Road To The Cup – Week 10 – Race Week Edition

Road To The Cup – Week 10 – Race Week Edition

7/28/25

 

 

What You Need To Know

• Twilights resume on Thursday July 31 with Series 2, Race 2.
• MRA resumes on Saturday Aug 2^nd with the first day of Series 3.  
• EYC holds Race 2 of its Pursuit Race series on Friday evening August 1^st.
• Nationals is in just three weeks.  Register here.

 

 

Fleet 5 Race Week Party – Before we get started, I’d like to give a huge and well-deserved shoutout to Jennifer & Steve Uhl.  As you know, last Thursday night, they opened their home and treated us to their gracious hospitality – again!  That’s about 100 straight years they have hosted our signature RW party, and as usual, they completely outdid themselves.  We couldn’t be more appreciative.  Regrettably, Jennifer was under the weather for the party, but her impact and positive presence were felt nonetheless.  Many thanks to them, as well as to our crack Fleet 5 social team of Rich & Rosy Denton, not just for stocking and delivering the bar, but massaging it into a truly robust and delightful experience.  And by the way, Rosy created yet another signature drink for the occasion, this one I think from the Uhl’s Tiki recipe book.

 

 

Here are a few more shots of the festivities.

 

 

 

 

 

Last Week’s Racing

Junior Race Week – Just under 200 junior sailors racing 420s, Lasers and Optimists Dinghies descended on Pleon Yacht Club last Sunday for Marblehead Junior Race Week, the centerpiece of the junior racing schedule.  The three-day event ran Monday through Wednesday. 

 

 

As always, the fleets were split into four lines, including 420s, Opti Greens, Opti Champs and Lasers, run respectively by the race committees of EYC, BYC, CYC and MYC (Manchester Yacht Club).  Between the race committees, safety boats and coaches, there were no fewer than 50-60 volunteers on the water, plus a bunch more on shore.  The 420 Champ fleet was the largest at 37 boats, though the Optis had the best overall showing at 67 boats between Opti Greens (33) and Opti Champs (34). 

 

As in years past, legions of Fleet 5 members volunteered to support this event.  Emily Gabriel co-chaired the event.  Two of the four PROs are card-carrying members of Fleet 5, including Alex Felton on the Laser line and Kim Pandapas on the Opti Champ line.  Other Fleet 5 members, alums and friends who served on RC included Rob Ferro, Judy Adam, Ken Adam, Kim Adam, Mathew Adam, Mike Lane, Barbara Hallawell, John Casler, Karen Finocchio and Christina Pandapas.  Also worth mentioning is that Molly Lane served as a coach, which brought the extended Adam / Lane volunteer contingent total to six.  That’s remarkable.  Sorry if I missed anyone, but as usual, the R19 community again stepped up in a meaningful way.

 

Several Fleet 5 spawn competed in the event, including Ben Fava sailing with Sage Wadlow in the 420 Champs (18^th), Ben Gabriel sailing with Irma Dressel in the 420 Greens (3^rd), Ben Shoreman in the Opti Champs (10^th), and Anabel Fava sailing in the Opti Greens (4^th).  Sorry if I missed any.  Congrats to all.

 

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that every so often, a talent comes along that that is so truly gifted, it’s hard to imagine.  Young Harrison Doyle, who I believe is Robbie Doyle’s grandson, put on a regatta performance I find incomprehensible.  Sailing in the Opti Champ Fleet of 34 boats, in 11 races, he earned 11 bullets.  11 bullets, and a bunch of them by a half-leg.  I don’t recall ever seeing a performance that dominant, with the possible exception of Clark Uhlwinning the 45 boat 420 champ line at the EPYC JOs in 2014.  At that event, Clark and his crew Emily Croteau finished with an unbelievable 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2-1 for 8 total points after throw-out.  Amazing, right?  Anyway, a tip of the cap to young Harrison Doyle, who I’m sure we’ll all be hearing more about in the years to come.

 

Race Week – Another Race Week is in the books.  As the only four-day regatta on our schedule, it’s always delivered drama, intrigue, and the full range of emotions from crushing pain to unbridled jubilation, and this year was no different.  We typically lose one of the four days to weather, but not this year as we got in all four, which has to have helped Advil sales.

 

23 boats registered, which is down from last year’s 28, mostly due to the absence of out-of-towners, as we often pick up 4-5 boats from Hingham/Hull, Cottage Park and Rockport.  This year, we got just one visitor – Angela Duplin Hickey & Dave Hickey from Cottage Park (and we thank them for coming).  That could be due in part to our hosting nationals in three weeks – who knows?  But certainly, we’re disappointed our friends from neighboring fleets chose not to join us this year.  

 

In addition to Team Hickey, a few notables included the debut CYC sailing team members Jack & Brooke Field(another husband-wife team), Ramsay Hoguet sailing with a rotating cast that included daughters Ashley & Courtneyand Laser sailor extraordinaire Adam Cooke, Joe Fava sailing with son Ben Fava (fresh off of Junior Race Week), the 2025 debut of Larry Ehrhardt, sailing with George Malcomson, and Adam Roberts, sailing with Dan Rabin (who happens to be a 3-time J24 world champ).  You may recall that Adam Roberts took home the Spittoon last year sailing with Alden Reid.

 

So let’s get straight to the bottom line.  Congratulations to our 2025 Race Week winners Nat & Jim Taylor, who fought their way to a 1-point victory and took home the coveted Spittoon.  

 

 

They sailed well all four days and through a range of conditions that included the heavier stuff they prefer as well as the lighter stuff they endure.  They put up a line of 1-2-7-1-1-2-2-13-6-10-3 for 48 total points, beating Team Ehrhardt / Malcomson by one thin point.  To say the chips were all on the table in the final race understates it, as the chips were still all on the table approaching the final finish, which was ultimately settled by a matter of 2-3 feet.  Here is a quick summary from Nat Taylor.

 

“Nice sailing Kim!  I made it home just in time for Ellis's 5^th birthday which was a rewarding end to a terrific race week.  I was sorry to miss the awards.  Collectively Larry and I had seven bullets, four 2^nds and three 3^rds, and it came down to the last 5 feet of the 11^th race for us to be separated by just 1 point.  Now that is close, fun racing!  Also I checked my inventory, and I have a spray top; maybe I will bring it out one day.”

 

I couldn’t have said it better.  Close, tight racing where every point mattered.  That last comment, by the way, is reference to the fact he was out on that cold, clammy Sunday in nothing more than shorts and a Celtics tee-shirt.  Anyway, congrats to them.  Both Jim and Nat have and will continue to do a ton for the fleet, and it’s awesome to see them take this prize.  

 

 

As noted, taking 2^nd was Team Ehrhardt / Malcomson, who put up a line of 3-5-1-17-3-1-5-1-10-1-2 for 49 points.  They sailed exceptionally well, were sneaky fast and as usual, managed to pick off boats at the corners and the finishes.  In fact, they picked my pocket at least 2-3 times.  Well done.  

 

 

Finishing 3^rd was Team Roberts / Rabin with a line of 2-3-2-10-2-3-13-6-5-5-1 for 52 points.  These guys also sailed really well.  They started well, were fast and had a knack for always being in the right place.  A couple of OCSs hurt them, but that doesn’t remotely diminish an exceptional performance.  Well done.

 

 

Honorable mentions go to Team Shoreman / Reynolds, who took 4^th with 71 points, and Team Cooke / Kaznoski in 5^thwith 73 points.  Congratulations to all.

 

Finally, several Fleet 5 alums made it to the podium this year.  In the Town Class, Nick Cann and Jud Smith won the Town Class and J70s class respectively, and old friends Charlie Pendleton and Jim Raisides took 2^nd in the Corinthian division of the J70 class.  Nicolas Regnault won the Laser class and old friend Adam Cook took 4^th.  Finally, the Hull R19 fleet’s Joe Berkeley, sailing with fleet 5 alum Linda Epstein won the 110 class.

 

As to the perpetuals, Peter Duncan of the J70 fleet won the Cressy Award, which Norm Cressy handed out personally.  And two of our 2025 RC team Ken & Judy Adam took home the Leonard Munn Fowle trophy for their long and significant contributions to Marblehead sailing.  Well deserved.  Congratulations to all.

 

Race Week Recap – Day 1

Thursday was among the more spectacular sailing days we’ve had around here in recent memory.  It featured clear blue sky, 80-degree temps, a relatively steady southwest breeze in the 12-13 range and low impact outgoing tide.  It was the perfect kickoff to race week.  Though we were officially sailing on the Tinkers Line, CYC PRO Ken Adam and his team set up further out beyond the flukey lee of Tinkers Island, which also gave them a little elbow room if the breeze went right.  We got in three good races, marred only by occasional (some frightening) interactions with IODs who were either inattentive, unfamiliar with Part 2 of the RRS or overly reliant on the gross tonnage rule.  Nothing like a port tack IOD bow bearing down on you 2-3 boat lengths away to get your adrenaline pumping.  Regrettably, there was at least one incident that involved contact and damage but fortunately no injury, described here by Jack Field.

 

“3^rd race 2^nd windward mark.  We tacked to starboard on the lay line around 6 boat lengths from the windward mark.  Around the same time, IOD TANGO was tacking to port after realizing they weren’t making the mark (maybe more to this story but not sure, they had a protest with another IOD from the same rounding).  We were forced to duck TANGO as there was no better option.  As we ducked, they tacked to starboard.  After ducking we made through their wind shadow, got clear ahead, and then had to pinch to make the mark.  I focused on not hitting the mark while Brooke set the pole.  Just as we were about to clear the mark, TANGO put her bow between us and the mark.  She made contact with our stern port corner, which forced us into a spin to leeward.  Her bow caught one part of our mainsheet and the backstay, spinning us a full 180 degrees.  I was able to free the main and backstay, but TANGOs momentum carried forward, and their boom ripped through our now backwinded jib and caught on our side stay.  Fortunately the boom quickly came free of the sidestay and we were not significantly harmed, other than the jib.  Certainly an unfortunate situation to have both fleets at the windward mark simultaneously.”

 

Wow!  A very measured (and frightening) account.  Accepting these facts as presented (port/starboard, clear ahead entering the zone, contact, damage, etc.), at least three rules were trampled (10, 14 & 18.2), and possibly a 4^th (44.1b) as they caused damage but didn’t retire.  I don’t think this incident found its way to the room, though it should have.  But I digress.

 

Managing to avoid IODs and taking 1^st on the day was Team Roberts / Rabin, who rolled an impressive 2-3-2 for 7 points to take an early regatta lead.  Finishing 2^nd was Team Ehrhardt / Malcomson, with a line of 3-5-1 for 9 points, and taking 3^rd was Team Taylor, with a 1-2-7 for 10 points.  Honorable mentions to Team Reynolds / Shoreman in 4^thwith a 5-1-9 for 15 points, and Team Uhl / Lane in 5^th with a 14-6-4 for 24 points.  

 

Race Week Recap – Day 2

Thursday was a mixed bag of conditions, which had to have had PRO Ken Adam muttering to himself.  The forecast called for SW around 11 knots, with scattered showers and thunderstorms after 1pm.  But SW is a broad definition that can include 60-70 degrees of variability, and we saw every bit of that.  

 

The day was really a tale of two cities, as we got in just two races that were of very different character.  Race 1 conditions included a very pleasant 8-12 from about 215 on flat water with not much current under sunny skies.  After that race finished, the skies darkened, the wind got flukey and started marching right.  When everything settled in, it was blowing 15-20 from 270ish with some impressive mid-20s puffs, often accompanied by significant temperature drops.  Challenging conditions, to be sure, that resulted in a broken halyard, a broken backstay control line, a broken chainplate and a couple of knockdowns.

 

So two races of very different character, requiring the whole toolbox of skills, and Team Taylor was up to the task, as they rolled an unbelievable 1-1 for 2 points to obliterate the field.  Super impressive performance, dominating in both the light stuff and the heavier stuff.  Finishing 2^nd was Team Fava with a consistent 4-4 for 8 points, and taking 3^rd was Team Colehower with a line of 2-8 for 10 points.  Honorable mention goes to Team Lane / 

 

So Team Taylor takes the lead at the end of Day 2 with 12 points, seven points ahead of Team Roberts / Rabin with 19 points.  Rounding out the top 3 was Team Ehrhardt / Malcomson in 3^rd with 29 points.

 

Race Week Recap – Day 3

Saturday’s forecast was for NNE around 7 knots, becoming ESE in the afternoon, and that’s about what we got.  The 7-8 knot sea breeze, which of course was a righty, filled in at around 12:15, obliterating all the pre-race numbers collected and forcing the RC to rotate the course a bit.  

 

Starts were an adventure.  The RC employed the i-flag for most of the day, despite which we still had 2-3 general recalls.  Like all good PROs, Ken Adam took the obvious steps of making sure the line was square and long enough, but the issue persisted, suggesting both aggressive starters as well as perhaps current a possible factor.  The rule-of-thumb line length formula is 1.5 x boat length x number of boats, so in this case about 850 feet, or close to three football fields.  I’m not sure the line was that long, so maybe that was a factor, though I admit that it never felt short to me.  Anyway, we eventually got off four races, though the 4^th was in the dying breeze, and the RC finished us at the gates.  

 

Though the breeze was oscillating, protecting the right seemed to be the obvious call, but more pressure on the left evened things out a bit, often causing boats going up each side to converge within a half boat length at the top mark.  The Tinkers area current has always been indecipherable, with current flowing every which way, depending on where you are on the course, so that probably factored in as well.

 

Taking 1^st on the day with a line of 7-1-5-3 for 16 points was Team Shoreman / Reynolds.  It was a hard day to sail consistently, yet they did just that.  Well done.  Finishing 2^nd on a tiebreaker just one point back was Team Ehrhardt / Malcomson, who rolled a 1-5-1-10 for 17 points, and taking 3^rd was Team Cooke / Kaznoski with a line of 10-3-2-2, also for 17 points.  Honorable mentions go to Team Lane / Heffernan in 4^th with a 5-9-4-1 for 19 points, and Team Gabriel in 5^th with a 9-6-3-4 for 22 points.

 

So Team Taylor defends their lead through Day 3, finishing with 35 points and an 11-point lead heading into the final day.  Sitting in 2^nd and 3^rd, both with 46 points are Team Ehrhardt / Malcomson and Team Roberts / Rabin.

 

Race Week Recap – Day 4

The Sunday forecast was for a southerly between 7 and 9 knots, with possible showers and thunderstorms before 3pm.  Not a festive forecast but pretty close to the truth, though it forgot to mention chilly and unpleasant.  For the most part, it was overcast and blowing 8-10, but when occasional cells of rain came through, the wind built into the mid-to-high teens, which was both chilly and unpleasant, and typically involved a meaningful shift to the right.  Fortunately, that only happened a couple of times, but the up-and-down of it made for an interesting day.  

 

Pretty much all the forecasts suggested a strategy of defending the left, but it was a bit more nuanced than that.  Generally, the bigger pressure was a righty and during the lulls it reverted back left, swinging between 190 and 220.  At the start of race 1, the pressure was moderating as we started with a course of 210, and it shifted to 190 during the first leg.  And in Race 2, we were forced into a general recall when the pressure came up during the sequence.  The wind went hard right, and everyone piled up at the favored boat (hence the general).  So all and all, an interesting day. 

 

All of this somehow made complete sense to Team Ehrhardt / Malcomson, who rolled an impressive 1-2 for 3 points to win the day.  Finishing 2^nd was Team Roberts / Rabin who put up a 5-1 for 6 points, and taking 3^rd on a tiebreaker was Team P, with a 2-5 for 7 points.  Honorable mentions to Team Cooke / Kaznoski in 4^th with a 3-4, also for 7 points, and Team Taylor in 5^th on a tiebreaker with a 10-3 for 13 points, just ahead of Team Gabriel in 6^th with a 4-9, also for 13 points.

 

So, a few random thoughts in no particular order.  *  I think I prefer having a throw-out versdusd not having one.  *  We finally cleaned out what Jim Taylor used to call the shelf of shame.  Thanks to Team Rubin for collecting their trophy.  *  Isn’t it great to see Jack & Brooke Field sailing Rhodes 19s.  Boy, wouldn’t they look good in one of their own.  *  Quote of the regatta from Brooke Field, “Hey, these boats are harder to sail than they look.”  *  The regatta website was a little sloppy, and not up to Sailing World’s usual standards.  *  It’s so great that Ken & Judy Adam won Leonard Munn Fowle trophy.  Those two have contributed so much for so long, there is no one more deserving.  *  Team Dentonretired from Race 2 on Day 2, and then subsequently retired from the regatta.  Here is the culprit. 

 

 

The post-race gatherings this week were great.  The impromptu fleet gathering of 15-20 people at the CYC Bistro after racing on Day 2 was simply outstanding.  I didn’t get a picture of that one but here is a shot of the one on Thursday at CYC.

 

 

We’re all about the desserts.  Maybe we should have a dessert making competition.  

 

 

Finally, I really have no words to adequately express my many thoughts about this piece of ‘art’ hanging in Steve & Jennifer Uhl’s mudroom.

 

 

 

So, in Cup competition, Race Week always results in a lot of reshuffling, and this year is no exception.  Team Lane / Heffernan remains atop the standing but there was lots of movement below, the most significant of which is Team Taylor’s big move from 9^th to 2^nd, underscoring the disproportionate impact RW has on our season scoring.  The top 10 are listed below.  

 

 

Week 11 racing will include Twilight Series 2 race 2 on Thursday and the 2-3 races of MRA Series 3-1 on Saturday. 

 

 

Other News, Notices & Miscellaneous Scuttlebutt

Names in Lights – The Lanes and Dentons are teed up to be Japanese TV stars.  A production team from TV Asahi interviewed both couples for a program called “Harbor Time” which is sponsored by the Japanese Vendée Globe sailing team.  The three-minute segment will feature Fleet 5 as “a key contributor to the town’s vibrant sailing culture.”  The production crew took advantage of the Race Week energy and activity, filming on the water action as well as on land.  We’ll let you know when it airs.  In the meantime, you can check out the show here by clicking on the sail icon.

 

Nationals Measuring –If you don’t have a certificate, or if your certificate is out of date because you made alterations to the boat since the last time you were measured, please email Stefan Thibodeaux at sjthibodeaux@gmail.com to schedule a measurement.  

 

If You Spin, Send It In – As you’d expect, there were several spins this week, staring with your fleet captain, who hit the weather mark on Day 1.  Team AMV did the same on Day 1 and then committed a foul on Day 3 for which she exonerated herself.  Also on Day 1, Team Denton wrote in that they had “three in total for two infractions,” suggesting two fouls, one of which in the zone.

 

 

A reminder that if you spin, please let me know at kpandapas@comcast.net with the subject line ‘Spins.’

 

 

Mail Bag

Mike Lane wrote in with this about the post-race gathering on Friday.  “How awesome was that impromptu post-race get together?”  I couldn’t agree more.  It makes me realize how much of that important side of racing we deprive ourselves of as a consequence of multiple clubs, post-race hauling, etc.  We have to find a way to fix that.

 

John Casler wrote in to correct us on our twilight coverage, in which we inferred he was skippering.  “On Thursday's Twilight, with the gusts as described, Rob Ferro was skippering 1775 and I was crewing.”  Thanks John, and how nice to have Rob on board for those conditions.  

 

We heard from old fiend Bill Heffernan who wrote in about his mention in the MRA wrap-up.  “Awe, you brought me to tears!!  Thank you!”  Hey, in the words of the Baseball Hall of Fame umpire Bill Klem, “I calls em as I sees em.”

 

We got a couple of emails in response to last week’s RW preview.  First, Joan Thayer wrote, “Great push for Race Week.  You really know how to fire up anyone to be part of the frenetic fun on the water.”

 

And Joe Fava wrote in to suggest some odds we might consider in next year’s RW preview.  “Great RTTC.  For the record, I didn’t ask you about odds this year but I was thinking about some non-finish odds – like odds we sail all 4 days, odds the event is won by a CYC member, odds wildlife enters a boat…”

 

The wildlife comment was of course,  not a reference to this unfortunate episode, but was reference to last year’s bat incident, which to my extreme delight, is the gift that keeps on giving.  In case your forgot, here’s a shot of the little guy.  

 

 

 

Complaints Department

Got Gripes?  Don’t be shy.  Unload at kpandapas@comcast.net.  The buck stops here.  -kp