Author: Marie Gendron
Nine 505 teams participated in the Lake Sunapee Yacht Club Invitational in NH, USA on August 24-25 with four of those teams coming from Ottawa: Luke Strickland and Christian Voyer (the sons team), Larry Strickland and Rob Voyer (the fathers team), Debbie and Dave and Marie and Andrew Gesing.
If you think that the winds are shifty on Lake Deschenes you have not sailed on Lake Sunapee. Lake Sunapee that is surrounded by small mountains, so it offers lake racing at it’s “best”. This is another way of saying lots of crazy shifts, lots of opportunities to catch up or lose it all.
The winds were very light, we were lucky to get in three races on Saturday, thanks to the responsive race committee.
Somehow, the top sailors always find their way to the front of the fleet in lake or ocean racing
conditions. Gate starts were in place and racing was close.
The regatta was won by the local sailors and regatta organizer, Duane Delfosse and Mike Hull with 8 pts, second place with also 8 pts, Paul Taylor and Sol Marini and 3 rd place with 9 pts (the legend himself) Tom Kivney sailing with this time with John Ingles (the 2023 ECC regatta organizers).
NSC’s Luke and Christian , sailing Jeff Boyd’s blue boat, placed 4 th only 2 points form 3 rd
place, with a 3 rd , 6 th and 2 nd places. Thanks to Andrew Gesing magic, Marie and Andrew place 2 nd and 5 thbut dead last in the 3 rd race.
LSYC was a very nice club, with over 100 years of sailing activities and a superb view on the lake and onthe Sunapee Ski Hill. The Start and the ILCA fleets were also part of the event.
Duane found billet to all the Canadian teams. The regatta provided t-shirt to everyone, an all-you-can-eat superb buffet dinner.
Report by Duane
Lake Sunapee Invitational
On August 24-25 nine 505s convened at beautiful Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire for the Lake Sunapee Invitational. Three classes were invited, Star boats, ILCA (Laser) and 505s. This was the second of two multiclass events sponsored by Lake Sunapee Yacht Club, the other being a Viper and Flying Scott event this past spring. Teams travelled from Ottawa, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia to race 505s this weekend.
Weather for the weekend was warm and sunny, however the breeze was not as reliable as is usually the case in late August on the lake. On Saturday the RC got off the first two races in a shifty northwest wind. Conveniently, between races the breeze decided to shift 60 degrees to the left for a west southwest third race. Despite the shift to the left, the right typically paid for pressure, but there was often a starboard tack header as you approached the weather mark. It ended up that overstanding the starboard tack layline proved to be a winning strategy as the pressure differential was more substantial than the angle. Tom Kivney and John Ingles were on top of the shifts and lulls winning the first race, followed by Marie Gendron/Adam Gesing and Luke Strickland/Christian Voyer. Race 2 saw sailors become more familiar with the conditions. Paul Taylor and Sol Marini took the gun followed by Delfosse/Hull and the Huebner team, Amie and Ted. Race 3 in the new breeze proved to also be a “go right” theme, but the middle and left at times looked tempting. The fleet was stretched out at the first mark. Delfosse/Hull were consistent to take the gun followed closely by Luke Strickland and Christian Voyer in second, and Paul Taylor and Sol Marini in third.
Sunday looked weak from a forecast standpoint, and unfortunately the meteorologists were correct. We waited until just after 12:00 before we heard the cancellation signal. There was some vindication for this decision because the fleet of Sonars that had planned to race in the afternoon were also shut out. Winning the event on a tie breaker was Duane Delfosse and Mike Hull. Second went to Paul Taylor and Sol Marini who had speed and precision throughout the event. Third went to Tom Kivney and John Ingles. It should be noted different teams won each of the three races.
I have been following the progressive improvement in recent events (in both the US and Canada) of Luke Strickland and Christian Voyer. They placed a solid fourth in a new boat that they just acquired from Jeff Boyd counting a 2, 3 and 6. That 2 was nearly a 1, and on lake Sunapee anybody can score a 6! They will be a force in the future!
Lake Sunapee Yacht Club found housing for all asked for it, and the contestants seemed to enjoy the scenic beauty of Lake Sunapee. Make this event a priority next year!
Results:
https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=16853
