Event Reports
My expectations weren’t all that high for the Alligator Run Regatta at Lake Waccamaw last weekend. I’d been tracking the forecast all week. There was a low northeast of Lake Ontario that was going to drag a cold front across NC by the weekend, with a shortwave ahead of it. That meant thunderstorms. Through Thursday and Friday, the forecast said the first storms would hit eastern NC Saturday afternoon, with the biggest wind (behind the front) hitting Saturday night. By Sunday the wind would be light.
Don’t misunderstand, I was going to Waccamaw no matter what. NACs will be there next fall, and I wanted to check it out. Plus I’d committed to sharing a rental house with a bunch of other Weta sailors. But most of all, I hadn’t sailed with my Weta friends since December, and I wanted to catch up, even if the sailing wasn’t going to be great. As a bonus, I heard a new Weta sailor from Wilmington was going to be there.
Turns out the Waccamaw Sailing Club folks take their Southern hospitality seriously. Even though the regatta didn’t start until Saturday, Commodore Bill Purcell saw that several of us had shown up on Friday, and invited us all to his home for a cocktail party. It was a great pleasure to get to know some of the Waccamaw folks over pizza and some excellent home-smoked salmon. And possibly a drink or two.
So what weather actually showed up Saturday? It was one of the best Weta regattas I’ve been to so far. For reasons still mysterious (to me), the thunderstorms stopped just west of us, but the gusty conditions persisted. The day was overcast but warm, and by first gun (1pm), the sustained winds were 7 kts, with gusts around 14. This increased to 10 kts with gusts around 16 over the afternoon.* So there were plenty of great planing runs, but not survival conditions. Perfect!
PRO Paul Leonard - recruited by WSC from Florida for the event - did an excellent job, moving the course around as much as necessary to accommodate some major shifts during the afternoon. He made hay while the sun didn’t shine, and pressed on to get 4 races in on the first day.
With all the gusts and the shifts, I saw a lot of position changes during most of the races. But at the end of the day, Alan Taylor and Chuck Carroll had pretty consistent finishes, and held a firm grasp on first and second place, respectively, going into dinner on Saturday.
After 4 long, windy races and a considerable quantity of good eastern NC barbecue, I was beat! But I stayed up anyway, talking sailing and catching up with friends. Our newest Mid-Atlantic fleet member, Alex Leanos, is also new to Wetas and to racing. From the determination and ingenuity he and his son Chris have needed to sail the Weta in the ICW around Wilmington - plus all the rigging & racing tips they soaked up on the beach - I’d bet money they’re on a fast track. Plus he’s a Navy guy, so…
An earlier start on Sunday came with the best wind of the day, showing 7 kts again, although the 15-16 kt gusts were less frequent than on Saturday. The sustained wind gradually decreased to about 5, but we got 2 good races in, as planned.
While waiting for results, our fleet captain formally welcomed the intrepid Bruce Koch and his newly refurbished Weta back to the racing circuit (see video). It’s great to have Bruce back in business in time for the spring season!
When the results came in, they showed Alan Taylor had turned in an impressively consistent performance to take first place, with four 1sts and two 2nds. Chuck Carroll was close on Alan’s heels, earning the second place trophy with a record of one 1st, three 2nds, and two 3rds.
But some of the most exciting racing was a little further back in the fleet, with Baxter Gordon, Eric Frank, and Bruce Koch all changing positions frequently, both during races and in their finishes. After 6 races the three finished within a tight 5-point spread.
During the weekend I was surprised to learn that WSC has a long-time member who is awaiting delivery of a brand new Weta! With Alex close by in Wilmington, and Bruce now even closer at Oak Island, suddenly it seems like there’s an opportunity to grow a Weta presence at WSC. By all reports, it’s substantially easier to launch & sail a Weta at Waccamaw than in the shallow sounds and commercial traffic of the port of Wilmington. I heard at least one WSC catamaran sailor thinking about chartering a boat for the NACs. The Commodore couldn’t be more welcoming, and invited those of us who are not local to join them in their regular monthly races. So watch this space!
What did I learn on my scouting mission for NACs? WSC is what I think of as a real sailing club (vs. “yacht club”), with a long tradition of dinghy racing and members pitching in to keep the place in good shape. There’s a good sand beach for launching, with a broad expanse of waist- and chest-deep water going out about 300 ft. from shore. Its buildings are right on the water in a setting that’s hard not to describe as idyllic. They feature an excellent covered deck with rocking chairs, because sometimes you want to just sit and watch the water. There’s also a boat-storage compound with plenty of room for trailers. The people there couldn’t be more welcoming and gracious, and they’re truly looking forward to hosting the NACs next October. I look forward to seeing everyone there!
*All wind figures are from the history at the county airport. Local observations may differ.
Ready for action on Sunday (Photo by Alan Taylor)
Alan Taylor shows us how it’s done (Photo by Beth Cribb)
Waiting for the start (Photo by Beth Cribb)
Who’s got it better than us? (Photo by Beth Cribb)
Eric Frank and Baxter Gordon (Photo by Beth Cribb)
Downwind Duel (Photo by Beth Cribb)
Alex and Chris Leanos (Photo by Beth Cribb)
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