Good Neighbours: Series C Winds Up

What a blast yesterday’s final two races were for five Tanzer 22s (T22) racing against each other in PHRF 3. Beverly Gilbertson found her mojo, beating the others handily in both races. Bravo to Beverly and her all female crew. They pretty well spanked the other T22s on this day. She had good starts and got away from the other T22s to sail well ahead for all the legs. Another three, the masterful Jake Fichten’s Sine Wave, John Linton’s Encore Une Fois, and my own, Ambitious, had great 3 way battles. Very close cross tacking, maybe a little too close on one or two, some calls for more room at the mark, and lots of battles for the clean windward runs. Laird Glass sailed his T22, Oasis, as he has now jumped from the White Sail division into PHRF 3. Laird and crew Dwight Herpberger found it frustrating to tail the other Tanzers. Being winners in PCYC White Sail previously, they’ll find their groove. Toby Jennings didn’t have crew today so his T22, stayed in its slip, while Toby crewed for Larry Fortin on his C&C Mega. Although the racing was fairly intense with the series winding up, and the winning flags at stake, it also had its humour. On several occasions of head to head spinnaker runs, “moons” were exposed by one cockpit to the next. Perhaps it was a strategy to unsettle fellow competitors. 7 T22s raced Series C.

Well ahead of the Tanzer 22 class in the second PHRF 3 race was Tof Nicholl-Griffith in his Shark. Tof, sailing with Peter Kelly, and one other crew unknown to me, pretty well had to sail his own race the whole time. It must be lonely at the top, but then I don’t really know. Boat speed had him pulling further and further away from the PHRF fleet the whole time. Too bad the other Sharks didn’t come out to play. Among local Sharks, there may be some tight racing next season. Don Osborne’s Megalodon has won some races recently. They seem to be getting their speed now, having sailed in the Shark for their first season now. George Stedman of course, is always at the top. With a lot of other Sharks sailing too, some new, some veterans in the class, it’s a pretty good-sized fleet now, and they’ll be having their own battles within PHRF 3 as well. 4 Sharks raced in Series C, but there are plenty more out there.

I don’t know the results for the Etchells fleet for this last day’s racing in the Good Neighbours Series, but look what Jim Rowlandson’s #745 has been doing lately! Last weekend they took a first and a second place in the day’s two races. In the Labour Day Long Distance Race they took 2nd overall, and with only one other Etchells ahead. This team is really coming on strong now!

A number of Fireballs have been packed up to ride the train to British Columbia for upcoming regattas. It appears that most of this fleet focused on their last regatta, the Screwball, which was held at the same time as two of the Series 3 races. Not many have been seen in the Good Neighbours Series 3. They certainly have some exciting international regattas coming up on the beautiful left coast.

With final results not in yet, we don’t know who is winning the White Sail division. One has to notice though, that Roy Carter’s Alberg 37 team has done very well. The boat, a classic beauty, needs quite a bit of wind to get in its best performance envelope. Yet, despite Montreal being a generally light wind area, Roy and team have sailed very well in the first three races of the series, picking up two bullets and a third place. There are quite a lot of boats that have raced on and off in this division. Series C saw at least 13 at last count. The B Series had 20 boats. It appears to me that if sufficient numbers show up for the individual races on a regular basis, it would be very attractive to have two starts, one for boats under 24’, and one for boats 25’ and larger.

It's been an exciting season, but it isn't quite over yet. Next inter-club regatta I know of, is the Pas De Deux.

Race Results

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