windwardle The Official Newsletter of the International Sunfish Class Summer 1987 Association and the Force 5 Class Association Vol. II, No. 3 MIDWINTER TITLE TO BOB FINDLAY For the second time in three years, Bob Findlay of Glencoe, Illinois won the predominantly heavy air National Midwinter Championship held at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Florida, March 6-8. In a come-from-behind effort, Joe Blouin of New Orleans, Louisiana climbed to second place overall and Steve Manson of Rockaway, New Jersey hung on to third place . These top three finishers are the first to qualify for the 1988 Sunfish World Championship. Rounding out the top five were Chris Lowrie of Lake Forest, Illinois in fourth and 1986 Midwinter Champion Nancy Haberland , then resid ing in Key West, Florida, in fifth . Twenty-five to 30 knot winds and rain presided over the practice races on Friday held Inthis issue inside Davis Island Harbor. Multiple starts and short courses helped some rusty sailors regain their skills. Saturday dawned gloomy with winds settling down to 8-10 knots before the 1:00 p.m. start with thundersqualls threatening . Two Gold Cup courses, approximately Daggerboards & Rudders . .. 2 six miles in length were completed before the rain and wind arrived. The third race proved to be the turning point for Findlay. After cracking a boom halfway through race two , ISCA Organization Flowchart . 3 Findlay lost ten places, but managed to finish 15th with the damaged equipment. Dashing Blade Reshaping . .. 4 into shore between races, Findlay was able to replace his boom and make the start, Masters Rep Named . .... .. 6 and was first to the finish in the third race, as winds built from 15 knots at the start to over 30 by the finish . Findlay went on to dominate the final two heavy air races on Sun­ Meet Perry Connolly . .. ... .. 7 day morning to win the series. Taking It To The Fleets . 8 In the Junior Division (age 15 and under), Lebby Robertson of Charleston, South News From Alcort .......... 10 Carolina easily won , followed by Jay Stilwell , also of Charleston, in second and Angel Sunfish Dateline . .... .. .... 10 Luzier of Tampa, third . The Senior title (age 60 and over) was won by Frank Wilkinson of Clearwater, Florida Regatta News .. ..... .. 11 followed by Larry Cochran of Manchester, Connecticut and Norman Castle of Lake Worth, Alcort Sails Along .. .. .. 14 Florida in second and third, respectively. Both junior and senior division sailors raced Force 5 Dateline .. .... ... .. 14 with the fleet, but were scored separately under the low point scoring system . Regatta Chairman Gail Heausler, ably assisted by the Davis Island Yacht Club Dinghy Force 5 Class Corner ....... 15 Dames and Race Commit"Lee Chairman Randy Luzier and his top-notch race manage­ ment team, provided quality racing and EXCEPTIONAL hospitality for the three-day event. NATIONAL MIDWINTER CHAMPIONSHIP Davi s Island Yacht Club, Tam pa, FL March 6-8 , 1987 71 boats Finishes Total Points Finishes Total Points 1. Bob Findlay 10-15· 1-2-1 28 .50 17. Don Esch 34-52-21 -10-5 122 Glencoe, IL Pittstown, NJ 2. Joe Blouin 9-16-5-1 -2 32.75 18. Harry League 28-26-23-22-24 123 New Orleans, LA Kenilworth, IL 3. Siephen Mason 5·4·7·7·12 35 19. Robert Harding 57-42-10-8-7 124 Rockaway, NJ Fort Lauderdale, FL 4. Chris Lowrie 19-1-8-3-9 39.75 20. Robert Marion 43-23·22·19·23 130 Lake Forest, IL Charleston, SC 5. Nancy Haberland 3-13-25-6-4 41 21 . Steve Honor 25-5-35-34-32 131 Key West, FL Pinellas Park , FL 6. Don Bergman 12·24-2-9-3 50 22. Paul Odegard 29-29-24·32·29 143 Hubbard Woods, IL Vernon , CT 7. Tim Hochuli 1-8-6-20-25 59.75 23. Gordon Geick 16-31-12-13-DN 144 Casselberry, FL Collinsville, CT 8. Mark Jordan 8-7·14·17-17 63 24. Eric Erickson 31 -14-DN-4-28 149 Mount Pleasant, SC Enterprise, FL 9. Will VanCleef 18-17-3-5-22 65 25. Jean Bergman 2-13-26-37-DN 150 Isle of Palms, SC Hubbard Woods, IL 10. Doug Moline 37-11 -4-12-6 70 26. Lebby Robertson 14-28-29-40-39 150 Wilmette, IL Charleston , SC 11. David Guerdan 4-12-19-18-21 74 27. Dave Dunn 35-DN -11-14-19 151 Maitland, FL Daytona, FL 12. Doug Brown 15·10·16-28-13 82 28. Stuart Smith 33-44-33-21-20 151 Hometown not available Ozona, FL 13. Will White 22-6-31 -11 -14 84 29. George Seary 21-50-27-27-27 152 Hartford, CT Endwell, NY 14. Ernst Kervel 30-19-15-15-11 90 30. Gerard Kervel DN-41 -9-24-8 154 Oranjestad , Aruba Miami, FL 15. Lee Parks 17-35-17·23·15 107 31 . Paul Sparwasser 32-58-20-29-18 157 Sunfish Midwinters Champion Bob Findlay Newport, Rl Mount Pleasant, SC 16. William Haberland 6·46-18-30 -1 0 110 32. Stephen O'Connor 7-25-37-25-DN 166 shares a few words at the awards Satellite, FL Attleboro , MA ceremony at the end of the regatta. Photo RESULTS- continued on next page by Gail Turluck. sunfish ~~~©0@~~ @@[f[Ji)@[f ~~~ ISCA ADVISORY NEW SAILS, DAGGERBOARDS & RUDDER COUNCIL REPORT BLADES TESTED By Gordon Geick -By Will White The majority of Advisory Council There were a couple of potential new White also sailed the whole regatta with members voted to rescind the requirement pieces of gear under test by various class new plastic blades-rudder and dagger­ that only wooden " Barrington " dagger­ officers during Bermuda Race Week. Will board-supplied for test purposes by Alcort boards without any modifications be used White sailed the series with a new test sail Sailboats, Inc. at the Sunfish Advisory starting in 1988. However, the prototype from Gaastra, made of a stiffer 3.9 ounce Council 's request. White was well pleased plastic daggerboard and rudder program cloth than that now being used by North­ with them , although his rudder broke half suffered a setback when two daggerboards Fogh and currently being supplied by way through the regatta when he flipped and two rudders broke while racing in high Alcort Sailboats, Inc .. The new fabric is the rudder up out of the water. It looked as winds during Bermuda Race Week. These woven in narrower widths, so the new sail if a shark had taken a big bite right out of parts are being returned to Alcort Sailboats, was in seven panels rather than the five it through the tiller bolt-hole. Two dagger­ Inc. for investigation . used since the Sunfish was designed. The boards broke at the handles, as wooden It now appears that testing of sails cut sails were reportedly cut to the same shape boards have for decades when slammed somewhat fuller than the current 3.9 ounce as the original Fogh trade-in sails, but were down too hard. White 's daggerboard did sails will not be possible before the 1988 at least an inch shorter on both spars, mak­ not experience th is failure , however, model Sunfish are available for shipment ing for a sail 11!2 square feet smaller than possibly because he had through-bolted in August of this year. the standard current Sunfish sail. The sails the handles and added additional screws Other changes to the rules to be were slow off the wind , but flew to wind­ as well. presented at the Worlds' Championship to ward in the heaviest air, with about an 18" Al cort does not intend to supply plastic be held in Aruba later this year include 1) Jens rig tied in . Another Gaastra sail was blades with new boats-they will have to al lowing a larger window so that one stand­ tried by a different sailor each day. The be purchased separately from Alcort ard window location wil l accomodate reactions from those who tested it were dealers. They will not be required for rac­ skippers of various heights and 2) allowing negative until the heavy-air last day, when ing, as wooden boards will continue to be the use of lines made out of any material lightweight Joel Furman , 1978 North permitted. The Advisory Council's concept including Kevlar. Contact any class officer American champion , was able to generate with both sails and blades is to produce the if you have other items to be considered. the same upwind speed as Wh ite with a best all-around shape for speed, so that similar " Big Jens" rig . sailors will not be tempted to recut their sails or be bothered with reshaping thei r NATIONAL MIDWINTER CHAMPIONSHIP wooden boards. CONTINUED windward leg Finishes Total Points Fini shes Total Points 33. Zane Yoder 20·2-42·33-DN 169 53. Mark Dufeny {;7-63-43-43·37 253 Daphne, AL Tampa, FL Published quarterly by the Interna­ 34. Mark Taylor 46-22·13-DN-16 169 54. Jerry Zimmerman 60-59-50-41-52.5. 262.50 Tampa, FL tional Sunfish Class Association and Hometown not available 35. T. Katterheinrich 61 -39-34-16-30 180 55. Gail Turluck DN-34 -DN-42·44 264 the Force 5 Class Association for the New Knoxville, OH Ypsilanti, Ml information and enjoyment of its 36. Larry Cochran 23-40-DN-26-26 187 56. Daniel Feldman 45·49-DN-53-54.8' 273.80 Manchester, CT members, their families and friends.