were new memberships from individuals not affiliated with established fleets, who sent in membership forms from the class Web site. There is a new fleet, number 15, with 20 boats, at Portland Youth Sailing in Portland, Maine. Welcome aboard!
Daddy's Boat Broke
From John Field, 2001 Class Champion
Incident Report: Driving home from the Championship, we heard a flapping on the roof and turned our heads just in time to see frosty hull #854 doing a Wizard of Oz through the air at 70 mph off the wagon roof and into the I95 North Bridgeport CT. construction Zone. There were no stopping lanes and jersey barriers on both sides. It was dark and it just started raining. It was the first time since we left NYC that we exceeded 40 mph. This was the second leg of the trip back from Maryland (the hull having spent the month in the office). The wet boat slipped out of the straps and onto the highway. I guess, I did not tie things tight enough when we left the City.
We pulled off at the next exit and doubled back to see if the boat still existed. (Thankfully, we did not create any real accidents.) Number 854 bounced up and over the barriers stopping against a jersey barrier inside the construction zone, just out of the left traffic lane. Stopping was impossible. While debating what to do, we called 911 to report something blew off our roof. "Was it a boat?" the state police dispatcher asked. In turn, we discussed the situation and agreed we would come to the barracks and get cruisers to escort us and close highway lanes for safety, and thereby, enable us to recover the boat. They advised construction crews would throw it out, if we left it there. We decided recovery and repair was preferable to building an entirely new boat. A seven-foot, 20 something, Connecticut trooper nimbly tossed the Frosty on the roof, remarking at the lightness of "your [our] rowboat". We tied the Frosty down and started north again. All the while, Helen remarked, "Daddy's boat broke."
Damage Report: The fall took a good-sized bite out of the starboard bow corner. The bow panel is broken and there are scrapes, dents and dings on the corners. All look repairable. It is a tough little boat.
Moral: Wet-sanded boats are slippery in the rain. Study your knots.
Lesson Learned: The Frosty hurts us more than we can hurt it.
Regards to all,
John, Kris and Helen
Scallop Cup Regatta Set for October 13th
Frosty sailors are invited to Nantucket for racing and comraderie. Racing starts Saturday on or about 12:00 at the Nantucket Yacht Club adjacent to the Steamship Authority ferry landing. Racing will end in time for people to catch the 1730 ferry for Hyannis. However, all are invited to attend the awards party at the Judson house on Saturday evening and sample the Island's inns and guesthouses' hospitality. If Saturday's conditions prevent racing, the start will be Sunday morning finishing in time for contestants to catch the 1200 boat to Hyannis. Info: Ken Simpson (508) 896-4440 or email: hesperus@capecod.net.