Oakcliff Halloween Invitational Regatta - Chris Poole wins

by Oakcliff Development on 4 Nov 2013 Balmy and breezy conditions transitioned to light and shifty, and finally to a frigid and gusty Northwesterly for the Oakcliff Halloween Invitational. This was a true test of the teams’ adaptability. It was also a test of the team’s ability to avoid the committee boat. Some were more successful than others.

The regatta was won by Chris Poole who sailed with Oakcliff SapGrads—Chris Kennedy, Solomon Krevans, John Coburn, plus his sister Holly. At the awards ceremony Poole said, 'It was some of the best match racing of my season,' but at the same time he was prompted to apologize for hitting the Committee boat. In the Oakcliff fashion he will be reducing the amount of his damage charges by assisting in the repair.

Poole was not the only competitor to hit the RC boat. When Lance Frasier hooked the boat at the start of Quarter Finals, Jay Kehoe, Oakcliff’s Training Program Director, suggested 'We need pig sticks for the RC boat!'

Frasier and his team which also included SapGrad Max St.Maurice only lost two races all weekend but they were the two that counted and he finished strongly in second. David Niemann fought through from a slow start finishing sixth in the round robin and fighting through the quarterfinals to finish third.

Also of note, Chantal Hearst competed with her all-women’s team. She is rocketing through the rankings and is planning to bring her crew back to Oakcliff next year for clinegattas. 'Three of us have sailed together only a few times, two girls have never sailed with us at all, and for my crew it’s the first time sailing in these boats,' explained Hearst. 'So there was a steep learning curve but we felt pretty good about it—and we got a few wins! We had a great time and we definitely plan to come back. I love this place!'

Clinegattas are an Oakcliff and Dave Perry creation that help accelerate sailors and their learning curve. This is the mission of Oakcliff Sailing. For more information on upcoming clinegattas and events at Oakcliff, check out the Event website

Final Ranking
Poole
Frasier
Niemann
Kroger
Graham
Holz
Foley
Hearst
Hammond
Shannon