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USSCA Sunfish Masters Championship at Canandaigua Yacht Club

by US Sunfish Class Association 21 Sep 2018 04:29 PDT 14-16 September 2018
Sunfish dinghies © Manhattan Yacht Club

The 2018 USSCA Masters Championship took place at Canandaigua Yacht Club September 14 - 16, 2018. There were an impressive 41 boats registered for the event, with 39 actually sailing. Sailors came from as far away as North Carolina. Friday brought moderate winds out of the south, and four or five practice races were held prior to the welcome party.

Saturday and Sunday turned out to be light wind days with Hurricane Florence pounding North Carolina and keeping any other weather systems from moving into western New York. However, there is a fairly consistent morning southerly on Canandaigua on warm days, so as boats headed out for the 10:30 start, there was still a bit of breeze left. The fleet was aggressive, and it took two general recalls before the race committee resorted the flag and got off a fair start. The fleet split with about half going right and half going left.

The pressure on the left was better, and those boats also got the benefit of a left shift as the southerly faded away and a feeble east wind took over. As the boats rounded the windward mark, they faced a slow drifter down to the leeward mark, to which the race committee shortened course. Mike Fortner took a first, followed by locals Mary Schmidt and Chip Toth, who both had their best races of the regatta. Racing was postponed and eventually cancelled for the rest of the day, but the fleet enjoyed refreshments and socializing in the waterfront pavilion followed by a fun dinner in the club house complete with raffle prizes from Shoreline Sailboats, East Avenue Wine and APS.

Sunday's start was moved up to 9:00 to take better advantage of the morning southerly. In the light 5 knot winds, it was important to get a good start with clean air, and with the recent hot weather contributing to unusually strong weed growth, it was critical to clear your daggerboard every so often. Doug Kaukeinen recovered from a 13 the previous day to win the first race on Sunday, followed by Ron McHenry from Pymatuning and Mark Weider, from the Rochester Canoe Club. The second race Doug continued his strong sailing, finishing second to Drew Staniar of Off Soundings. Brian McGinnis, from the Wet Pants Sailing Association, took 3rd. The overall standings ended up with Doug Kaukeinen in 1st, Mike Fortner in 2nd, and Dick Tillman, a Senior Master, in 3rd. Lee Parks, from the Newport Yacht Club, finished 4th and was the top woman finisher.

Although the wind didn't cooperate as hoped for the regatta, the camaraderie and fun that is part of the Sunfish class was evident throughout the weekend. Doug Kaukeinen expressed it best at the awards ceremony, expressing, as he choked up, how lucky he felt to be able to sail and saying, "These are my friends."

Overall Results:

PosFleetSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3Pts
1stMaster11Doug KaukeinenRochester Canoe Club131216
2ndMaster57973Mike FortnerRochester Canoe Club161017
3rdSenior Master3746Dick TillmanWawasee Yacht Club441119
4thGrand Master5785Lee ParksThe Newport Yacht Club610723
5thGrand Master60673Mark WeiderRochester Canoe Club1031225
6thGrand Master3868Drew StaniarOff Soundings916126
7thApprentice Master4321Brian McGinnisWet Pants Sailing Association177327
8thGreat Grand76356Ron McHenryPymatuning Sailing Club302436
9thGrand Master25775Lance TothCanandaigua Yacht Club5131836
10thGrand Master51883John EckertMassapoag Yacht Club278540
11thGreat Grand1946Brad WagnonWawasee Yacht Club18141345
12thMaster78518Paul DierzeTopsfield Yacht Club2612947
13thGrand Master79064Ralph SimpsonRochester Canoe Club1429649
14thGrand Master77720Mary SchmidtCanandaigua2311750
15thGrand Master45420Bill SchmidtCanandaigua Yacht Club2915852
16thGrand Master81264Chip TothCanandaigua Yacht Club3341653
17thMaster77731Jim GindlingCanandaigua Yacht Club3551454
18thGrand Master77269Lynda BryantRochester Canoe Club15113056
19thGrand Master81134John FieldsRochester Canoe Club20192059
20thGrand Master75417Tom KatterheinrichSt. Mary's Boat Club22231560
21stGrand Master4752Jim KnabRehoboth Bay Sailing8223262
22ndMaster50847John WilliamsLake Delta Yacht Club19252165
23rdSenior Master27777Paul OdegaardTopsfield Yacht Club7273670
24thApprentice Master80766Deirdre Santos‑KaukienenRochester Canoe Club33211973
25thGrand Master24186Gail TurluckGull Lake Sailing Club24262373
26thGrand Master88436Nancy Hastings‑JayworkRehobeth Bay Sailing Assocation28182975
27thGrand Master81033David ThompsonLavallette Yacht Club3793177
28thApprentice Master52853Chris ConnellyRochester Canoe Club38172479
29thMaster40445Scott CramerQuaker Lake Yacht Club31202879
30thGrand Master81469Brock MunroWater Rats Sailing Club25322279
31stMaster3913Steve LeachNewport Yacht Club16303581
32ndApprentice Master59306Steve HeinzelmanCanandaigua Yacht Club23372585
33rdGreat Grand Master6676John BarrereSevern Sailing Association11DNF3386
34thGreat Grand Master80774David HanselmanBackyard Yacht Club1233DNF87
35thMaster81065Tim HammerRochester Canoe Club36282690
36thApprentice Master4708Jeff ScottRochester Canoe Club34243492
37thGrand Master79650Denis WetlauferBackyard Yacht Club32352794
38thSenior Master84939Joe KaukeinenRochester Canoe Club2138DNF101
39thGrand Master80367George SechristOriental Dinghy Club393637112
40thGrand Master19742Betsy SchmidtLewes Yacht ClubDNCDNCDNC126
40thMaster79386John PowersRochester Canoe ClubDNFDNCDNC126

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