Laker Showdown

Conditions at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club on Saturday were cold but very manageable in mandatory dry suits. Spirits were high among all eleven teams as the first race in A Fleet headed off the start line promptly at 1000 hours on a bearing of 170 degrees in 6.5 knots of breeze. To expedite rotations with B Fleet, the second race sailed three legs and finished upwind closer to the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club. The B Fleet took to the water in similar conditions for their first two races. During the second trip to the docks to rotate back to A Fleet, the winds shifted to 235 degrees and became more variable. Fortunately, this new breeze remained reliable enough to complete and score two more races for each fleet. Just as the fourth race for B Fleet was finishing, the wind velocity dropped significantly and the direction began to oscillate wildly, a sure sign that the expected rain/snow mix was about to arrive as was forecasted. Fortunately, everyone was able to get off the water and all the boats were put away just as the rain and snow began to fall. The day ended early at approximately 1330 hours, but everyone was happy that we were able to achieve four races for each fleet prior to the wind dying and the rain/snow starting.

Sunday began cloudy with slightly warmer temperatures and dry conditions. A windward leeward course was set for a heading of 345 degrees, but the wind velocity failed to meet the minimums required by the Procedural Rules. Rather than totally abandon sailing, everyone cheerfully agreed to simply consider Sunday a “practice day” to make up for the fact that many teams had not yet had the opportunity to practice prior to this event. The A Fleet managed to sniff and drift their way around the course for approximately one and a half races before the wind totally died, dashing the Race Committee’s hopes for providing equal practice time for the B Fleet. The Abandon flag was reluctantly hoisted at 1130 hours.

As the sailors put the boats away, the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and everyone began to feel even warmer, despite the air temperature still being only about 45 degrees. Following the presentation of trophies was the traditional dunking in the lake of soon-to-graduate seniors from host teams Grand Valley State University and Hope College, prompting lots of cheers and laughter.

In the end, it was a classic, early Spring Midwest regatta weekend filled with smiles, rekindled friendships, and just enough time on the water to build excitement and enthusiasm for the (hopefully) warmer weekends ahead on the Spring MCSA calendar.

We would like to thank all the volunteers that made the weekend possible: PRO Scott Corder and Lisa Corder on the signal boat; Michael and Christina Norris, Marie Colville, and Frank Reeg doing markset; Marilyn and Jan Hoffer on the safety boat, Ali Swets and Liam Walz offering shoreside support; and the MBYC Dockmaster and staff. We appreciate your passion for sailing, and we couldn't have hosted such a great regatta without you.

The following chart shows the relative rank of the teams as of the race indicated. Note that the races are ordered by number, then division, which may not represent the order in which the races were actually sailed.

The first place team as of a given race will always be at the top of the chart. The spacing from one team to the next shows relative gains/losses made from one race to the next. You may hover over the data points to display the total score as of that race.