Junior Cal 20s- Who won? Who cares? It was fun

by Rich Roberts on 12 Jul 2008 The intensity will dial up in the 47th Cal 20 Class Championship hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club Friday, but the attitude in the Junior Championship Thursday could serve as an example for their elders.

It was a low-key battle of the Gibbs, Flam and Merrill sailing clans. Teams skippered by Riley Gibbs, 11; Ginger Luckey, 13, and Elle Merrill, 13, finished one point apart after three races, and while the youngest team led by Kevin Bauman, 13, was last in every race, it wasn't apparent afterward.

'We had a really good time,' said crew member Johnny Blumberg, 12. 'It was our first time sailing a Cal 20. If we got last, who cares? We had a lot of fun.'

Theirs was the only boat without an adult on board---only the helmsperson has to be 18 or younger, and none was even close. Chas Merrill sailed with granddaughter Elle at the tiller and son Jeff and grandson John as crew.

It was Riley Gibbs's third time driving a Cal 20. He'll take the win, but the best part, he said, was 'that my friends were there.' Whit Batchlor, brother Sawyer and dad Stan completed the crew.

A footnote: Riley's mom Stacey almost won the same Paul C. Merrill Sr. Trophy---named for Chas Merrill's father---when she finished second 27 years ago.

The winds were only 7-8 knots. 'Just right for the kids,' Steve Flam said.

The grownups, expected to number 35 to 40 boats, would prefer a bit more Friday when they run their three-race elimination series to divide the fleet into A and B divisions for the seven championship races Saturday and Sunday.

Racing will start at noon daily, conditions permitting. The race course will be set on the outer Long Beach Harbor inside the breakwater between the outermost oil islands Freeman and Chaffee, beyond the Mayor's Cup match racing off Belmont Pier.

Event sponsors are Ullman Sails, Kaenon, Kelly Marine, Macson Printing and Lithography, Sun Solutions and Sailing Anarchy.

Results
1. Riley Gibbs/Sawyer Gibbs, Whit Batchlor, Stan Gibbs, ABYC, 3-1-1, 5 points.
2. Ginger Luckey/Lilly Flam, Steve Flam, ABYC, 2-2-2, 6.
3. Elle Merrill/Chas Merrill, Jeff Merrill, John Merrill, ABYC, 1-3-3, 7.
4. Kevin Baumann/Jacob Rosenberg, Kevin Leddy, Johnny Blumberg, ABYC, 4-4-4, 12.

Complete resultswww.abyc.org/event.cfm?id=299