2.4 Meter CanAm Series 1 and 2 at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club wrap up
by John Seepe 2 Feb 2022 07:10 PST
January 24-25 & 27-29, 2022
2.4 Meter CanAm Series 2 © Tina Weida
The largest gathering of 2.4mR sailors just occurred in "sunny" Florida during the CanAm #1 and CanAm #2 Regattas. 18 boats were battling it out on the starting line with some new faces among the regular fleet members.
The new faces had their hands full learning the boats and were warmly received by all. Sailors and observers commented how the fleet members and club volunteers worked together making boats faster and getting individuals on the course. It was good to have the volunteers, staff, and friends/family working together to make these events be the best possible.
On the water the competition was there, and winds cooperated to get five races in CanAm #1 and seven races in CanAM #2. The race committee set marks and set up the courses to provide good opportunities for testing the sailor's skills. It was very apparent during the last race of CanAm #2 that the fleet was already getting much tighter as all the boats were significantly closer at the end of 4 legs then when CanAm #1 began. Only hiccup was the last day had winds that prevented the fleet from going out, but hey, there was wind!
No one dropped out due to sickness or injury between the two regattas and we are hoping this trend continues throughout the remainder of the CanAm Series. We saw older boats being brought back to competition levels and even saw Gene Hinkle come out enjoying his first 2.4mR competition in 12 to 15 years. We had three sailors from the Rockport Fleet, three sailors from Canada, and for CanAm #2 had Julio Reguero from Puerto Rico sail.
Our next CanAm Series regatta is Edge Midwinter CanAm #3 on February 19th and 20th. We hope to see some more of our fleet from Canada make this event that struggled to make the first regattas. Sailors are working on their skills, knowledge, and boats to make themselves more ready for the coming events.
The excitement is continuing to build, and the boats were closely considered by some who saw them for the first time which we hope to see getting into a boat racing soon. If you are one of these or know of anyone interested in testing out a 2.4mR let the fleet know and we will gladly et up a time to make it happen. Photos are posted on the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club Facebook page, and the fleet is fortunate to have these to share due to our photographers, Fran and Tina. Thank you to all those who gave of their time and efforts from the club.
Let's make 2022 a fantastic year for the fleets as we ready ourselves for the World's in Davis Island this November. If you haven't scheduled these Regattas, get them on your calendar after registering online. Too many sailors waited till the day of the CanAm #1 to register making it just that much more difficult to plan and execute. If you need housing help, let the fleet know but do not let this stop you from participating. Lastly, join the US Class association (link on the us24meter.org homepage) for 2022 keeping them healthy and able to function.
US Fleet annual meeting will be in March during the last regattas.
There are still a limited number of rash guard shirts available through John Seepe for this CanAM Series.