October 2012 Official Publication of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club F18 Volume 85 • Number 10 world championship Rich Roberts photos Jorge Suarez photo boat captain rench prevail as wind abandons F18 Worlds France’s Olivier Backes and crew Matthieu Vandame figured they needed to sail only two of F the last three races to pocket first place in the GLOBALTECH Formula 18 World Championship Saturday. Wrong. They needed only one as a light southwest breeze gasped its last against warm desert Santa Ana winds—a local autumn phenomenon—blowing offshore from the opposite direction, leaving the fleet of 118 Gold and Silver flight boats from 16 countries drifting helplessly in the event hosted by Alamitos Bay Yacht Club. The regatta was caught in the middle. The single race was delayed 1 1/4 hours by racers’ early starts and course changes required with shifting light winds of 3 to 7 knots. Later, as the stragglers crept in from the mile-square trapezoid course, principal race officer Mark Townsend debated for an hour whether to continue. At one point he even studied smoke from the oil refinery fire west of Long Beach for clues to what the wind might Jeff Merrill photo After racing was canceled, Backes (l.) and do. Then at 3:30 he called it a Vandame get champagne shower from coach regatta, and Backes and Alex Udin Vandame’s coach, Alex Udin, jumped aboard their cat to provide the Oscar Zeekant and Karel Begemann led Dutch charge winners a champagne in 2nd place shower. “When I put up the [abandonment] flags, all the boats cheered,” Townsend said later. As far as the championship was concerned, ending two short of the 15 scheduled races made no difference. Backes/Vandame finished 15th in Saturday’s only race, but none of their challengers finished better than sixth— not nearly enough to threaten their lead, especially with a second throwout to play. Even with the subdued climax, Olivier said the victory was better than his first win of the F18 Worlds two years ago in France. “The first time I won there was a big fight for the win at the end with three It was a better day for swimming than sailboat racing ...continued page10 inside Commodore’s Compass ................................. 2-3 Manager’s Corner ............................................. 4 sav e the date Vice Verses ....................................................... 4 Stag Cruise..................................... October 5, 6, 7 Rear View .......................................................... 5 Race Management/Social Advisory ..... October 10 Fleet Captain’s Log ........................................... 5 Board of Directors Meeting .................. October 17 Membership ...................................................... 6 Commodore’s Installation ..................... October 20 Junior Sailing..................................................... 7 Sou’wester Deadline ............................ October 21 Pages of History ............................................. 8-9 Halloween Regatta ............................... October 28 Labor Day/Mardi Gras Wrap Up ................. 12-13 Race Management/Social Advisory ... November 7 Fleet News ................................................. 13-15 Membership Meeting.......................... November 9 sou’wester • october 2012 • page 1 commodore’scompass eptember was a very busy month. We began the month with the Labor Day regatta. We had the largest turnout that we have had in a long time. The normal core of racers turned S out as well many of the F-18s that were here for the World Championships. We added a circle for them in the same area that we held the World Championships to give them an idea of the conditions to expect. In addition we added a fourth circle for the Kite Boards. This is a first for ABYC and it was exceptional. The Boarders added a unique dimension to the regatta with their speed and unique look. Kite Boards have been added to the Olympics and we felt that we need to get up to speed with the new trends. Typically the Boarders had to go to Saint Francis YC to race on the west coast. We changed that and they had a great time. They are a wonderful bunch of racers and very appreciative of our race management capabilities. Steve Kuritz was the PRO and he did a great job. The party was a Mardi Gras complete with Louisiana food and Brazilian Dancers. Thanks to all of the volunteers for this event. One week later was the F-18 World Championships. This was a huge event with 122 competitors form 13 countries and 5 continents. This was truly a world event in many ways. Not only were many counties from around the world represented but it was also one of the best worlds that they have had. This was the first time that the F-18 class held their Worlds in the United States and we did what we do best, hold world class regattas. The organization, the racing and the social events were out of this world. Chris Ericksen was the Chairman for the event and planned 5 days of racing; one practice day, two qualifying days and two days of championship racing. We had all several evening events featuring foods from southern California which culminating with an awards ceremony on September 15. The awards ceremony hosted some 350 competitors, members and friends for the awards in the ABYC parking lot under a Big Top. This was the first time we have tried this and it was a big hit. I want to thank Chris for his organization, John Williams the F-18 US representative for bringing this event to us, Mark Townsend the PRO, Kelly Whitlow and his staff for the endless work put into this event and Tarek Elsharhawy who with his company Global Technologies stepped up as the principal sponsor and as always all of the volunteers that helped with this and all of our events. The following Friday was the Annual General Membership meeting. As a board we had fun with the General Membership meeting because this is where we get to tell all of you what we have been working on this past year. There were several presentations of our accomplishments, some very humorous. As a board we had a great time and accomplished a lot. Some of our accomplishments were boat yard asphalt repair, plumbing replacement, an active regatta schedule, Rat Pack Party, and of course our member numbers increased to 406. I am looking forward to next year to an even better year under Mike Bauman’s leadership. Sunday September 23 was the Charity Regatta. Norma organized a great one day regatta. The number of competitors was down slightly but the racing was better than ever. The burger bash was a hit, everyone seemed very hungry. The silent auction and raffle was, as usual, a big event and profitable to the children’s clinic. I know that I contributed significantly but walked with many nice things. Thanks to Norma and her volunteers for this event. The last Friday of September was the Volunteer Appreciation Party. We had a nice get together and enjoyed a lot of stories of the past year. I would like to thank each of our members that volunteered because they are the ones that allow us to host all of the events that make us famous. I want to thank Latham Bell for stepping up as our board member in charge of volunteers. He organized questionnaires to determine what our members wanted to do as a volunteer and then disseminated that information to the appropriate chairs. I think that we had a great year for events and without the volunteers we could not hold those events. The last weekend of the month, the kids were back. It is the Junior Fall Invitational. This is one of the Shadden series for sabots. The kids race hard and have a lot of fun. Marc Schryer is the Chairman for this event with Bruce Golison as the PRO. Looking forward to October we have an event every weekend culminating with Halloween Regatta. First we have the infamous or should I say famous Stagg Cruise. Guys if you have not been on the Stagg Cruise you have missed some fun. Don’t miss this one. Thanks to Merle Asper for organizing this event. The following weekend is Ladies Day. ABYC’s Ladies’ Day is one of a long-running series of regattas organized by the Southern California Women’s Sailing Association (SCWSA). Guys you are not going to be left out since there is a Men’s Division. We will be racing Naples Sabots in the bay. I want to thank Jane McNaboe and her sister Jennifer Kuritz for putting this event together. The following Saturday is the Commodore’s Installation. Come and help me install Mike Baumann as our new Commodore. This is a very fun evening that includes cocktails, food, music and humor. This year’s theme is Horatio Hornblower and the tall ships of the British Navy. You will never imagine what we are going to have for dessert. I am going to keep this a secret; you will have to come to find out. The next weekend is the Halloween Regatta. This is a fun regatta put on by the Juniors. It is one day of racing, dressing up in costumes, and partying at the club. Come down and join the fun. ...continued next page sou’wester • october 2012 • page 2 ...from page 2 morecommodore Stephanie Gwinn photo This is my last Commodore’s Compass and I will be ending my year as your Commodore on October 20th. It has been a great year. I have had many fun and happy times. We have enjoyed each other on the water and off. I would like to thank my wife, Kathy, for her support during my year as Commodore and diving in as a member of SAC. I have an incredible board and without whose support we could not have accomplished as much as we did.