Tag Archives: Virginia

Southern Bay Racing News You Can Use #611

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An independent weekly publication of southern Chesapeake Bay racing happenings.  Founded April 2000.

Try sailing -­‐ it’s NOT easy! -­‐ Bill Schanen, SAILING Magazine

 LANCASTER VA, Oct. 9 -­‐   Turkey Shoot Regatta 2012 is in the books.

William McClure sailed his San Juan Thistledowne to a berth at the Hospice Regattas National Championship at St Petersburg FL on April 13-­‐14, 2013.

Bill is one of 84 racers who had a bucket of fun racing for two days while supporting local hospices.

The Turkey Shoot, at award-­‐winning Yankee Point Marina, enjoyed a picture perfect day on Saturday. The racing on the Rappahannock River featured steady breezes in the low to mid-­‐teens.  Only at the end of the race that the building breezes was an indication of what was to come.

On Sunday rainy skies and dipping temperatures, but still great sailing wind, were the order of the day for the traditional staggered-­‐start pursuit race.  The hardy Turkey Shooters tore down the river toward the bridge and then up the river toward Urbanna, before heading back to the mouth of the Corrotoman and the finish line.

Both days, the tall ship Godspeed played among the fleet and sailed, yes, sailed, all day long with her “smaller friends.”  It was quite a demonstration of seamanship, a fitting Columbus Day tribute.

After the racing, music was played, food and drink partaken, and plenty of sea stories exchanged under the regatta tent.

LIGHTNING DIVISION (5 boats)
 William McClure (Troy VA)
Thistledowne.

FLYING CLOUD A DIVISION (42 boats)
C Fleet and Division: Peter Knight
(Lancaster VA) Salute.
D Fleet and Winner of the Wooden Boat competition: Ric and Sharon Bauer (Aylett VA) Desperado.
E Fleet: Joran Gendell (Williamsburg VA) Elixir.
F Fleet: Deidre McSweeney-­‐Tyson (Irvington VA) Curlew III.

FLYING CLOUD B DIVISION (37 boats)
G Fleet and Division: Frank Murphy (Norfolk VA) Last Boat III.
H Fleet: Mike Conroy (Weems VA) Cahoots.
I Fleet and winner of the Most Beautiful Boat Trophy: Mark Powell (Richmond VA) Lodestone
J Fleet: Tom Watkins (Irvington VA)
Dolce.

Event Chair Karen Knull; Principal Race Officer John McCarthy; Signal Boat Mike Thompson; Mark Boats Tommy Ash, Ed McChain and Jim Young;  Official Scorer Anna Mulvany.

Complete results at www.turkeyshootregatta.com

2011 Turkey Shoot Hospice Regatta – October 7-9, 2011

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HOSPICE TURKEY SHOOT REGATTA’s 16 th year on Virginia’s Rappahannock River.  Each year more boats qualify as “classic yachts.”

Thanks to our Sponsors.
Yankee Point Marina, for making the whole thing possible.
Latell Sails Deltaville, for all the streamers we use on all the boats.
West Marine, for use of their Marks
Premier Sailing School, for the website and the water taxis and the rescue boats.
Rappahannock River Yacht Club for the mark boat and crew.

 

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Area Turkeys Flee Regatta –Turkey Shoot Hospice Regatta

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Apparently afraid of being shot, hundreds of turkeys along the Rappahannock River flew inland as 140 skippers and crews competed in the 14th Annual Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta. According to gobbler spokesperson Gladys Feathers, reached at her roost in a small wooded area adjacent to the Yankee Point Marina in Lancaster, the birds’ unprecedented action was a direct result of stress. “We’re tired of living in fear” Ms. Feathers is said to have clucked. “And we don’t enjoy having our intelligence questioned.”

Regatta officials, surprised by the vehemence of the bird’s reaction, were at a loss to explain it. “We’re an avian-friendly group” they advised. “And the regatta has always been open to turkeys.” They noted that most participants admired turkeys, did not carry rifles onboard and, in fact, felt a special kinship toward the birds. “We think of turkeys as our friends,” one official noted. “Many of our captains party with them.”

As the controversy raged, regatta officials noted that participation – and fun levels – in this year’s Turkey Shoot had reached an all time high. Bob Fleck in Horizon and Frank Murphy in Last Boat III took the top spots and will have their names added to the prestigious Virginia Spirit Hospice Cup. As winner of the Lightning Division, skipper Fleck from Hardyville, VA, won the right to represent the Turkey Shoot next year at the National Hospice Regatta in Rochester, NY.

School children on Godspeed.

Initially, wind conditions trumped sailing skill and rigging, and more than one skipper had to withdraw from the race and limp back to shore on the first day. Successful captains, happily exhausted but eager to celebrate their survival, reported winds that were “crazy, intense, desperate, unpredictable, even scary – but oh so beautiful.” Officially, wind speed on the first race day ranged from 13 to 20 knots, with higher gusts.

The opening race also tested rescue skills of Yankee Point Marina’s Molly B and her gallant skipper Ken Knull who retrieved Dr. Lee Williams from the water. Dr. Williams tumbled in after successfully dodging the boom onboard his 24 foot Raven sloop Poe Bird. The 84 year-old doctor declined Knull’s offer of a blanket and proceeded to get back onboard Poe Bird and finish the race. (The next day when asked how he was, the now dry doctor quipped that he had put his swimsuit on.) Dr. Williams and his crew went on to prove that perseverance does pay by finishing second in Fleet F.

Vistors on Godspeed

The first-time sailing crew of Frenzy, an all-woman nursing team from Riverside Hospices under skipper Julie Austin of Merrypoint, also proved their mettle by returning to sail on day two after a crew member had succumbed to seasickness on day one. (Medical assistance on this boat was never an issue.) The Frenzy’s crew, Christel Earles, Ann Rubio and Anita White, did a fabulous job of fund raising and added over $3,000 to the regatta’s efforts, making them the top fund raising boat, followed by Jim Charbeneau in Mrs. C, and Charlie Costello in On Eagle’s Wings.

On day two of the race an early brisk wind died suddenly, stranding slower boats far enough away from the finish line to ensure that they couldn’t make it back across in the official time allotted. Emphasizing its power over man and canvas, Madame Wind then winked, smiled and blew harder so that ten boats did manage to finish.

Among these, skipper John Haracivet in Midnight Rider beat out David Alexander in Don’t Be Blue for a very close second place. It’s not known if skipper Alexander was indeed blue, but he shouldn’t have been. Also, it appeared as if Haracivet had the whole city of Gloucester onboard, and at least one Midnight Rider crew member had traded in his baseball cap for a lucky red and white afro wig. Another, possibly the captain himself, clad in bikini-imprinted tee shirt, did a crowd pleasing, half shimmy at the helm while circling the paddle wheeler Vivian Hannah.

Resplendently decked out in red, white and blue, the elegant Ms. Hannah steamed in from her home port of Dahlgren, VA, with owner and captain Stan Palivoda at the wheel. Inside, 26 imported Swarvoski crystal chandeliers sparkled in celebration as the split paddle wheeler transported regatta watchers back in time to the grand old days of steamship travel on the Mississippi. The Vivian Hannah was a joint gift to the spectator community from Captain Palivoda and Karen and Ken Knull, owners of the Yankee Point Marina.

Desparado, a 1953 Hinckley in mint condition, won the Most Beautiful Boat Trophy for skipper Ric Bauer of Fishing Bay Yacht Club. Unfortunately, the Wobbly Compass Trophy, sponsored by the Riverside Health System, could not be awarded because its contenders were among the boats unable to complete the pursuit race in time. (Some had to wobble in via motor.)

The Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta is for classic, monohull sailboats whose design is at least 25 years old. The race is held on the Rappahannock each year in October. It is the major fund raising event for Hospice Support Services of the Northern Neck, Inc., and the Riverside Hospice Agencies of Tappahannock and Gloucester. To register for next year’s Turkey Shoot or to see more race details, go to hospiceturkeyshootregatta.com.–Ellen Dugan, Publicity Chair, Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta

Cupid Bags Two at Turkey Shoot Hospice Regatta

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Never a ship sails out of bay but carries my heart as a stowaway.
Georgia Poet Roselle Mercier Montgomery 
 

      As the warm, gentle breeze of romance replaced racing wind in this year’s pursuit race of the Hospice Turkey Shoot, Cupid took aim and fired at least two well-placed arrows.  One of them hit Linda Meneghini, a former crew member of Helen Quinby’s Avalon II.  The other lodged firmly in the heart of Captain Joe Waters, skipper of Birthday Party. 

      “It was his blue eyes that did it,” said Linda.  As she spoke she threw up her hands in a mock display of surrender to the inevitability and unpredictableness of love, as if to protest that there was truly nothing else a girl could do under the circumstances.

      The circumstances, like race results generally, are somewhat murky.  But apparently the romance was originally kindled by an unfavorable, or at least unprintable, story concerning Joe’s behavior during a previous Turkey Shoot. 

      It’s not known if the Avalon II was actively involved, but since the story’s narrator was Linda’s long time friend and sailing mate, Captain Quinby, one suspects that it was.  In any event it should be noted here that Turkey Shooters, no matter how high or low their PHRF rating, have been known to become seriously aggressive while racing, and occasionally even boisterous.  “It has something to do with their hair color and muscle tone as well as the size of their sails,” according to psychiatrists who study these things.

      Usually the aggression is not serious enough to warrant medical attention according to these experts, and it dissipates completely with a cold beer when the race is over.

      But to get back to Cupid’s mission.  Following the presumably unfavorable story, Linda contacted Joe, perhaps out of curiosity or maybe because she had seen his blue eyes?  We’re not sure of Linda’s motivation, but in this area we must respect her privacy.  Once contact was made, well, what is there left to say?  Like a jib and a mainsail, the couple clicked.  First on the Internet and then in real life. 

      Now the two will be sailing through life together as man and wife, captain and first mate onboard the Birthday Party.  According to Joe, Linda “controls the water.”  And according to Linda, Joe “controls the boat.”  So between them, everything will be under control on their way to Lexington, SC, Joe’s homeport.

      Linda and Joe were married following the conclusion of this year’s Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta at the Yankee Point Sailboat Marina in Lancaster.  Among the guests were friends from South Carolina and Virginia including long time race participant and a previous Turkey Shoot winner, Lee Williams.  Lee, you might remember, is the captain of Poe Bird who fell overboard in last year’s race.  “They duck taped me into the boat this year,” he said.


   
   While Linda and Joe were busy getting married, race officials under committee chair John McConnico, were even busier.  They worked steadily throughout the afternoon and well into the evening, tabulating, double-checking and then re-tabulating race results.  With eyelids held open with toothpicks, they continued working late into the night and well into the next day.  According to one bleary-eyed volunteer, no one had told him that shift work would be involved. 

      But when all was said and done, the results showed that Joe had won this year’s Lightening Division.  He will represent the Turkey Shoot in the National Hospice Regatta.  Skipper Bob Fleck in Horizon placed second, and Aerwana, skippered by Billy McCarty, was third.

      In the Flying Cloud Division Scuba Kat, skippered by Michael Chesser, placed first; Ladybug with Skipper Ned Crocket, second; and Skipper Peter Knight in Salute, third.

      Among long-term rivals, Skipper Wayland Rennie in Trilogy placed first in the Green Fleet less J-24s; and Poe Bird under Skipper Lee Williams won in the Blue Fleet.

      The Hospice TSR is held each year to benefit Hospice Support Services of the Northern Neck, Riverside Hospice Agencies, Inc. of Tappahannock and Walter Reed.  According to TSR committee member Karen Knull all monies raised in the Turkey Shoot go to support services for local hospice clients.  “Funds are raised locally and used locally,” she said.

      For a complete listing of race results, go to turkeyshootregatta.com.  For a report on how Linda and Joe are doing, wait until next year’s regatta.  “We have to come back for our anniversary,” they said. 

Godspeed to Highlight Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta – Oct. 8-10

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“It’s official,” exclaimed Karen Knull at a recent meeting of this year’s Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta Committee.  “The Godspeed is coming!”

Karen, who with husband Ken, runs the Yankee Point Sailboat Marina in Lancaster, has been working tirelessly on getting the famous 17th century sailing replica to visit Lancaster to help celebrate this year’s regatta.  “I’m so excited, I can hardly wait for it to get here,” she told fellow committee members after learning that all her hard work had finally paid off.

Noting that the Godspeed is a re-creation of one of the three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia, committee chairman John McConnico congratulated Karen on securing the attraction.  “This is wonderful news,” he said.  “A great way for children and spectators to learn more about our history and to actually see what it was like to sail back in the 1600s.”

Karen nodded in agreement, then leafed through her yellow-ruled pad, looking for – and finding – a specific note.  “So far, we’ve scheduled tours onboard the Godspeed for Chesapeake Academy students and for fourth graders from Northumberland and Lancaster,” she smiled.

The Godspeed, along with replicas of the Susan Constant and Discovery, are mainstays of Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia that is located adjacent to Historic Jamestowne and operated by Virginia’s Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.  During race week the Godspeed will sail into the Chesapeake Bay and up the Rappahannock River (second week in October; regatta is Oct. 8, 9 and 10).

The Yankee Point Sailboat Marina in Lancaster will be the Godspeed’s third port in her four-voyage schedule of maritime participation and educational outreach programs this year.

“She won’t actually be competing in the regatta representing 17th century boats,” laughed John, “but a lot of other ‘younger’ boats will be there.”

The Hospice Turkey Shoot is a famously fun regatta that discriminates against new designs and levels the sailing field for old ones.  To participate, a sailboat must be a monohulled.  Technically, the boat itself can be newer than the last twenty-five years, but its design cannot.  There are no specific rules governing how old captains, first mates, and crew can be, or how well designed they are, as long as they’re able to avoid running into each other and can get to the starting line on time.

Traditionally, the race is held during the second Saturday and Sunday in October because that is when the wind gods are most receptive to pleas from becalmed sailors.

A one-of-a-kind delightful event, the Turkey Shoot is the largest regatta on the Southern Bay and the largest Hospice regatta in the nation.  “It’s also a major fund raiser for Hospice services in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula,” said one committee member.

This year will mark the regatta’s fifteenth anniversary.  “We’ve been hosting the Turkey Shoot a long time, and it’s a lot of work,” said Karen.  “But,” she added, “There’s just nothing like it.”

Editor’s Note:  The regatta’s website is:  turkeyshoot.org.  If you would like to sail in the regatta, schedule a Godspeed tour, or make a supporting donation to Hospice via the regatta, you can also contact Karen Knull at 804-462-7018 or Karen@yankeepointmarina.com.  She will answer marina-related questions as well.

Hospice Turkey Shoot Regatta – Oct. 10, 2010

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The Hospice “Turkey Shoot” Regatta is more than just another sailboat race. It’s a series of events that brings sailors and non-sailors together to enjoy the beauty of sailboat races and support a good cause — Hospice!

The regatta is being sponsored by Hospice Support Services of the Northern Neck, and Riverside Hospice Agencies, Inc. of Tappahannock and Walter Reed.

The regatta, an annual event on the Rappahannock River, began in 1989 as a project of Chuck Harney, a wooden and classic boat enthusiast, and John McConnico, then the owner of Yankee Point Marina. In 1996 the Turkey Shoot became a benefit event for Hospice Support Services of the Northern Neck and in 2003, the Riverside Hospice Agencies joined.

The Turkey Shoot Regatta has become a major attraction drawing over 100 vintage and classic boats of all designs, including the skipjack, once the workhorse of Chesapeake Bay watermen and now approaching extinction.

In 2008 the Turkey Shoot Regatta and the Maryland Governors Cup Race were voted Best of the Bay in the regatta category by Chesapeake Bay Magazine.

The regatta is open to fiberglass or wooden mono-hulls with designs that are at least twenty-five years old.

How can such a diverse collection of boats be arranged in classes for racing? Over the years regatta officials have evolved some very practical methods.

By using a combination of published PHRF ratings, design measurements, previous performance data and common sense, they handicap boats into reasonably equivalent groupings called fleets. Each boat flies a colored ribbon from its backstay indicating its fleet.

The fleets are grouped into two divisions—Lightning and Flying Cloud.  The former is for those skippers who want their weekend to include all out competition.  The latter is for those who desire “friendlier” competition.

On Saturday, the yachts will race around a traditional triangular course and on Sunday they compete in a pursuit race which takes handicaps into account up front, allowing the slowest boats to start first.

Trophies will be awarded to winners in each fleet. The two division winners will have their boat names inscribed on the Virginia-Spirit Trophy. In addition, the winner of the Lightning Division will be invited to compete in the annual National Hospice Regatta competition in 2009.

The Riverside Health System is sponsoring two trophies in the Sunday pursuit race. The Wobbly Compass Trophy will be awarded to the first wooden boat to cross finish line.  The Riverside Trophy will be awarded to the first boat to cross the finish line with one or more Riverside Health System staff members aboard.

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HAMPTON ROADS HOSPICE REGATTA – May 22

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Sat. May 22 – Feather wins HAMPTON ROADS HOSPICE REGATTA. It could not have been a better day for sailing in Hampton Roads harbor, and the Hospice racers did just that Saturday.
The proceeds from the regatta go to area hospice organizations. A number of participants give beyond their entry fee to the cause. This year Hospice recognized Dave Alexander as having raised/donated the largest amount.
RESULTS: PHRF A (4 boats) – 1.Phil Briggs, Feather (J36); 2.John Blais, Stardancer (Beneteau 367); 3.Christian Schaumloffel, Mirage (Hobie 33). PHRF B (5 boats) – 1.Dave Taylor, Wham Bam (Andrews 27); 2.Andy Armstrong, Virginia H (Soverel 30); 3.Greg Cutter, Gremlin (Elliott 770). PHRF C (5 boats) – 1.Pete Wallio, Not So Blue (J/22); 2.Bumps Eberwine, Spray (Olson 25); 3.Mike Veraldi, Quicky (J/24). PHRF Non-Spin (3 boats) – 1.Rudy Lotz, Faith (Seahorse 34); 2.Larry Bryant, Whisper (Hunter 37). Principal Race Officer – Glenn Giles; Mark Boat – Bill and David Gibbings.

Sat. May 22 – Feather wins HAMPTON ROADS HOSPICE REGATTA. It could not have been a better day for sailing in Hampton Roads harbor, and the Hospice racers did just that Saturday.

The proceeds from the regatta go to area hospice organizations. A number of participants give beyond their entry fee to the cause. This year Hospice recognized Dave Alexander as having raised/donated the largest amount.

RESULTS: PHRF A (4 boats) – 1.Phil Briggs, Feather (J36); 2.John Blais, Stardancer (Beneteau 367); 3.Christian Schaumloffel, Mirage (Hobie 33). PHRF B (5 boats) – 1.Dave Taylor, Wham Bam (Andrews 27); 2.Andy Armstrong, Virginia H (Soverel 30); 3.Greg Cutter, Gremlin (Elliott 770). PHRF C (5 boats) – 1.Pete Wallio, Not So Blue (J/22); 2.Bumps Eberwine, Spray (Olson 25); 3.Mike Veraldi, Quicky (J/24). PHRF Non-Spin (3 boats) – 1.Rudy Lotz, Faith (Seahorse 34); 2.Larry Bryant, Whisper (Hunter 37). Principal Race Officer – Glenn Giles; Mark Boat – Bill and David Gibbings.

HOSPICE REGATTA for Greater Hampton Roads – May 22nd.

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HOSPICE REGATTA for Greater Hampton Roads – THIS COMING Saturday, May 22nd. Hampton Yacht Club runs this annual regatta and offers all PHRF classes as well as a Hospice fleet. The course is multiple lap windward-leeward, sailed in Hampton Roads Harbor. Post-race festivities include a keg and steamed crabs at the HYC docks for all competitors. The proceeds from this regatta are donated to Hospice Regatta of Greater Hampton Roads.

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For information, please contact regatta chairman, Glenn Giles, (757) 851-9690.