2004 59th Mission

Reported by Rick Brethorst

 A little history about the 59^th Mission Regatta; Ken and Sue Fox run this regatta every year for the Racine Star fleet.  Ken’ father, Jim, was a pilot in WWII and successfully flew 58 missions.  Jim was an avid sailor and Ken has been a longtime star sailor.  The regatta is a tribute to Jim.  Every year the Western Lake Michigan fleet sails Jim’s 59^th mission for him. 

 This is usually a fleet regatta.  But, with the District Champs being held in Racine next weekend, it was a chance to get some boats from the rest of the district to participate and get tuned up for next weekend.

 Many of us sailed in Wilmette the previous weekend.   Chris and Mickey Nielsen were nice enough to move our boats from Wilmette to Racine for us.  Friday, we found our boats waiting when we arrived. 

 Saturday morning greeted us with 7-12 mph wildly oscillating winds from the west.  I put my boat in on Saturday morning.  I was tied up next to this old Folli with a two-tone deck.  I looked at the sail (CZH 7333), I looked at the condition of the boat, and I was feeling pretty good about myself sailing 8111.  Both the skipper and crew were speaking a foreign language I could not identify.  The skipper proceeded to put on some yellow gardening gloves as his sailing gloves.  I was feeling even better about myself.  CZH 7333 was Milos Laznicka and Marco Gauthier.   Like many others, I was making a big mistake underestimating them.

 The first race got underway and I learned a good communication skill right away.  Mark Lewis had a new crew sailing with him this weekend, Martin Stensnes and there was a language barrier between the two.  Apparently, the word jib does not translate well into other languages but screaming it repeatedly at the start does.

 My crew Bob Carson and I got out to a good start and were able to round the weather mark in first.   As a courtesy to our competitors, we quickly turned on the flashing rear hazard lights on our boat.  With the proper lighting, the others sailors knew we were moving slowly and that they should pass us on either side, which they did.  I stopped counting at 7 boats.  Todd Gay and Jon Klerk got in the lead and sailed a great race to take the gun.  Chris and Mickey Nielsen were second with Tony Hermann/ Tom Berger third.  I finished 9^th, two places behind CZH 7333. 

The second race got underway with some rules discussions between several boats.  Of course, the words “Jib, Jib, Jib!!!” were heard in the background.  Somebody even called me a “fucker”.   The breeze was starting to lighten from the first race and Milos and Marco (CZH 7333) took the gun.  I was learning, like the rest of the fleet, just how good these guys were.  They weren’t bangers but sail a technically solid race limiting their mistakes.

 The third race saw a breeze that was continuing to lighten.  We rounded the first mark with a gang of Milos, Tony Herrmann,  Todd Gay, and Jeff Schaefer.  There were several luffing matches downwind.   At one point, as Jeff started to head up over Tony, he was warned.”  You don’t want to go there.”  I encouraged Jeff to go “there.”   I also told Tony that Jeff, “wanted to go there”, but Jeff wisely headed down.  Jeff eventually rounded the mark in first.  Pat Londrigan commented to me at the end of the day that he couldn’t figure out the right way to go all day.  The right way became apparent to me on the second windward when Bill Joyce and the mint green colored deck crossed the fleet from the left.  

I managed to take the lead from Tony downwind and hold on for the finish protecting the “mint green left”.  Milos came from 5^th at the leeward mark to finish 2^nd.  After the first day there was a three-way tie for 1^st between Milos, Jeff Schaefer, and Tony Herrmann.  We were 4 points behind them kicking ourselves for that first race.  As I was sailing in, I started exploring the possibilities in my mind of stargear.net selling gardening gloves.

 At dinner that night, I found out what a great guy Milos is and just how good a sailor he is after he told stories of his Soiling campaigns.

 Sunday’s forecast was for 7-12 mph from the south.   The fourth race got off in about 5-6 mph.  Half the fleet went “mint green left” and half went right.  “Mint green” was favored.  However, most of the boats over stood and could not see the mark.  We were sailing a fixed course this weekend and the marks were not the easy to find.  We were all about the “mint green” too but we didn’t overstand.  We rounded the mark in first followed closely by Heitzinger, Schaefer, Gay, Milos and Hermann.   Heitzinger went high and passed me right away. Schaefer took the low road.  Apparently Kent got confused and tried to round the mark in the center of the course almost t-boning Schaefer.  At the leeward mark, it was Schaefer, Gay, myself, Milos and Hermann.  Schaefer ended up holding on for the win.  Up the beat, Pat Londrigan found the "mint green left" and passed 5 boats to get second.  We ended up third followed by Milos and then Gay.

 The fifth race started with a general recall and a building breeze.  Schaefer had the lead by 3 points over Milos.  Right at the 2^nd start, Schaefer went to sheet in and the mainsheet knot in the back came untied.  Jeff was now holding 85ft of mainsheet watching the fleet sail away.  We were deep and never recovered.  At the windward mark, the wind shifted and it was now a parade to the leeward mark.  Another tight reach to the windward, another reach to the leeward, you get the picture.  Milos ended up winning the race and the series.  Jeff restrung his mainsheet and came back to finish 8^th.  

Thanks to Mickey Nielson and the Western Lake Michigan fleet for running a great event.  The districts are in Racine next week.  About 30 boats are expected, should be very interesting.