Florida State Sunfish Championship
April 14-15, 2007
The Florida State Sunfish Championship was held at The St. Petersburg Yacht Club April 14 and 15. Forecasted storms and high winds for the weekend scared some sailors into staying home. Those who competed were rewarded with ideal conditions on Saturday. Sunny skies prevailed and five races were sailed in diverse winds.
The first two races were held light, shifty wind from the south. An in-coming tide made for long, tactically challenging up-wind beats. The race committee, chaired by Rear-Commodore Bob Johnson made course adjustments to keep up with the changing conditions. As the forecast storm front approached, the wind strengthened to 10 knots and the current slacked for race three. Races four and five were held in 15 to 22 knots. Competitors had an opportunity to de-power their rigs in the short interval between races, while the race committee shifted the location of the starting line. This 15 minute break was the longest of the day as the race committee kept to their plan of firing off races as efficiently as possible. Races lasted from 35 to 55 minutes and by the completion of race five, all racers were tired and ready to be returning to shore.
Dinner at The St. Petersburg Yacht Club was attacked by starving sailors, who enjoyed the hospitality of the Club. Competitors discussed the sailing conditions and had an opportunity to compare tuning techniques over an Italian buffet.
Sunday, the forecasters were proved to be accurate, with storms and high-winds closing local bridges and requiring the race committee to abandon racing for the day. None the less, the five races which had been completed gave the sailors a wonderful regatta in great conditions. David Mendelblatt of The St. Petersburg Yacht Club won the event with James Liebl and David Hartman traveling from the East Coast of Florida to finish second and third, respectively. David Hartman was top Master. Lauren Whitehurst, who races for the University of South Florida sailing team, was top Woman. Other St. Petersburg Yacht Club sailors included Karen Park and husband, Colin Park (racing in his first sunfish regatta). Race Committee Chair was Rear-Commodore Bob Johnson. Jury Chair was Judy Hanlon. Scorekeeper was Beth Pennington. Next year’s Sunfish State Championship will also be held at The St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
|
Pl |
Sail # |
Skipper |
From |
Subg. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
T |
|
1 |
79320 |
David Mendelblatt |
SPYC |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
(2) |
1 |
4 |
|
2 |
76188 |
James Liebl |
FL 69 |
|
2 |
2 |
(5) |
1 |
2 |
7 |
|
3 |
79323 |
David Hartman |
WBSC |
Master |
(8) |
6 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
15 |
|
4 |
80095 |
Fred Hutchinson |
ESC |
Master |
3 |
(5) |
4 |
4 |
4 |
15 |
|
5 |
3504 |
Reid Hutchinson |
St. James City |
Master |
5 |
(9) |
2 |
5 |
5 |
17 |
|
6 |
95119 |
Colin Park |
SPYC |
Master |
7 |
3 |
6 |
7 |
(13\DNC) |
23 |
|
7 |
88450 |
Lauren Whitehurst |
USF |
Woman |
4 |
4 |
7 |
(13\DNF) |
13\DNC |
28 |
|
8 |
27777 |
Paul Odegard |
BLS |
Master |
(11) |
7 |
8 |
6 |
7 |
28 |
|
9 |
79298 |
Cindy Taylor |
Titusville |
Woman |
6 |
8 |
9 |
(10) |
8 |
31 |
|
10 |
80247 |
Kevin Pierce |
ESC |
|
10 |
10 |
(11) |
9 |
6 |
35 |
|
11 |
7 |
Karen Park |
SPYC |
Woman |
12 |
12 |
10 |
8 |
(13\DNC) |
42 |
|
12 |
79709 |
Georgie Kelchner |
CGSC |
Woman |
9 |
11 |
12 |
(13\DNF) |
13\DNC |
45 |