2009 Caz Flash Bash Lightning Regatta - Hallagan wins a close one

The 2009 Caz Flash Bash Lightning Regatta was held over a soggy Fathers Day Weekend.  Willowbank Yacht Club in picturesque Cazenovia New York hosted the 19 boat regatta and certainly did their best to prepare crews for potential heavy air... the food was endless!  Dick Hallagan, Pam Murphy, and Rick TenEyck won the regatta on a tie breaker over Jed Dodge, Bill Stuart, and Sarah Costich.  Cazenovia local ace Federico Meira took a tight battle for third over Bob Wardwell in fourth and Bob King in fifth. 

Sailors were greeted Saturday morning with the promise of a very rainy weekend.  Sure enough, the weathermen got this one right.  Race one was started in a light southeasterly breeze with PRO Dave Bull setting a nice square line allowing everyone to get away cleanly.  I was sailing with Bob King and Bill Healy aboard the famous blue boat, and we decided to try and play the eastern shore thinking that was where the puffs would come from with this breeze direction.  We won the pin end of the start and led the fleet to the left, being the farthest left actually.  At the windward mark our plan had paid and we led the fleet around.  We held onto this lead for the remainder of the race and took the bullet with Dick Hallagan taking second.  The dying breeze made for some very tricky sailing and it was very easy to go from second to deep... in fact that happened on the last leg to one unlucky boat.  After the first race the fleet headed in for lunch and to await more breeze.  

After lunch the lightnings all headed out for two more races in a slowly building rain.  The wind had shifted more easterly and the course was set for a long port tack.  This cut down on some potential passing lanes, but in Cazenovia you are never out of a race.  I wish I could comment on the happenings at the front of the fleet in this race, but we spent the entire race trying to climb back from the depths of the fleet. We had a spin a 720 for a port starboard incident at the start and never caught that lucky shift that so often comes at Caz.  Bob Wardwell with Mike Healy and Danielle Powers took first.

The third race was sailed in very similar conditions to the second in a more easterly breeze.  We had all intentions of sailing the middle of the course on the upwind but wound up pinned on the left for a long port tack.  This turned out not to be the place one wanted to be and we rounded third to last at the windward mark.  We were in good company with Bob Wardwell hot on our heals coming out of the left.  As the race went on we kept crossing paths with Wardwell, but luckily both of us were steadily climbing the leaderboard to finish in the top 6.  Tricky Dick Hallagan went on to win the third race.

Sunday morning greeted all of us sailors with more rain but with some breeze.  The fleet set out for a 9:30 start and PRO Bull got off another clean start.  A large left shift hit the fleet about ten seconds before the gun and Dick Tuttle came flying off the pin end of the line on port to lead the entire first leg.  Those who were able to tack to port early fared best in this race.  The fleet rounded the windward mark and a thick layer of fog began to settle on the race course.  I'm sure lots of compass numbers were being thrown around on boats trying to guestimate where the leeward gate was.  As the race progressed the fog continued to thicken and many boats couldn't find their way around the course.  As the lead boats were approaching the finish line after sailing 4 3/4 legs the race committee decided to abandon the race and send the fleet back to shore.  Jed Dodge was likely the most unhappy camper about this move as he was leading the race and thus would have been leading the regatta.  We were battling with Clay Murphy and team for second and third and I know there was some disappointment on our boats as well.  

As the 11:30 deadline for starting any races approached, the fog continued to linger.  Boats were pulled from the regatta and Saturdays standings held.  Willowbank Yacht Club then treated the rain soaked sailors to a cookout lunch and awards ceremony.  All in all it turned out to be a great weekend on the water despite mother nature's best attempts to foil the plan for fun.  This is a very challenging venue to sail at where consistency always wins, as evidenced by Hallagans and Dodge's finishes.  To compensate for the challenging conditions, Willowbank provides sailors with a beer fairy to clear your mind after a frustrating race.  The regatta is worth attending for the beer fairly alone, and most definitely worth the drive when you factor in the tight racing, challenging tactics, great people, and endless food.  Results will be posted as they arrive online.  There are some great pictures (including the three seen on this page) posted at the Willowbank Website.  If anyone has any additional details please post them as a comment after this entry... I know I'm missing lots of good information.