Tom Rummage Wins First Regatta Of 2015

Eleven RC Lasers turned up January 1 for the first regatta of 2015, the Hangover Cup, on Carolina Lake at Carolina Beach, NC.  The weather was CAVU (Google it) with pleasant temps and solid A-rig winds all day.

It was difficult to set courses in such a way that the windward mark could easily be seen and still oriented for a good windward leg, so the latter was chosen and skippers got around the distant mark with remarkable decorum. No one was injured or arrested; success was declared.

The water level of the pond was barely more than the draft of a Laser; in some places, less.  Some skippers found those places, usually while enjoying a lead.  This provided much entertainment for the other skippers whilst ensuring a certain randomness in the finishing order.  Nobody cared.

Good cheer and good sportsmanship were the order of the day.  The purpose of the Hangover Cup is to start the year off on the right foot, and to remind us why we do this: to have fun and enjoy the outdoors with friends in light competition.  I believe we could all go home and hardly remember the finishing positions – well maybe except for Tom ;-)

We were pleased to meet and sail with Peter Wilding, Commodore of St James Plantation Model Yacht Club.  I would like to thank Cothran Harris for helping to organize the venue, Ross Harris for calling the lines, and especially Carmen Gaudreault for a spectacularly excellent job of scorekeeping (not to mention pleasant company) with results tabulated before the skippers could get their boats in the car.  And most of all, thanks to everyone who came, because it surely wouldn’t have been the same without you.

I have a small favor to ask:  Duke the paddle boat guy came to open the dock for us when he would not normally have been open.  We offered to rent boats from him and he would not accept money.  Instead, because his concession license is up for renewal, he asked that we send emails to the Carolina Beach Parks and Recreation Department to let them know we appreciate having his paddle boat concession at Carolina Lake and let them know if we thought he was doing a good job.  In addition I suggest we tell them that we appreciate being able to sail our model yachts on the lake, and this activity brought more than a dozen people to their town on a day when they otherwise would have been unlikely to come.  Parks Dept email addresses can be found here:
http://www.carolinabeach.org/town_administration/departments/parks_and_recreation.php  You can cc them all on a single email.

RESULTS
Place Skipper Points
1 Tom Rummage 29
2 Michael Roberson 37
3 Chase Thomas 39
4 Neil Saunders 42
5 Rick Ferguson 44
6 Cothran Harris 47
7 Tony Corkell 65
8 Jacques Rious 70
9 Peter Wilding 80
10 Can Cain 109
11 Ken Coit 117 (only one race completed)

Slide show:
http://s177.photobucket.com/user/twotyred/slideshow/Hangover%20Cup%202015

Onward into 2015, going forward as we have begun!

Cheers
Rick F