Thursday through Sunday, August 6-9, 2009
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REGATTA REPORT - DAY ONE
Shifting gears. That was the key to a successful Day One. Although the regatta started in 10 knots of breeze, and finished the last race of the day in 14 knots - there was some five, six and seven knot stuff in between. And major shifts. And kelp.
Steve Hathaway, who won the first race with Strange Crew (hull #9), looked red hot when he crossed the fleet on port tack shortly after the start of Race Three - charging towards the favored right side of the course. He rounded the top mark in the bottom four. Kelp.
The only semblance of consistency was the performance of Yumio Dornberg on his un-named hull 305, and Mike George on All In - hull 307. Dornberg won two of the three races and his fourth in the regatta opener gives him six points - and the nod in the tie-breaker with Mike George who also has six points with a 2-2-2 series. Although Steve Hathaway is eleven points further back in third place, don’t forget that a throwout will undoubtedly kick in tomorrow when three more of the scheduled eight races will be sailed.
DAY TWO
No one was thinking about shifting gears on Day Two of the Martin 242 NAs. It was a day to power up - all day - on all legs. It’s unlikely that any of the ‘gusts’ on the Santa Monica Bay exceeded eight knots, and sadly, many of the teams found holes with less than five knots of breeze.
Yesterday, it was Yumio Dornberg who won two of the three races. Today, it was Yumio’s father-in-law, Brack Duker, who had the hot hand. With Dave Ullman calling tactics, Duker was consistently in phase with the shifty Zephyrs and won the first two races before settling for a fourth place finish in the final race of the day. But it was Duker’s son-in-law who had the last laugh. Dornberg, with his wife Barbara as part of the crew, won the final race of the day and continues to lead the regatta with a four point cushion over Mike George’s All In - after a throw-out was factored in.
Steve Hathaway’s Strange Crew, spent the entire day just one place behind Brack Duker’s Velerito. His 2-2-5 series kept him in third place, just one point out of second place, and five points behind the leader with two races remaining on Sunday. Velerito is now in fourth, just three points behind Strange Crew.
Interestingly, only two competitors in this 23-boat championship have all single digit finishes - and they’re relatives. Dornberg and Duker.
DAY THREE
Mike George came from behind to successfully defended his Martin 242 North American Championship - but it certainly wasn’t easy. Yumio Dornberg lead the regatta for the first two days, but an OCS in Sunday’s opening race moved him one point behind George going into the final race. Dornberg lead George off the starting line in that race but George managed to find a lane to the favored left side of the course - and that was all he needed. He won that race and the championship with Dornberg settling for second place- just a single point ahead of his father in law, and the only competitor to finish the eight race championship with only single digit finishes, Brack Duker.
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