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 Published:  Midwinter Regatta of Champions by Jason Meeuwig  Midwinter Regatta participants enjoy post race festivities. The Midwinter Regatta of Champions was held from January 14 to 19, 2001 and was an enormous success! Each year the Bitter End invites winners of our popular Sunday Regattas to come back for a week of racing competition and fun. Over the course of the week our skippers test their skills in both Lasers and Rhodes 19s to determine who our overall champion will be. Skippers Nancy Cloud, Carl Pinahs, Ed Sonn, Gib Rachleff and defending champion Sally Sharp battled it out throughout the entire week for the overall title. The popularity of the event meant that many other Bitter End guests and visiting sailors joined in the racing from day to day. Our entire fleets of Lasers and Rhodes 19s were on the course every day making for exciting starts and competitive racing. Day One of racing took place under light and shifting winds. The lasers took to the course in the morning and defending champion Sally Sharp got off to a strong start by winning three of the morning’s four races. In the afternoon the Rhodes 19s went out and Doug and Jean Steffenson, returning houseguests and winners of a 1997 Sunday Regatta, terrorized the fleet with their excellent light wind tactics. Doug and Jean took three firsts, and a perfect afternoon eluded them only in the last race of the day when Sally Sharp and Nancy Cloud managed to beat them across the line. Ed Sonn also gave a strong showing with two second place finishes. Day Two was also light air and the Lasers were back on the course just after breakfast. An excellent battle for first place developed between Carl Pinahs and Sally Sharp with Sally ultimately taking four firsts and prevailing on the day to maintain her overall lead. The wind began to build for Day Three of racing and our skippers took the Rhodes 19s out for afternoon sailing. Sally Sharp built on her lead by winning the first two races and she looked all but unstoppable with six wins in a row. Midwinter Regatta veteran Gib Rachleff had other ideas, however, and with able assistance from crewmates Steve and Jeffrey Spencer, Gib stormed through the fleet to capture the final two races of the day. Wednesday was a lay day and most of our skippers took the opportunity to visit Anegada aboard our power catamaran Corinthian, or just recharge their batteries before the final two days of racing. Any rest that our skippers did get was much needed as the wind began to blow hard for Day Four. Another set of Laser races were scheduled and the conditions were substantially more demanding than they had been earlier in the week. Many of our skippers became swimmers… especially near the devilish jibe mark, but after some initial adjustments, everyone was flying around the Sound, enjoying the speed and fun of heavier air. Carl Pinahs got off to a fine start in race one and was leading the way to windward when his mast broke, leaving Sally Sharp to contend with one of our visiting yachtsman, who told us only his name was Mr. Smith. The mysterious Mr. Smith found the conditions to his liking and took four first places before he quietly disappeared. Sally Sharp was hot on his heels and, after we found a new rig for Carl, he followed closely in third. The final day of racing took place on Friday the 19th and the wind was still strong for the afternoon Rhodes races. Sally Sharp and Nancy Cloud added Christine Farrington to their crew and started out strongly with two wins. Carl and Carla Pinahs, assisted by ten-year-old crewmember Spencer Harrison, had two close seconds before they broke through for a victory in the third race. Gib Rachleff and Ed Sonn waged an intense battle for third place with Gib eeking ahead of Ed in two races. After the final whistle, all the racers came back to Watersports for the traditional Bitter End cooler of refreshments as well as our award ceremony. Sally Sharp was our overall champion and is invited back for a complimentary stay next year in order to defend her title. In addition, the grand prize draw for winners of our 2000 Sunday Regattas took place and Bill Hamilton has also won a complimentary week long stay during next year’s Midwinter Regatta! |
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