Regatta Report - 9th Annual Stuart Sinclair
Chris Pittack
**Faithfully submitted by Richard Mundell**
Stuart Sinclair Regatta - Penn Cove Yacht Club, Whidbey Island, Washington
Five hours and 30 minutes, that’s how long it took to return home from this weekend’s regatta Sunday evening…a mere 30 miles. That’s eleven minutes per mile, in a car traveling at speed (and a boat for some of it), to get somewhere that a healthy sparrow (African or European) carrying a coconut might have arrived at in an hour (IYKYK)! Yet the regatta we had at PCYC was worth every minute of commute both ways and it perfectly honored the memory of a cherished PNW 505 sailor in the ‘Stuart Sinclair’ for whom it was named.
For those not familiar with Penn Cove Yacht Club (PCYC) it’s probably the newest yacht club in the entire world and it’s dedicated to 505’s! The only events it’s ever run have been for the 505 class and, I imagine, this could be the only class it ever runs events for. For this excellent venue, we thank Anne Fitzpatrick and Chris Pittack from Seattle. They are the owners of ‘Watery Tart’ and ‘Yes Dear’, two meticulously restored Waterats that they’ve raced for a number of years here on the West Coast. Many of you not from the PNW will have met them at West Coast regattas or possibly the Worlds events they’ve traveled to as well. They’re smiling after almost any day on the water and they represent a lot of what the 505 class is all about.
Just a few years ago, they learned of a basically abandoned, small, octagon-shaped cabin located on the waterfront of Penn Cove, Whidbey Island. The PCYC ‘clubhouse’ is a time capsule. Built in the 70’s but hardly used for decades, Anne and Chris have restored, replaced, and/or replicated much of the decor as it would have been 50 years ago. The original shag carpet is plush and colorful and the retro drapes covering the floor-to-ceiling windows complement the mustard yellows and chocolate browns throughout the house and exterior. It’s these colors that certainly inspired the PCYC official colors.
Add to this a new outdoor shower with endless hot water, two launching ‘ramps’ to the beach (each with a rinsing hose), and enough flat area (thanks neighbors!) to hold 16+ boats and a variety of tents and camper vans, what else could you ask for? How about:
a large newly built deck with loads of chairs, 180-degree water views, and immediate access to the beach?
daily winds that, despite many lower forecasts that weekend, had us trapezing in every race?
warm air and water?
a 2 min sail to/from the start/finish line?
beer, cider, soft drinks, and water coolers that never ran empty?
an array of BBQs for breakfast and dinner buffets? Fresh crab? Salmon anyone?
late-night fires by the beach?
multiple coffee machines that seemed to magically refill for hours in the AM!
I’m sure I’ve missed a lot more but you get the picture.
Long and short, for the second year in a row, Chris, Anne with help from PVG, Pierre, and I’m sure a number of others, put on an outstanding event at PCYC. It’s a regatta worth putting on your list for future Augusts and for a second year in a row, the broader PNW band of 505 sailors (Bellingham, Seattle, Sun Valley and Vancouver) really appreciated what you worked so hard to put together for us.
Other thanks go out to:
Race Committee! Phillip Hubble, Craig McMinn, and Matt Cassidy in the mark boat. Great job knocking out 11 races!
Ken Hankin the photographer. Looking forward to seeing what’s in that massive bucket of pics!
Gus, for being you, for being the PCYC mascot, and for being the beach master making sure everyone’s dolly wheels were secure!
In terms of racing and results, I’ll keep it short.
Racing was close at the top, in the middle, and even at the bottom of the fleet in each race. There were tight starting lines, lots of stacked mark roundings, and plenty of place changes in most of the races.
15 boats made it out. Missing were a few strong local teams/sailors who had commitments but could be there next year. Let’s make it 20 boats!
11 races were held. Six on Saturday and 5 on Sunday.
Most races were about 30 min in 10-13 knots. The first two were longer and more like 50 min in a bit less wind but still with some trapping upwind and choices to be made about ideal angles DW.
Alyosha and Stassi represented the younger crowd impressively on Saturday with three firsts, a second, and a fifth while dropping a DNF from a breakdown. Despite being in a borrowed boat, their starts, speed, boat handling, and general smarts were notable. Sounds like Alyosha is upgrading to another boat of his own. That should ensure a move from notable to consistently formidable!
Mike and I kept things respectable for the older crowd with four races in the top 3’s plus a 6 and a 5. Consistently quick and high we were able to save a couple of over-earlies to land in second after day 1.
Four different boats got bullets that day making the battle for third close after day one. Phil and Reto, Pierre and Langdon, Ellie and Jackson, and Cedric and Paul were all just a few points of one another.
Sunday the wind came in a little earlier and stronger making for more wire-running opportunities.
Mike and I had a good day with 3 firsts and 2 seconds to take the overall win.
Alyosha and Stassi had a lot of trouble with their spinnaker halyard and were thrown off their game. They still managed a bullet but the previous DNF and one race where the spinnaker wouldn’t come down bumped them out of contention for a podium finish.
Pierre and Langdon found their form and had a 1 and 2 in the last two races to squeak into second overall.
Cedric and Paul Phil solidified 3rd just one point behind Pierre and Langdon and 5 ahead of Phil and Reto.
It should be noted just what a great mix the fleet was in terms of ages, experience, and gender. It’s something the Bellingham fleet has done such a great job with this last decade. A lot more to come from that neck of the woods!
Thanks again everyone for a great event. I’ll be looking forward to next year at PCYC! Just hope I can find a boat (or a strong sparrow) to get me there and back.
Aaron Ross
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