September 13-14, Falmouth, ME
A Race Report from Ralph Carpenter of Fleet 27
On September 13 and 14, some of the most dedicated Etchells sailors in the country gathered at the Portland Yacht Club on the beautiful waters of Casco Bay, Maine for the 2nd annual Etchells Lobster Bowl regatta. The sailors gathered with 3 goals in mind: sail “wicked fast” on the flat waters and consistent fall breezes on the bay, to drink some great locally brewed Craft Beer provided by event sponsor Rising Tide and enjoy a traditional Lobster Shore Dinner. After two great days and 7 races, all agreed their goals were met.
The Lobster Bowl is unique in that it offers a Heritage Division for older Etchells who still have their original keels. Boats qualifying for the Heritage division race in the overall regatta but are also scored in their own separate division. Race organizer and Fleet Captain Ralph Carpenter, speaking about the Heritage Division, said, “We wanted to establish an opportunity for folks who own and love to race their older Etchells a chance to compete in a major regatta against similar boats. Major regattas in our class tend to be dominated by newer boats and professional sailors. The Heritage Division was established for those in the class who really love to race their older boats in a major event and where they have a reasonable chance of bringing home some hardware.”
This year’s event kicked off on Friday night with an opening gathering featuring Chili and Chowder provided by Portland Yacht Club, and the tapping of the first keg of great Rising Tide beer. The highlight of the evening was the introduction of each of the crews by their skipper and the unveiling of the Dave White award, a beautiful perpetual trophy honoring Dave White for his many years of service to Fleet 27 and the greater Maine sailing community. Dave has had a long and eventful sailing career, primarily in Lightnings, J24s, and Etchells. For years he handled Race Committee duties for the Monhegan Offshore race, and after being one of the early members of fleet 27, has served the fleet the past 4 years as PRO for its popular Tuesday night racing series. The White award is to be awarded annually to the winner of the Heritage Division in the Lobster Bowl regatta.
The racing started on Saturday, and halfway through the first race, the wind went light, then almost totally disappeared. Competitors were beginning to wonder if they would be able to get a race in. PRO Gretchen Sullivan knew the light winds would be giving way to a nice Easterly, and she shortened the course and kept the race alive. She was right: the boats finished in the building Easterly breeze. Veteran Vermont Etchells sailor Don Brush won the first race, closely followed by two local boats, 7-time fleet 27 champion Schadenfreude, and Butter, sailing in its first major Etchells regatta.
In the second race of the day, another veteran Etchells sailor, Rob Hitchcock, of Dorchester and South Dartmouth, MA, took the bullet in first place, closely followed by Alan Kelly. Tim Caven finished third, in Touch of Gray, Hull 186 to claim the victory in the Heritage Division.