Memorial Day Regatta - great sailing for all classes big and small

by Rich Roberts on 25 May 2009
James Melvin, 14, who abandoned his Naples Sabot for a high-tech catamaran just a couple of years ago, wasn't sure what to expect when he showed up for Alamitos Bay Yacht Club’s annual Memorial Day Regatta Saturday and Sunday.

'I really had no idea,' he said, 'but the wind was pretty good.'

It was good enough---a cool 8 to 12 knots under sunny skies both days---to blow him and his well-known dad, Pete Melvin, to a runaway win among eight Formula 18s, with a nod to the their strongest rivals who suffered the worst luck of the 127 boats in 16 classes.

When Pease and Jay Glaser's mast fell down on the first leg of the first race Sunday, the Melvins were on their way to the first of three closing victories in eight races, but it certainly took the heat off.

The Glasers led after the first five races Saturday---and, remarkably, still wound up third overall, thankful that no such fate befell them when they were winning separate silver medals in Olympic Games over the last quarter-century. Their spar collapsed when a shroud shackle failed as they were tacking to the windward mark.

Pete Melvin, a renowned multihull designer-builder and past world A-Cat champion, said, 'We kept looking back and wondering, 'Where's the Glasers?' It was very unfortunate.'

All three had just competed in the A-Cat North American Championships in Florida a week earlier when Melvin placed second and the Glasers sixth and eighth, despite another fallen mast that cost Pease two races on one day. She hopes she isn't on a bad roll as she, husband Jay and the Melvins aim for the Formula 18 North Americans at ABYC in September.

She said, 'I had never lost a mast on a multihull but I've lost three in the last four weeks.'

Overall, the competition heated up as Walter Johnson, with crew Alyssa Aoki, Andrew Kern and Will Boudreau won the Lido 14-A, Finn and Sabot C3 classes, respectively, on tiebreakers, while Jeff and Jeremy Petron of Camarillo, Calif. and Judge Ryan of San Diego dominated the Hobie 16 catamaran and Sabot-A classes.

Johnson, a big boat veteran who started sailing Lidos only four years ago, had seven rivals but had eyes mainly for Jerry Thompson, an old hand in small boats who won the class last year and battled hard this time over the inside course on Alamitos Bay.

'Our whole focus was on Jerry,' Johnson said, '[because] he has sailed in this bay for so long. We did well when we got good starts, but it was so shifty that no lead was big enough.'

Another familiar winner was Stu Robertson, a Lido veteran who started sailing a three-person Thistle a year ago. He won five of his seven races, including the first race Sunday after starting early and having to restart.

'That was the most amazing race I've even been in,' he said.

Class winners

CAL 20 (10 boats)---Mike and Ron Wood, Long Beach, 3-(4)-3-1-1-1-2, 11 points.

CORONADO 15 (4)---Barrett Sprout/Kathryn Boehm, Los Angeles, 1-2-1-1, 5.

ETCHELLS (5)---Tim Carter/Chris Ericksen, Long Beach, (5)-3-3-1-1-1-1, 10.

FINN (10)---Andrew Kern, Long Beach, (5)-2-5-1-1-2-3, 16 (won tiebreaker over Eric Lidecis, Huntington Beach).

FORMULA 18 (8)---Pete and James Melvin, Huntington Beach, (5)-1-4-1-5-1-1-1, 14.

HOBIE 16 (12)---Jeff and Jeremy Petron, Camarillo, Calif., 1-1-2-1-(3)-1-1, 7.

TEMPEST (2)---Matt Houlahan and Dominic Meo III, Huntington Beach, (1)-1-1-1-1-1-1, 6.

THISTLE (6)---Stu Robertson, Patty and Paul, Huntington Beach, 1-(2)-2-1-1-1-1, 7.

LIDO-A (8)—Walter Johnson/Alyssa Aoki, Long Beach, 2-3-1-1-(7)-6, 13 (won tiebreaker over Jerry Thompson/Mandi Smith, Long Beach).

LIDO-B (6)---Charles Smith/Joanna Warren Smith, Santa Monica, (DNC-7), 1-1-2-3-1, 8.

SABOT SENIOR (6)---Freddie Stevens, Long Beach, 1-1-2-1-(4)-1, 6.

SABOT-A (19)---Judge Ryan, San Diego, 3-2-1-1-1-(5), 8.

SABOT-B (11)---Rhodes Garner, Long Beach, 6-(7)-1-4-1-3, 15.

SABOT-C1 (8)---Max Brill, San Diego, 1-(2)-1-1-1-2, 6.

SABOT-C2 (6)--Luke Reardon, Carlsbad, Calif., 2-2-(5)-1-1, 6.

SABOT-C3 (6)---Will Boudreau, Rossmoor, Calif., (3)-3-2-1-1, 7 (won tiebreaker over Kristina Miller, Newport Beach).

Complete results and photos at: http://www.abyc.org/home.cfm? CFID=7349343&CFTOKEN=19509154 or click here