NOOD Wrap Up

Well the 2009 Annapolis NOOD regatta is in the history books. This year's event featured a variety of conditions, from strong, gusty breeze on Friday, to a near drifter on sunday. Current was a persistent factor across the course on all 3 days. But through it all, TC Williams consistently found a way to make it to the top of the scoreboard. Full results can be found at:

http://www.race.annapolisyc.org/uploads/results/NOOD_Div_2-2009/2009_NOOD_DIV_2.html

There are 2 other teams that deserve a highlight. First, Andrew Cole had a great regatta, sailing consistently and just holding off Tim Williams to take 2nd place. It is great to see a new face on the podium, and if Andrew keeps sailing like he did this past weekend, he is going to be a sure-fire contender for high point.

Secondly, I really want to highlight Harry Gamber. This was Harry's 10th NOOD regatta, and his team on Second-2-Nun completed all 8 races. I think we all should be tipping our hats to Harry and his crew for their consistency and dedicated support of Alberg 30 racing.

I'm not the only one who highlighted Harry over the weekend. During one of the races on Saturday, he had an unfortunate foredeck malfunction which resulted in Tim Wilkes' capturing this classic shot:Is it me, or is the sheet over the boom? I am still trying to figure out how one can manage to get the kite this full with it upside down? Also, how does one gybe in this scenario?

If you haven't yet, take a moment to visit Tim Wilkes' website and check out the super professional photographs that he took over the weekend. Tim has prints for sale online, so if you find any pictures that you like, you might think about purchasing them. This is how Tim stays in business to keep taking those awesome sailing photos. So consider supporting him if you like his work.

http://www.timwilkes.com

I would like to point out that Harry beat me in the regatta. But that's not the whole story. You see, my new sailing motto is 'I win by leaving the dock.' Just being able to get off the dock is, to me, enough of a victory.

Overall, the 2009 NOOD was an excellent event. We had great sailing. We had 2 awesome parties. Thanks to the Coles for hosting everybody on Friday night, and thanks to the A30 association for putting on a great Rendezvous on Saturday afternoon/evening. In particular, thanks to Bill Jensen for providing live music which was enjoyed by all. I, for one, enjoyed having the rendezvous together with the NOOD, and I hope the rest of you enjoyed it as much as I did.

I'm going to leave you with this picture of my mainsheet trimmer, Rachel Meinhold, taking a nap during the no-breeze postponement on Sunday:

The thing that makes Alberg racing special and different from the more modern, more racy classes, is that you really can race these boats with kids, have a good time, and spend quality time with them all at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed having Rachel trim the main for me, and I think if we all did our part to get kids excited about sailing, we'd never have to worry about whether or not the sport is going to die off in the long term. So I hope you will all consider involving kids in your sailing, and in your racing, because they are the next generation of sailors and if we don't teach them, who will?

See you at PSA on the 9th!