USSCA Sunfish Masters Championship at Canandaigua Yacht Club

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: