Etchells in Marblehead

Steve Girling reports on the Atlantic Coast Championship

Wade Edwards and team are the 2004 International Etchells Atlantic Coast Champions, with an impressive and consistent string of results over five races in a variety of conditions. (4,1,2,3,2). Hank Lammens was second, two points behind Edwards, Rob Hitchcock and Greg Hefler third, one point behind Lammens, Steve Girling was fourth, one point behind Hitchcock and Bear Hovey was a distant fifth.

The International Etchells Atlantic Coast Championship was hosted by the wonderful team at the Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA over the first weekend of October. Thirty teams including the newly crowned North American champion, Jud Smith came along for some action, but the event had a slow start due to a thick fog bank that smothered the racing area and then Marblehead on the morning of the first day. The race committee team, led by Nancy Parrillo made the smart decision to abandon racing for the day, which gave the crews time to find sun in land or continue their regatta preparations.

Race One E-ENE 7- 9 Knots (Double windward leeward)
Saturday dawned misty and there were some concerns that racing might again be compromised. However, after a short postponement, the mist began to clear and a determined 7 knot breeze from the ENE allowed the competitors into their blocks for the first start. Unfortunately, everyone was a little too eager and so the general recall was followed by the I-flag (we had to get races in). Race one proper was soon underway with Hank Lammens, Darko Dragnic and Hank Lammens Snr getting a good start from the middle of the line and finding a nice shift to cross ahead of the pack to their right. In a different band of pressure, Steve Girling, Chris Johannessen and Marc Jacobi were doing well out of the boat end and tacked back onto port to leeward of Lammens. These two boats were able to control the fleet into the weather mark, with Lammens extending slightly while Rob Hitchcock, Greg Hefler and Doug Sabin made good gains towards the Starboard layline. At the weather mark, it was Lammens by four lengths from Girling who was four lengths ahead of Hitchcock/Hefler.

On the run it was tempting to gybe inside, back towards the pressure that had helped the boats on the Starboard layline, but the boats that made this move, lost ground. Critically, Lammens, chose to lead back into the middle halfway down the run, allowing Girling to extend, in-phase and by the time the two approached the port leeward gate, Girling was a length ahead. Girling and crew were in pole position to see the next change, four knots more pressure and a significant right shift and chose to extend towards it, letting Lammens tack away to clear his air. Three minutes later, Girling had consolidated a significant lead while Lammens was forced to tussle with Hitcock/Hefler and Wade Edwards, Justine Muller and Ritch Tickner plus others in the chasing pack. At the weather mark it was Girling, Hitchcock, Lammens and Edwards. On the hoist, Hitchcock extended a little high allowing Lammens to get his bow down inside to set up a dramatic tussle all the way to the finish. Girling won by over a minute, Lammens attacked Hitcock and was able to take second by inches, Edwards was fourth, Eben Moulten 5th and Jud Smith, Andrew Wills and Jim Porter 6th.

Race Two – ENE – 10 -13 knots (Double windward leeward)
Race Two was started as the breeze continued to build. The leaders, who included Smith, Edwards, Lammens and Hitchock all managed to get to the middle-left of the track to take advantage of the fifteen degree lefty that established itself for most of the first beat. Girling struggled in the teens on the right of the track. Edwards had a nice lead at the weather mark, although Smith had the bit between his teeth and was chasing hard down the run which was somewhat processional after the shift. With the course realigned for the second beat, the boats that worked the pressure and shifts left again made the most gains while Edwards and Smith dueled up the middle left for control of the race. Girling made a good recovery to get back into the action. At the weather mark it was still Edwards who had managed to hold off Smith nicely in the last few hundred yards of the beat to give himself some breathing room, ahead of Smith, Lammens and Hitchcock.

On the run to the finish, Lammens looked like he might steal the show by recognizing that the run was square and that an earlier gybe would put him on the layline for the boat. Smith soon followed, but Edwards looked like he had held out for too long. Fortunately for Edwards, his hotter angle and a general decrease in pressure across the middle of the track, meant that he was able to consolidate and take the win, followed by Smith, Lammens, Hitchcock and Girling.

Race Three – ENE 8 - 16 knots (Double windward leeward)
Race Three was started in a nice 15 knot breeze, still from the ENE. Smith was the first to show in this race out of the windward third of the line and he was quickly clear of the chasing pack. Edwards sailed a nice beat to follow Smith around the weather mark by a couple of lengths, with Lammens, Hitchcock and Girling in close attendance. (Sound Familiar)? Halfway down the run Smith gybed inside, while Edwards held on Starboard and managed to sneak ahead before the leeward gate. Another intense battle for the lead commenced, although Edwards was again just able to defend against Smith’s advances. On the run it was Smith who was able to turn on the after-burners and take advantage of Edwards’ over-lay to the finish to take the victory, Edwards was second, Lammens third and Hitchcock fourth. Girling was again fifth.

Sunday dawned bright and breezy as competitors were greeted by fifteen to twenty knot North-Westerly puffs that followed the passage of a cold front. There was flatter water inshore, but 2 miles out to sea, there was some good wave action as the fleet charged around before the start. The championship was still wide open for the top five boats with two races expected and only a four point spread between Edwards, the overnight leader and Hitchcock in fifth. Hitchcock, immediately closed the gap by dominating the first race.

Race Four – WNW 14 - 18 knots (Double windward leeward)
Race Four was started in a shifty, gusty NW wind of 14 to 18 knots. Smith won the pin-biased end of the line with a strong start, although his forestay attachment appeared to pull out of the hull, immediately removing him from any further participation in the regatta. Hitchcock had also made a good start ten lengths to windward of the pin and was the first boat onto port to take advantage of the first shift. Hitchcock dominated the first beat and was 4 lengths ahead of Edwards and Lammens at the weather mark. Chuck Poindexter, and Bear Hovey, Gerge Schimenti and Sarah Engleheart also sailed a good beat and were hot on the heels of the leading trio at mark one. The run was fast, shifty and fun, but there were few changes in position as Hitchcock protected and extended and Edwards and Lammens battled for second. At the last windward mark it was still Hitchcock, followed by Lammens and Edwards and that’s how they finished with Poindexter having a great race to finish fourth and Hovey, his best result of the regatta to finish fifth.

Going into the last race Edwards led on a countback from Lammens (without a discard) and these two were just two points ahead of Hitchcock. Girling needed a triple disaster from the boats ahead to have a shot at the championship.

Race Five – NW-NNW 5 - 15 knots (Double windward leeward - windward finish)
Race Five was started in decreasing winds from the NW of twelve to fifteen knots. Edwards won the pin-half of the line while Girling and crew took the boat end. Halfway up the first beat, the two converged, with Edwards ahead. However in achieving his objective of getting to Girling to plant a lee-bow, Edwards sacrificed valuable boat-lengths and when he tacked ahead of Girling, Girling was able to hold on Edwards hip, staying in-phase. Girling then broke back to the right and Edwards followed initially taking a gain, but again losing some ground as they arrived at the Starboard layline. Edwards should have closed the door on Girling, but tacked politely on the layline allowing both to lay the weather mark, a length and a half apart. Lammens and Hitchcock were in hot pursuit.

After the hoist it was Girling’s team who took the initiative, by gybing inside onto port for a better angle towards the leeward mark that over the following ten minutes became a 20 degree header in pressure that was slow to reach the boats behind and to leeward. At the port leeward gate, Girling rounded with a ten length lead from Hitchcock, with Edwards rounding the Starboard gate. Girling burned some lead in the first half of the second beat in the steadily decreasing breeze to maintain a controlling position, but managed to extend again at the top of the beat as both Edwards and Hitchcock took extra tacks above the Starboard lay-line. Meanwhile, Lammens had dropped out of the top five and was eagerly replaced by Chris, George and Tom Marx in fourth and Harcourt Schultz, Barry Allardice and Peter Ginz in fifth. Conditions continued to deteriorate with plenty of 5 knot patches to match the eight knot patches.

Up the final beat there were both significant left and right punches of pressure. The gradient breeze was unable to re-establish itself over the influence of the thermal that was pulling the action right. Girling diligently shepherded Edwards, Hitchcock and the Marx’s up the final beat but was never challenged (although the sound of the gun provided light relief). Edwards and Hitchcock did one last dance to give Edwards second. Hitchcock was third, followed by the Marx brothers and Schultz. Lammens sailed his discard.

So Wade Edwards and team are the 2004 Atlantic Coast Champions, with an impressive and consistent string of results over five races in a variety of conditions. (4,1,2,3,2). Hank Lammens was second, two points behind Edwards, Rob Hitchcock and Greg Hefler third, one point behind Lammens, Steve Girling was fourth, one point behind Hitchcock and Bear Hovey was a distant fifth.

A sincere thanks to the three great clubs that make Marblehead such a special sailing venue for one-design keelboat sailors and the Etchells in particular. The Corinthian, Eastern and Boston Yacht clubs were very accommodating to all of the visiting yachtsmen. A very special thank you to all of the staff and Nancy Parrillo and her team of volunteers at the Corinthian Yacht Club for delivering a first class regatta in challenging and constantly changing conditions.

The Etchells fleet is making plans to move south for the winter – there are already 50 entries for the Jaguar series at the Biscayne Bay YC in Coconut Grove, Florida. See you there.