2008 Gull Lake Tulip Time Tune-Up

26 boats arrived for the annual Tulip-Time regatta. For most, it was the first event of the year. For others that raced in Miami, they were well beyond “tuned-up.” Rick Brethorst sailed Bacardi Cup and the World Championship in Miami; I am surprised he still has a job. Many sailors were sailing different boats and different sails. Jon VanderMolen, Rick Brethorst, and I were flying Doyle Sails for the first time. Jud Smith runs the Doyle One-Design loft and he and Mark Mendelblatt designed the sails. Mark finished seventh in the Worlds and was the top American team.

Afterwards, Jud convinced me to try them out. Well, I did and I liked how they set up and, more importantly, how they performed this weekend. Now, we are selling Doyle Sails as part of Jud’s team; more on that later.

There were plenty of pleasant surprises; Mac Waldorf was on hand with Darin Jensen sailing Philippe Kahn’s specially made Lillia, Jon VanderMolen uncovered a beautiful boat designed by Marc Pickel called the P-Star, no smart remark necessary about the name… the boat was white by the way. Greg Smith and Todd Gay were sailing new Lillias. Pat Londrigan actually sailed a race. Two of the best sailors in our District over the last twenty years hit the line; Peter Wright and Rob Maine. And, teams from Aspen, Detroit, Florida, Los Angeles, Canada, and Paw Paw showed as well. Yes, the Paw Paw representative was Gene McCarthy and no, he is not dead.

Friday was warm and beautiful with moderate winds. Most spent the day tweaking their boats over a beer and getting ready for Saturday. The practice race was won handily by Jon VanderMolen and Steve Ticknor, the buzz was that everyone wanted to race with Jon’s new P-Star that he is developing here in the United States.

Saturday ushered in strong breezes from the NW ranging from 12-20 mph. It is difficult to set up the boat for such a wind range but Steve and I agreed to present the boat for the more moderate breeze and hike hard and make temporary adjustments for the gusts. The pin was favored on the first start and Rob Maine, who has been out of the boat for two years, fought for the pin and nailed it. The adrenaline pumped and teased him into port tacking the fleet if not for any reason that other than “he could.” But he couldn’t. A few boats into the glorious “I’m back BABY” statement, he had to flop back onto port. Before the race, Rob came up to me to confirm that the rules till provide one circle for hitting the mark and two for a foul. In retrospect, it was a prophetic question.

Later in the first leg, Rob and Mike continued to try and cross on port, this time Jim Babel and Bill Hawk had to duck Rob and Mike; some gnashing of teeth ensued and Rob turned his first two circles since 2006. We rounded in first with Peter and Dan Wright in second and Todd Gay and Jesse Paulson in third and that is how the race remained.

The second race brought additional wind and it was clear that the wind would only continue to build throughout the day. Steve and I established a nice lead until the last leg when we jibed towards the finish but Jon VanderMolen and Steve Ticknor stayed on starboard. They went on a wild ride. They started a hundred yards behind, when they were done they were a hundred yards ahead of us. We saw their keel multiple times and I thought that they would never keep the boat on its feet all the way to the finish. Jon and Steve kept it together and won the race. We finally got their wind as we were jibing towards the finish… we had to tack and almost overshot the line. Who was it that said “timing is everything”? One thing is certain; the P-Star is designed to take off in the high wind rages downwind. Way to go Jon and Steve; keep up on your premiums though.

The third race posed winds that were a steady 15-20 mph with gusts that were higher. Ross Adams made quick work of the first beat; Steve and I were in second trying to catch up. The run shortened two masts significantly but it looked like we would get room on Ross and his crew, the prolific George Lucas. If Ross’ crew is George Lucas then what Star Wars character would Ross best portray? Discuss amongst yourselves. I will take a poll at the District Champs.

I tried to yell for room but I am sure Ross could not hear because of the wind but it made no matter, as soon as I uttered “room”, Ross surfed ten boat lengths ahead. Oh well. Behind us, boats were enjoying “super-happy fun rolls” all the way down the leg. (“super-happy fun rolls” sound more pleasant that the often used “death roll” term).

Ross and George protected the right side on the last beat and pushed us to the left. Fortunately, the wind turned a little left and we passed the Millennium Falcon. While Ross groaned and George was working on the sequel for Sunday, Pat Londrigan and Mike Marhzal almost slipped in at the finish.

We were all tired but still found the strength for dinner and few cocktails at the golf course dinner. However, Jack Rickard’s crew Tom Ferrier wasn’t as hungry as the rest of us. Tom insisted on eating his lunch while sailing the upwind legs on Saturday. Tom’s talent must be on a steep spike to be able to eat, spread the mayo, and work the boat to weather. I know Jack was impressed.

Sunday brought stronger winds but they were a wee bit steadier. Peter and Dan Wright quickly established a lead and refused to provide anyone a passing lane. I feel this type of sailing and attitude is a bit fascist and unsportsmanlike. Why can’t Peter and Dan leave a little crack in the door, aren’t we all friends? Steve and I were second and Rick Brethorst and Bob Carson moved up to third.

Steve and I won the last race. Peter and Dan were second and Rick Brethorst and Bob Carson were third.

Doyle Sails were used by me, Jon VanderMolen and Rick Brethorst. Rick only used them on the last day only when he scored two thirds. It seems that the P-Star and Doyle Sails are both quality products, at least on Gull Lake and in high wind ranges. Rick and I have decided to sell the Doyle Sails in the Midwest and will post them on the site today, please call if you more questions. Jud Smith and Mark Mendelblatt seemed to have a done a good job creating a quality product.

The top five final results were:

Tom Londrigan, Jr./Steve Cutting
Peter Wright/Dan Wright
Ross Adams/George Lucas
Jon VanderMolen/Steve Ticknor
Rick Brethorst/Bob Carson

Thank you Gull Lake fleet for another excellent event and quality Race Committee work.