2005 Bacardi Cup

Report By Tom Londrigan Jr. 

Bacardi Cup Days 4,5,6

Since Day three was a bust, the Race Committee decided to start us early on Wednesday with hopes of completing two races.   As chance would have it, we benefited from balmy sixty-degree weather and a hearty 20-knot wind.  The wind also brought its share of puffs for those who wanted a chance to see if their keel has any blemishes.  Since we were all dying to try out our spray tops, we were blessed with a fine bit of rain.  The boys from England (Beadsworth, Carr and the Hicks) must have felt right at home.   In fact, Beadsworth felt so comfortable in his surroundings that he would rather not bother with waiting in the line at the dock and usually sailed right up to the hoist.  Good show man.  Brilliant!

The first race of the day brought a fifty-degree shift off the start.  I told Chris to relax because this race would surly be cancelled when a fifty degree shift hit from the other direction.  Anyway, the two races are a blur to me now.  I was cold, wet, and tired.  Most of the other sailors felt the same and only a spot of whiskey from Betsy seemed to bring relief.  The next morning I was aching and reaching for the Motrin.  It is beyond me how the older sailors, you know who you are, do it everyday. 

 The fifth race started out in 20 knots of breeze.  As we were sailing out to the course and licking our wounds from the previous day, Chris remembered that he would like to wear the hiking vest when sailing upwind.  As luck would have it, the hiking vest was smarter than us and took the day off.  It was lying in the sun all day on the trailer… lucky bastard.  On the first beat, one of the leaders, Howard Scheibler forgot to stay in the boat and went swimming, he recovered quickly and still sailed a good race. We rounded in 16^th, moved up to 12^th at the next rounding, then 8^th at the next windward mark and tried to act cool for the photographers (see below).  We never hike this hard normally.  We finished 10^th and Chris deserves a lot of credit.  He stayed over the side of the boat all day without his beloved vest.  And, he did this after the physical beating we took the day before.  Good show man.

 Going into the last day.  The vest was required to spend the night inside the boat, bound and gagged.  Of course as luck would have it, the race did not call for use of the vest until the second beat.   Mark Mendleblatt and Mark Strube were tied with Peter Bromby and Rick Peters, Howard Schiebler and Anson Stuckey had an outside chance to win.  The sixth race started with the crews in the boat.  I was on the right side of the course with one other boat, Schiebler and Stookey.  We were all by ourselves.  The sign floating in the water read, “Welcome to Cornersville, Population 2”  (usually it says “Population One”, so we felt a little better this time around).  As I was ducking Howard’s transom, he asked, “Do you believe in God Tommy?”  I said, “sure.”  Howard then suggested that we start praying.

 Our prayers were answered and we both crossed the fleet.  Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube must be closer to God because he went to the left side of the course and crossed both of us.  What he hell! 

Mendelblatt and Schibler fought it out around the racecourse, meanwhile Peter Bromby and Rick Peters were on a stealth campaign to get back into the race from around 20^th.  By the second beat they were right behind me in 7^th.  I tacked on them, inadvertently and I received a mouthful from Rick Peters.  Scheibler and Stookey won the race, Mendelblatt and Strube won the regatta and I was worried that Peter Bromby may not want to see me when I visit his home in Bermuda this summer.  I immediately went over to apologize to Peter.  I said that I didn’t see him and if I did see him then I would never have tacked on him.  Peter squinted down on me and smirked and said, “I would have done it to you, mate.”

 Thanks to Tito Bacardi and Bacardi Rum, good show man, brilliant.

Bacardi Cup Day Three:

Races were cancelled, too much wind, with that in mind we will give you a few stories from the first two days.

After the first day, Gull Lake sailors Jim Babel and Bill Hawk soared to first place.  They were involved in a collision that resulted in a hole evidenced in the photograph below.  Babel and Hawk retired from the race claiming that they could not race with the hole in their boat. 

Anyway, Babel and Hawk were given redress and awarded average points and since they had not completed a race, their average points were zero.  Welcome to the leader board boys.  Yesterday, they finished 21^st and their average dropped to 21^st.  I spotted them enjoying a cocktail with their wives at Wet Willie’s in the Grove.  Jim said redress is tricky.  If they receive an OCS this week, then the OCS will be computed into their average score when calculating their score for the first race even though the OCS will be ultimately is discarded.  Did you follow that?  As a result, Jim and Bill’s aggressive starting tactics have faded.  Also as a side note, all of Wet Willie’s drinks are made with grain alcohol (153% alcohol by volume).  I’m not sure what to make of this fact nor am I sure the Babels and Hawks were even aware of this fact.

Someone expressed surprise as to how well Arthur Anosov is sailing.  However, Arthur is unmatched in his ability to work up a Starboat hull and make mechanical modifications.  He sails more than most amateur sailors and it’s paying off for Arthur.  After the race was cancelled today.  The boats were put back on the trailers.  Not Arthur, the main went up and he and his crew Dave Caesar went out to practice in 30-knot winds.  Do you still wonder why Arthur is sailing so well?

Yesterday, I sailed by a coach’s boat.  The coach was conferring with his pupil and said, “You know, there are lots of things I can teach you and there are lots of things I can fix, but I can’t fix stupid.”  Wow, there’s a confidence builder for you.  I now know that a coach will be of little help to my program.

Bacardi Cup Day Two:

Everyone placed the letter “Z” on their mainsail today in honor of Frank Zagarino.

The forecast was worthless today.  We enjoyed an hour postponement on shore then started paddling out to the course.   The wind was slowly drifting across the course from 155 degrees.  We started anyway.

With about 30 second to the start I found my crew, Chris Wallner, in the skipper section of the cockpit rummaging through our gear in the back compartment… doing what, I have no idea!  It reminds me of when Terry Bowman was approaching the leeward mark leading a North Americans race when he noticed his crew, Rick Rundle, was reading “Easy Rider” magazine on the foredeck without a care in the world.  As they whizzed by the mark, Terry suggested to Rick that sailing upwind with the pole up was less than efficient.  I was not as patient.  I barked at Chris, “what in the hell are you doing”?  He was getting a sugar packet for that extra burst of energy.  Meanwhile, the other boats decided to go ahead and start racing.

The wind was light, crews were on the low side.  We snaked up the middle and enjoyed the sun and sugar high.  I looked at Bill Allen and Brad Lichter and commented on how it was just like sailing on Lake Springfield minus the 75-degree temperature, blue water, and dolphins swimming along side.  Lake Springfield is the same but the air feels more like a cafeteria worker’s armpit, the water is like a bad bowel movement, and maybe a dead pig will float by if you’re lucky.

We rounded in 12^th.   I looked for our friend Jon VanderMolen but his trademark “happy face” on his mainsail was nowhere to be seen.  Yesterday, the jury drove up to his boat on the downwind leg and demanded that he remove the advertising from his sail.  Jon and his crew Steve Ticknor thought they were being penalized for kinetics and objeted to the accusation.  Ever the honorable sailor, Jon did two circles anyway.   Today, he realized it the jury’s comments were about the “happy face,” so it was removed.  I think I heard Steve mutter, “fascists.”

Vince Brun developed a nice lead with locals Augie Diaz and Arthur Anosov in chase. The wind continued building until the crews were over the side again… where they’re meant to be.  Vince held on easily. 

Tomorrow’s forecast is for 30 knots.  I suggested that Gene McCarthy might want to install a defibrillator in his boat if he sails tomorrow.  He didn’t disagree.  If I am doing poorly tomorrow, I’ll be the first to come to his aid and then file for redress. If I am dong well, then it was just Gene’s time to go.  The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Bacardi Cup Day One:

The day started with news that beloved Frank Zagarino passed away..  We miss and love him.  Several sailors had the letter “Z” displayed on their sail in tribute to Frank and his family.  Godspeed Frank, we will miss you.

 The VanderMolen family has been successful in variety of professions but now their efforts are directed towards sailing.  Jon and Tom have been at it for a while.  The brothers have always professed that their little brother Jim was the most talented.  However, Jim spends a lot of time an effort golfing and almost qualified for the Tour.  This year Jim bought Ross MacDonald’s boat 8168.  After racing today, the VanderMolen boys were talking of the summer sailing schedule and the conflicts with the golfing schedule, suddenly Jim said, “f#*ck golf.”  You could hear a pin drop.  Jim was now, as they say in poker, “all-in.” 

 Three VanderMolen brother sailing star boats; I recognized the dynamics after 25 years of Londrigan brothers racing stars.    After years of Londrigan brothers bickering and infighting… it was time for a break.  In fact, I was looking forward to history repeating itself. But, I was the only one to hold up the Londrigan brothers’ honor!  I was the bag man.  For where are’t though Pat?   For where are’t though Joe? 

The forecast was from the North at 8 knots and then slowly shifting to the right and dying. The weather gurus were right about the shift and wrong about the velocity.  We tried two times to start, but to no avail.  The third time was the charm.  We bowled off the line with speed and in front of the entire fleet… brilliant!

 We followed the weather report, and went right.  We were the first boat to the right side of the course.  Of course, we didn’t realize that we were also over the line early and therefore disqualified.  No wonder it seemed so easy.  A little tack to starboard and we were off to first place.  Late in the leg the wind went 20 degrees to the left, our little tack to starboard seemed to last a lifetime….the lucky bastards on the left rounded the weather like it was a walk in the park.  Argyle Camblell rounded first.

 We rounded 15^th.  I asked my Chris, my crew, to look and see if were posted on the chalkboard as a premature starter.  I don’t like being premature and shooting out early.  It is a disappointment to all.  I think of baseball and usually all is well. Chris said that no boats were listed on the board.  So it was time to go to work.

 Downwind, no big shakes, upwind was the same.  The next leg was downwind.  I jibed soon and Eric Lidecies laughed and said I coming with you… and he jibed with me.  Eric is six foot ten and sailed well at Bacardi last year, as well as outside the weight limit.  But, back surgery and new baby has put a hitch in his giddy-up.  Eric rounded the first mark in 55^th place… the poor bastard.  The next downwind leg he was next to me… and passing me… I think I need back surgery and new baby.  Maybe, I am the poor bastard.  He finished 16^th.  I was disqualified.

Eric and his crew Mark Marzahl passed 35 boats to finish 15^th.  I was black flagged and received a last place score.  My sorrow was eased when I spotted Glenn McCarthy wearing tube sock stretched up to his kneecaps.  Maybe, everything is not so bad.  My wife arrives tomorrow and I don’t own white knee socks.

 Our friend Howard Scheibler and Anson Stukey won the race.   Mark Mendelblatt and Mark Strube rounded the first mark in 18th and finished second.  They are teaming up in the Star and will be formidable.  Strube is a champion in many classes and Mendelblatt sailed the laser for the United States in the Olympics.  We are on the bandwagon.  How about you?