Road To The Cup – Week 9

*Road To The Cup – Week 9*

*Top-10 as of 7/19/15*

A 2015 season-high seven boats showed up to do beer-can battle last
Thursday on a beautiful evening in a dying sea breeze. Our report this
week is stitched together from the accounts of three participants –*Steve
Uhl*, *John Casler* and *Kent Hallawell*.

The course was out to the mid-channel can and then the flasher beyond
Grey’s Rock, twice around. The second leg was shortened to the nun off the
Fort. Among the newcomers was former Snipe world champion *Tomas Hornos*,
who showed his chops by winning the long run to Grey’s Rock. But on the
long beat back to the harbor, *Steve Uhl* edged past him using his
‘twilight regulars’ local knowledge of dead spots and harbor entrance
currents, and held on to take the whistle. Finishing 2nd was *Team
Martini* who
stayed close to Steve throughout. Taking 3rd third was *Bob Winter,* sailing
with daughter *Hadley* and old friend and Twilight veteran *Kent Hallawell*.
Bob grew up at Pleon, and crewed for Kent’s son *Rob Hallawell* years ago
at Bemis Cup finals and other junior regattas.

Out on the MRA line, 21 boats showed up to get in a last practice before
the main event. Sailing one of those boats was *Team Shoreman / Reynolds* who
have succumbed lately to some crazy, whacked-out need to be good husbands
and parents of small kids. Go figure. Nice to see them again. Welcome
back Jeff & Dave. Sailing another was the captain, *Pete Kaznoski*. Pete
has been MIA this season while supporting his son *Wilson’s* baseball
career. Another head-scratcher, right? But we’re glad to have him back
and his return reunites him with partner *Evan Cooke*, thus resurrecting
the potent team of *Pete & the Kid*, who won Race Week just a few years
ago. Welcome back Pete.

Among the most noteworthy of Saturday’s participants was old friend *Norm
Cressy*. How great was it to see him on the course again? To the best of
my recollection, Norm sold Fat Lady (1683-now owned by *Matt Hooks*) in
2002, so it’s been 13 years since he graced our line. Welcome back Norm!
Norm’s crew by the way included *Steve Dalton* and grandson *Jack Dalton*,
who was fresh off sailing an opti regatta the day before. Interestingly,
Norm outlasted Steve who jumped off mid-day, and was replaced by *Eric
Cressy*, and God only knows the last time he raced a R19. Welcome back
Eric. So excited was Eric to be back that he went for an inadvertent
mid-race swim. Fortunately Iron Man Norm was able to pull him out and they
continued racing.

Conditions were overcast with an 8-10 knot southerly and big sloppy seas.
The wind shifted a bit from time to time but those oscillations didn’t
really matter. This day was all about current, which was *absolutely
ripping* from Boston to Cape Ann. Right paid all day, and by paid, I mean
go right or go home. You couldn’t get right far enough. Taking sterns to
go right was always worth it. And if you went right but played a
conservative approach by tacking onto starboard 50 yards shy of the
layline, anyone who took your stern to go further right rounded in front of
you. Right, right, right! Never in my years of sailing in Marblehead have
I seen so distinct and lopsided an advantage. So what was going on? The
best theory I heard (attributable to *Team Taylor*) was that two straight
days of southerly exacerbated the current by pushing the water north.
Also, the RC set up just past Marblehead Rock, so closer in than usual and
perhaps a little to the left of our usual circle. From that starting
point, going right put you in shallower (slower moving) water and in the
lee of Tinkers Island. Going left put you in deeper water and the tooth of
the adverse current. Hey, sounds reasonable enough to me.

Anyway, this day was all *Peter Frisch*, who dominated with a 1-2-2 for 5
total points. Wow! Filling in for *Seamus Hourihan* on the stick was *Bill
Kaull*, who seemed to have no problem jumping into a R19 and kicking
heiny. Welcome Bill. Hey, how can we help you get you your own R19?
Let’s talk! I don’t know who will be steering 1210 next week, but it’s
pretty clear these guys are fast either way and getting hot at the right
time. This could be their year. Finishing 2nd on the day was *Chris Small*
& *Ian Peebles*, who rolled a 7-1-1 for 9 points. I guess they had no
problem figuring out the go-right thing! Taking 3rd and starting to flex
his muscle again was our 2014 Race week winner *Dave Nelson*, who put up a
4-3-5 for 12 points. Well done. Honorable mention goes to *Matt
Hooks* sailing
with *Hannah Lynn*, who took 4th with a 3-5-6 for 14 points, and 2014
national champs *Team Taylor* who finished 5th with a 6-7-4 for 17 points.

With that, we put MRA Series 2 into the history books.
Congratulations to *Team
Pendleton / Raisides *who snagged 1st with 31 points. Finishing 2nd four
points back with 35 points was the white hot *Team Frisch / Hourihan *(with
some attribution to *Bill Kaull*). Taking 3rd was *Team Heffernan* with 36
points, *Mike Lane* in 4th with 37 and *Matt Hooks* in 5th with 40 points.
That’s pretty tight racing. Congratulations to all.

So in Cup competition, more deck reshuffling this week though the big news
is that *Team Frisch / Hourihan* knocked *Pendleton / Raisides *out of the
top spot, which they now hold by a tenuous six points. That’s a nice place
to be heading into Race Week, though let’s remember that with 10-12 races,
there can be some big swings. Stay tuned. The top-10 are listed below.

1st

1210

Hourihan / Frisch

111.29

2nd

1217

Pendleton / Raisides

117.75

3rd

2585

Steve Uhl

143.86

4th

2623

Mike Lane

153.57

5th

982

Team Pandapas

158.86

6th

1683

Matt Hooks

166.00

7th

2692

Team Heffernan

168.00

8th

3172

Dave Nelson

183.00

9th

1316

Fava / Mazareas

205.00

10th

1926

Team Taylor

210.00

Week 10 racing is *the big enchilada* – Marblehead Race Week, which for our
class will run Thursday through Sunday. It should go without saying that
there will be no Twilight race on Thursday night, but there, I’ve said it
anyway. Don’t forget that *Jennifer & Steve Uhl* will again host our
annual Fleet 5 Race Week Party after racing on Thursday evening at their
home on Front Street. Like all of our parties this will be potluck, and
thanks to *Elise Mazareas * & fiancé* Mike Nash*, the fleet bar will be
fully stocked and ready to go. If you haven’t already, please RSVP using
the evite sent out last week.

Finally, it’s come to my attention that a rogue branch of the Nationals
Committee is not happy with us for taking so long to register for
Nationals. The issue is primarily budgetary as it’s easier to plan lots of
great stuff when you have a better idea of how many boats are going to show
up. Anyway, rumor has it that they are considering publishing a
“we’re-going-to-tack-on-your-ass-at-Race Week” list of all boats that fail
to register by Thursday. Think New Orleans Saints bounty-gate. Of course,
it’s all porch scuttlebutt so consider the source, but best not to take any
chances, so please register now. -kp