Charleston Race Week 2015

[Somers Kempe]

#20 registered - what prize do we get?

[Sail22]

I think #22 will be the big prize;) I will give away some Sail22 swag for whomever that is.

Later,

Ed

[Mark Wheeler]

FREE BOAT PARKING APRIL TO MAY IN HAMPTON
Register for SBRW (May 29/30/31) in Hampton VA and get free boat parking for April and May.  After Charleston drop your boat off on the way north.  This is the big event for the Southern Chesapeake Bay each year. Great parties and racing.  8 boats registered so far with the numbers climbing.  The flyer is attached.

[Steve Chapman]

I have a hotel room in the Charleston Resort and Marina Hotel at the regatta venue with one (male) crew member who would like to share the room (and cost).... Queen bed available.

It's great to be on site for the event, so let me know if you our any of your crew are looking to share a hotel room, available Thursday through Sunday night.

Contact me - chaponlac at gmail.com

Steve

[Ed "Buttons" Padin, Class Administrator]

Jason Carroll, sailing with fellow Larchmont Yacht Club members John Baxter and Chad Corning, captured his second Viper 640 Charleston Race Week victory. With 15 Vipers sailing eight races over three days from Friday, April 17 – Sunday, April 19, it was Carroll's regatta as soon as the second heat was in the books. Winning three races accompanied by two second place finishes, a third and a fifth, Carroll's Team Argo was able to sit-out Sunday's final race and watch Viper newcomer Zeke Horowitz and Tyler Moore battle it out for second.

Results: http://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=1220

While Carroll, Baxter, and Corning held their grip on the lead throughout the regatta, the battle for the other podium positions was hotly contested until the ultimate race. After Day 1's three races, Horowitz and Moore were tied at 12 points, Thomas Loutrel was in fourth with 13 points, and former CRW and EFG Viper Pan-American champ Phil Lotz sat in fifth with 16 points. Lotz's second finish was a 14th and it was clear that once the throw-out score kicked-in, the top cluster of boats would be in close contention, including Bermuda's Somers Kempe.

Charleston Race Week is known for a number of key regatta factors. Yes, the after-sailing parties are seasonal highlights and the local cuisine is a foodie's heaven; but on-the-water tricky currents and variable winds can turn this regatta on its head. Two years ago Sunday was called off as the wind approached 30 knots, and last year's final day, just to be different, was a drifter. CRW 2015 fell prey to light winds and drizzle, with a lengthy on shore postponement allowing only two races on Saturday and light breezes prevailing throughout.

Argo's middleman, Chad Corning, shared the following about the weather and currents: "Charleston delivered great racing this year. The current was a mind-bender as usual and light air the first two days meant if you got it wrong you paid a heavy price. Team Argo had one of those special events where everything went our way. We had a pretty good handle on the current and were fast enough to get out of a couple of tight spots. It was really great to be battling with Tyler, Zeke, Phil and Somers - fun racing guys, thanks a lot!"

Zeke Horowitz is new to the Viper Class as a skipper this season as well as being new to North Sails' One-Design Team. Chartering Danny Pletsch's and Cardwell Potts Viper, Horowitz had Pletsch and Ian Coleman as crew. Even with five top three finishes in the first seven races, Horowitz was still a point behind Tyler Moore, Jane Moore, and Barry Allardice going into the final heat. Carroll sat out the final race so it was up to Horowitz and Moore to duke it out for second. In the end, Moore finished 6th with Horowitz taking the bullet settling the top three spots. Lotz and Kempe rounded out the top five positions, respectively.

Horowitz summed up CRW 2015 and his entre into the Viper 640 Class as a skipper by stating, "Sailing at CRW in the Viper 640 Class was all I hoped it would be...and so much more! Despite some less-than-ideal weather conditions, the Viper gang was nothing but smiles, and a true pleasure to sail against. I've totally got the Viper bug now and can't wait to continue the season in this amazing boat surrounded by these incredible people!"

Moore had originally planned to have his 8-year old son sailing with them but changed his mind seeing the precipitation forecast. However, his comments on the Viper 640 say a lot about the boat. "We all love the boat. My wife because she can handle every line with relative ease, Barry for the close quarters racing and the ability of the boat to move in light air, and I enjoy that I almost get to go as fast as a 505 with the family aboard. What a great time we had.

As a final note on the top three winners, Carroll's exploits in Vipers, Melges 32s, GC 32 cats, and his Gunboat are well documented while his crew aren't slackers either (Corning and Baxter crewed for Carroll to win the 2013 CRW and Viper ACCs as well as the 2013 Viper North Americans and Corning helped Brad Boston win the 2014 NAs); but it would be an oversight to fail to mention that both Horowitz and Moore attended the College of Charleston and spent their college years sailing in these very waters. As they say, the more practice you have, the luckier you get. Those two clearly had an understanding of the currents everyone faced.

Congratulations to all Viperers who made the trip to Charleston last week and now it's on to the Annapolis NOOD, the Gulf Coast Championship in Fort Walton Beach, and the Larchmont Yacht Club Sport Boat Grand Prix in May.