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Thanks to my friends' kind  generosity we raised more money for Caregivers than any of the other 19  boats that participated. This earned my name on a Perpetual trophy that we will proudly display at least one year at my home club: Ventura Sailing Club. A friend of mine pointed out that the smallest boat in the fleet earned the most money. The Caregivers Sailathon is an annual event to raise funds for one of my favorite charities. Caregivers provides free assistance and companionship to frail, homebound elderly. Young volunteers provide company, help with chores around the house, drive seniors to their doctor appointments, etc. For the Sailathon, they set up a triangle course near the Ventura Pier, which is a good place for spectators, and boats do as many laps as possible between Noon and 2 p.m. It is model after a jogathon. Supporters can either pledge $X per lap completed or make a set donation. Sunday was another beautiful Fall day in Ventura, but, as is often the case this time of the year, the wind was predicted to be light for most of the day.  Knowing this I took my SUP paddle with me and I did have to use it briefly.  I figured it would take me an hour to get from the harbor to the Sailathon at the pier if I could average 3 knots, but just to be safe I left the dock at about 10:40 a.m.   It was taking forever to drift out of the harbor so I pulled out my trusty SUP paddle, centered the tiller using the Velcro autopilot, and paddled out from behind the breakwater  into the glorious 3 knot wind in the ocean.  I found I was able to stand on the leeward side of the boat, one foot on the trampoline and one on the ama, and paddle a pretty straight course. Once I was out of the harbor there was just enough wind to propel me at 2 - 3 knots so I steadily sailed down to the pier and arrived at the starting line with 5 minutes to spare.  Bagging rays and looking back at the other 19 boats coming up behind me was quite impressive. The fleet of 20 boats included 4 beach cats, my Weta, an L7 trimaran and 14 keel boats including a Farr 400,J105 and a Wylie Rabbit.  Precisely at noon we started the sailathon and it was slow going.  It took me about 40 minutes to complete the first lap.  But, at 12:45 p.m. the wind did increase enough and hold steady that, before the 2 p.m. end time, I was able to complete 6 laps.  The Farr 400 and the Wylie Rabbit and the 4 beach cats beat me around the course.  But, I did pretty well, lapping everybody else except the J105 once. And, I was catching the Wylie Wabbit as the wind picked up, but ran out of time to actually pass it. As was predicted, the wind increased to about 10 - 12 knots with an occasional stronger gust after the sailathon, so the beach cats and I stayed out and kept sailing for another hour.  It was during that hour that we had the most fun. By the end of the day my trip computer indicated that I had sailed over 17 nm, had a top speed of 13.2 knots, but averaged less than 5 knots, due to the light winds for the first 2 hours I sailed. It was an excellent day on the water for me.  I had a fun sail and, thanks to my friends generosity, helped to make a significant donation to a very worthy charity, Caregivers.   Bob Shirley

I have been living in Ventura, CA for over 30 years and have found it to be an ideal location for my favorite pastimes of surfing and sailing. Other than a launch ramp in the harbor that makes for a tricky landing at the end of one's sail, Ventura is an excellent venue for Weta sailing. Typically, between St Patrick's Day and Labor day we have reliable westerlies in the mid-teens in the afternoons. In a normal year, here in California, we have at least 4 chances to get together and race in regattas. 2020 has been far from normal, though, and we have not raced at all. Bruce Fleming, he of great Weta renown and magnetic personality, announced that he and his wife, Shelley, would be leaving from their San Diego County home and doing a Great Weta SoCal and CenCal Tour and Road Trip. That is, they intended to drive up to San Luis Obispo to visit their son who is a senior at Cal Poly SLO and bring the Weta along to sail at Ventura, Morro Bay and Lake Lopez. That was all the incentive we needed to create a Weta Swarm in Ventura. Originally Bruce and Shelley were going to do their trip in late August, but due to other obligations, they postponed the trip to late September. As seems to be typical of 2020, the late August date saw perfect sailing conditions with 15 to 17 knots of wind, but, as the September date approached, predictions were for very light winds. It figures, this is the time of year when the westerlies begin to lay down for the winter. But, the Swarm was on. Ben Teitelbaum drove in from Fresno, John Dutton drove down from Santa Barbara, and we had 4 boats meeting at the ramp for the Great Ventura Weta Swarm! Bob pestering Bruce while he tries to rig up. (all photos courtesy of John Dutton) It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday so the ramp was quite busy and finding a parking spot was difficult. But Bruce and Shelley got there early and scored the best spot, right next to a lawn and picnic table. This proved to be very fortuitous later. We all assembled our boats, and were ready, but where is Ben? After driving over 3 hours, Ben got lost in the new apartment complex right next to the ramp. He was a stone throw away but couldn't find us. Eventually, with the help of a friendly security guard, Ben made his way over to the ramp. We didn't mind waiting for him, it was sunny, warm, and the wind had not arrived yet anyway. We all helped Ben assemble and rig and were ready to go soon after 1 p.m. The wind only ever blew at 5 - 10 knots. Fortunately, the seas were sedate, and we did have enough wind to move steadily along. It actually made for a very pleasant sail. According to the trip computer on my GPS, we ended up sailing about 14 nautical miles, averaged 5.9 knots, and I hit a max speed of 9.6 knots. For me, the best part of the sail was being comfortable in board shorts and a tech shirt and PFD. No wetsuit, no splash smock necessary. It was a rare treat here in Ventura. First we sailed up the coast, hard on the wind on port tack, towards the pier. As we neared the pier I radioed the fleet that we could tack out to sea and be on the lay line for a local racing mark 1.25 miles offshore. They agreed and we headed out. As we neared the mark, though, it seemed to me that the wind was lessening. As we gathered at the mark, I suggested that we 3 sail reach back in towards the pier, gybe, and reach back to the harbor. We didn't want to be too far away if the wind died on us. As we neared the pier I suspect we hit our fastest speeds. Once at the harbor, we did a short W/L race between the navigation aid marks just outside the entrance. Bruce and Shelley gave us a rabbit start and we did a quick lap. But, the water was a bit rough there from the powerboat wakes bouncing off the breakwall, so we headed back upwind towards the pier one more time and then 3 sailed reached back. By this time it was about 4 p.m. and Bruce and Shelly and Ben had some road time to do. So we headed on in, helped each other land at the dock, retrieved and washed down our boats at the ramp and gathered on the lawn near Bruce and Shelley's car to nosh on sandwiches, chips and beverages and talk story while the boats and sails dried off. Enjoying each other's company and learning more about each other I found fascinating, but, after about 45 minutes of distant socializing, it was time to finish off a great day so the others could get on their way. We didn't get to do any of the fast and fun blast reaching that Wetas induce old men like me to giggle like little girls. But, the weather, the socializing with great people, and the comfortable cruising on the water still made for another great day on the Weta. We all agreed to make the Ventura Weta Swarm an annual event, but, try to have it sometime in the Spring or Summer when the wind is much more reliable.

Alan Taylor, our North American Weta Website Guru must have asked me that question 10 times this past weekend. I was like “bro, getting a little personal aren’t we?” Let me share a love story. My name is Joe Brake and I am relatively new to the Weta Class. In fact, this September is the one year anniversary of losing my Weta-virginity. Like so many that get their first taste of her sweet salty speed, tugging on her sheets, and her getting you wet...most are hooked instantly. I have been sailing my whole life as I grew up on a 46’ Trimaran cruising around this side of the world with my parents, and racing since my youth to my current age of 41. Like most hobbies that ebbed and flowed of my life, sailing was one that always stuck around. It was my happy place, my therapy. I can honestly say that sailing and water have always been about as natural as breathing and eating. Sailing the Weta for the first time and honestly every time since then has reignited my love for sailing and has sparked the magic I first remember feeling as a kid. There were a lot of firsts for me this weekend, like my first regatta in my new to me boat #487, the first time going out in 25 plus knots of wind on a Weta double handed and sending it with Alan Taylor, and my first time racing since the Pandemic. Do you remember your first? This inaugural event was a much needed gathering of like minded multihull enthusiasts which converged in Southern Shores, NC on the Outer Banks. The OBX Multihull Sail Fest would be the first regatta for most of the sailors this year. We raced on the Currituck Sound just south of where the 2019 North Americans were held in Duck, NC. In attendance were the dynamic Taylor duo of Stephanie and Alan, Eric Frank and daughter Mattie who hosted the Weta fleet for supper and cooked an amazing taco bar Saturday night (way to go Mattie and Emma), local James Eaton and his son Gabe, new Weta owner Caroline Sherman, and new Weta owner Rob Beadling who helped out with race committee along with a brief appearance by Sabra Gear and her Crew Boy, Donald Lynch. Day one was slated for a long distance drag race to the Duck Water Tower and back. The winds were a solid 20-25kts gusting at times in the 30’s. Regatta Chair and host Hardy Peters opted for an onshore AP until 12:00 when finally the call was made to go! Eric Frank and crew Stephanie Taylor were the only team to successfully sail the course and to death roll capsize within feet of the finish line. The two experienced sailors had her up in no time as Stephanie quickly swam to the mast to prevent it from getting stuck in the shallow water and Eric was on the daggerboard. Righting her was the easy part, but getting back into their now sailing away Weta that opted for another lap sans crew was the real challenge. Race committee quickly scooped Team Frank-alicous out of the water and chased down their upwind ghost sailing trimaran. As they closed in on their boat Stephanie commanded Eric to “jump”. Like most men when asked by Stephalicous to do something, he did it with little questioning of the consequences. Eric successfully landed on the boat and without hesitating Stephanie was next. This team would go on to win the Weta fleet long distance race for the day. The afternoon stories and fleet camaraderie was the highlight of the day culminating with a “5 star” taco bar hosted by the Frank family and Chef Mattie. We all reflected on the pandemic and its relationship to sailing and we all echoed how great it was just to connect as humans and sailors. New Weta sailor Caroline said, “it almost felt normal”. Day two brought nearly perfect conditions of traditional course racing in 12-15 kts. Stephanie, Eric, James and son, Caroline, and myself all made it out to the race course. Alan decided to stay on shore with Sailor Pup Gizmo and they both worked on their Yoga practice with Gizmo’s favorite move being Downward Facing Dog naturally. Each of the four races for the day was around 45 minutes of a pizza slice and a sausage course finishing to leeward. I was able to take four bullets and win the fleet. Eric Frank was 2nd, and Stephanie Taylor in 3rd. A huge thanks to Hardy Peters, East Coast Sailboats, Sail OBX and Southern Shores Civic Association North Marina for their laid back southern hospitality. This First Annual OBX Multihull Sail Fest was a huge success based on all the smiles, wind swept hair, and sunburned noses. They say you always remember your first time. I certainly do, what about you? Joe Brake WETA #487