13 sailors qualified for the 2011 Interlake Traveler Series.  Congratulations to Scott Savage.  Scott is the 2011 Interlake Traveler Series Champion with a total of six points.  Steve Aspery finished in second place and Jeff Clark was not far behind in third place.  You have to sail in a minimum of  five Traveler Series events to qualify during the sailing season.  If you sail in more than five events we will score your five lowest scores.  See the final results at bottom of the page.

Think about traveling in 2012.

Final Results

Seventeen Interlakes from five clubs enjoyed a great weekend of fall sailing as the 2011 edition of the Poltergeist Regatta was held the first weekend of October.  The fall leaves were in full color and the Saturday temperatures were ideal with the Sunday temperatures rising as the morning progressed.

The wind forecast for Saturday was 10-15, with gusts to twenty.  The Poltergeist made his presence known was again this year.  He provided gusty conditions that spanned the complete wind range.  His gusty conditions even caused two boats to go over.

Our PRO, Steve Roeschlein, setup two lap windward-leeward courses.  He used as much of the north end of the lake as possible.  However, due to the wind being out of the northwest, the racing legs were a little shorter than normal.  However, this allowed him to start five races on Saturday afternoon.  This provided for several close finishes, as was most of the racing all day.

After the first day of racing the top five were as follows: Scott and Lynn Savage, with Jeff Clark, Tim Lohner and Cara Sanderson Brown in second, followed by Mike McClinchie, Bill Smith and crew Steve Aspery.  In fourth place was Jeff Jones and Will Jaquinde followed closely by Bob and Betsy Bradley and Darek Kizym in fifth.

After a warm shower, the competitors enjoyed appetizers, our traditional State Fair Pork Chop dinner and desert.  Our new ISCA Class President, Mike McClinchie, then presented those in attendance with a class update.

The Sunday morning chill quickly warmed as the sun appeared and burned off the fog.  The breezes grew to about six knots.  This provided the PRO the opportunity to setup and complete two more windward-leeward courses.  The top five teams did not change but the standings did.

As the boats were being put away, a chili lunch was being prepared.  Following lunch, was the trophy presentation.  The first place trophy went to Scott Savage who maintained his lead.  With his first place finish in the first race Sunday morning, Jeff Jones was able to move up to second place. Mike and his crew were able to maintain their third place standings.  Bob was able to move up to fourth and Jeff Clark finished fifth a bad start in the first race Sunday morning.

Hopefully, all who attended went away satisfied having had seven great races and plenty of good food.  We missed all those who could not make it this year and a hope to see all of you next year.

By Don Wilson

Congratulations to Marion Zaugg and Seth Parker for winning the 2011 Mohican Haphazard Regatta.

final results

16 boats came out for Mohican Sailing Club’s Haphazard Regatta September 10 with six members and ten visitors.  Winds were light and variable with a threat of thunderstorms.  Stewart Fitzgibbon set a gated windward leeward course for a NNW wind.  The first race took more than an hour and a half to complete with several wind (what wind?) shifts during the race.  At one point we found ourselves tacking to get upwind to the leeward gate and several times we were left wondering whether we were moving at all.  At the start of the second race, we heard thunder and the winds began to pick up. Our race judge had brought his iPad on board the committee boat and was able to determine that the thunder was passing a fair bit to the north.  There was a steady rain for most of the race, however with the rain came the wind and we had the best racing of the day.  The third race was back to light and variable having shifted a little more to the west.  What was that scum at the windward mark, anyhow? I don’t think I saw a single boat that didn’t have a long black stripe along the length of the hull.  At the start of the fourth race we had some barging that resulted in a monumental log jam at the start.  Winds were extremely light so there was no damage in spite of the fact that many of the boats made contact with each other.  One protest was filed but later withdrawn.  An interesting side note on the fourth race. Dan Reiber was sailing on a borrowed 1132 which was missing a spinnaker halyard.  Dan attributed his 2nd place standing in the fourth race to the fact that he was not using a spinnaker and was therefore able to better respond to the windshifts in the light air.

Portage Yacht Club – 2011 Hot to Trot

Pictures - http://www.ms-pyc.com/sailing/results/2011_racing/htt/photo_gallery/index.htm

August 27th at Portage YC was absolutely beautiful.  Hurricane Irene was wrecking havoc on the east coast but southern Michigan had sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70′s.  At noon the only thing missing was wind.  By 1pm the wind started to fill in from the north and the PRO sent us out to get some sailing in.

At Portage you need to remember to clear your board and rudder periodically of see weed or pay the consequences.  Team Aspery (Steve and David) had two bullets in the first two races.  In the last race Team Savage (Scott and Lynn) got across the line first.  Overall the top three went;

1.  Scott and Lynn Savage

2. Steve and David Aspery

3. Bill O’Donnel and Brian Hawkins

Final Results

Thanks to Fleet 22 for a great regatta.  The fleet is always so friendly and welcoming.

2011 Interlake National Champion – Matt Fisher 

Final Results

The AP flag went up at 9.30 am and remained up until 12.30pm,when three horns were blasted bring our national championship to a close.  After the boats were put away we had a blast enjoying the BLYC pool and poolside “beverage station”!  BLYC is the only club on the Interlake circuit with a pool!  Sure would be nice to see some other clubs get pools.

Matt Fisher sailing with Stu Fisher and Brett Freeman won the 2011 Interlake National Championship.  Matt Fisher and his crew sailed an awesome regatta.  At the awards banquet Matt continued to show his class, thanking BLYC, giving props to the hard work done by Stu and Brett, and acknowledging the amazing talent and skill of the competitors.  Congratulations and well done Matt, Stu and Brett!!!!

Well more writes up to follow on 2011 Interlake Nationals Regatta.  Stay tuned..

Third day of Interlake Nationals was outstanding both on and off the water.  The breeze for the first race was in 5-10 mph range out of the west.  The remaining three races had wind out of the west-southwest between 15-20 mph with gusts a little higher.

The Championship fleet had three different winners in the 4 races today.  The racing was tight, fast and most of all a blast.  After the boats were put away for the day many competitors spent the late afternoon poolside at the BLYC pool.  We have one more day of sailing and our annual banquet and awards later in the day.

Top 10 Championship places thru July 29th

Skipper                  Pts *

1. Matt Fisher            23
2. Scott Savage           26
3. Jeff Clark                36
4. Steve Apery            42
5. Sjierd-Jan Vanderhorst    43
6. Bryan Parker          44
7. Ernie Dieball          48
8. Bob Bradley             59
9. Marion Zaugg        61
10. Jim Ward                62

Championship Division – Twitter picture of results

Challenger Division - Twitter picture of results

Second day of the Interlake National Regatta.    Today the Championship Division and Challenger Division got under way.  If you were at BLYC today, you already know what a great day we had on and off the water.  The wind at the start of the first race was around 8 mph and increased quickly to about 15 mph with gusts to 18 mph.  We have 25 boats competing in the Championship Division and 11 boats in the Challenger Division.

There are so many story lines from the racing today I am not sure where to begin, and plus I have to get up in six hours again and it do all over again!!  My only commentary is the Buckeye Lake Yacht Club Burger is AWESOME.  I honestly don’t make commissions on each burger sold, but seriously you gotta try one.

Championship Division – Twitter picture of results

Challenger Division - Twitter picture of results

Interlake Nationals began on July 27th at Buckeye Lake Yacht Club (BLYC).  First a great big thank you to the host fleet #40 and host club BLYC.  The local support at BLYC has been fantastic.  Future result postings will follow on the class website, and the next Intercom, Class newsletter, will include a full report.

On July 27th we had the Women’s Championship and Junior Championship.  The wind conditions were slight and variable under very sunny skies.  As the day went on he wind continued to lay down.  The race committee did a great job to get in one race.

Women’s Championship Results

Sail#   Skipper and Crew                                        Club

1. 1332    Betsy Bradley, Becky Vardian                 JRSC
2. 840     Tracey Davis, Tami Schroeder               BLYC

The annual LSYC One Design Regatta was held on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at Lorain Sailing & Yacht Club on the shores of Lake Erie. Four races were held for the seven Interlakes, five Jet 14’s and five Star boats. The weather was beautiful with winds between 10 and 12 mph. Please join in the fun next year. Results for Interlakes were:

Indian Lake YC as always was a fabulous host for their two day regatta.  We all arrived to sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 80′s.  The temperatures on Saturday got up to 90 degrees.  Let’s just say we had light wind from multiple directions but primarily out of the south.  We had a shortened course with a downwind finish.  In the end Scott Savage finished first after nearly 90 minutes of racing.  Bryan Parker was second followed by Jeff Clark.

On shore we had a blast.  Little kids including some adults were swimming at the beach.  Others were enjoying nice cold beverages.  Dinner of course featured the famous fish fry.

On Sunday the wind was again extremely light.  Steve Apery banged the left side on the upwind leg and was out in front from start to finish.  Bryan Parker was again second and close behind Team Aspery.  Scott Savage finished third.

Overall for the Regatta the top five finishers were;

1. Scott and Lynn Savage
2. Bryan and Tiffany Parker
3. Jeff and Alex Clark
4. Steve and David Aspery
5. Jeff Jones and Will Jay

Final Results

Northern Michigan anytime of year is beautiful, but add in sunny skies and temperatures in high 70′s and you have perfection.  Grand Traverse Yacht Club and Fleet 38 hosted the Great White Northern Championship June 25th and 26th.  While sailing on the west bay of Grand Traverse Bay I quickly remembered why I enjoy this venue so much.

Saturday we had varying wind conditions from 0-12 mph.  I learned what happens when you experience a persistent wind shift.  If you know what I mean, then you also know that my compass said I was in great shape heading to the windward mark, but before I knew it I was last around the mark.  If you don’t know what I mean, do a google search on persistent wind shifts.  In the clubhouse after six races Bob Sagan was out in front, followed by Jack Coleman and Jim Menzies.

On Sunday we awoke to glassy like conditions on the bay.  By 10am some thermal winds kicked in and then a mild sea breeze settled in.  The race committee did an excellent job of getting in two races!  Top three places remained unchanged from Saturday after eight races.

It was great to sail and hang out with everyone.  If you missed it, make plans to travel North next year.

Final results

The George Fisher Memorial was again held over father’s day weekend.  We had 24 boats in the event.  Fleet 24 at Hoover SC was a gracious host as always.  We had 5 different boat cross the line first during the regatta.

Saturday afternoon had the AP flag up for a couple hours while a slow moving thunderstorm rolled through central Ohio.  I can not quite recall who, but at one point a sailor was lobbying to go sailing by running around with a wind meter in hopes of persuading the RC to go sailing. Around 3pm the race committee dropped the AP flag.  Easterly winds on Hoover Reservoir usually mean one thing, light and variable, and the southeast wind were definitely light.  In the end Scott Savage and Rick Savage took first place.  Jeff Clark and Rob Moorman finished second followed by Gary Savage and Christie Whitt.

Saturday night the

On Sunday we all arrived at the club to less than 1 knot of wind.  It did not look good for sailing.  Then 9am came and the wind turned on.  We had 5-7 knots out of the south. The race committee did an excellent job managing to run 4 races before 12pm.  In race 2 – Matt Fisher and Amanda Fisher finished first.  In the third race Scott Graham and Matt Givens made it look easy and finished first.  In the fourth race Steve Aspery and David Aspery got out in front and stayed there wire to wire.  In the last race Jeff Jones and crew Will won the race in impressive fashion.  Special congratulations to Jeff Jones, one of two George Fisher Boat Grantees for 2011.

So with five races in the books the throwout written into the sailing instructions became a major factor.  After the tabulations Matt Fisher and daughter Amanda won the regatta.  Well done Team Fisher and very fitting for this team to win this event!

Final Results

The weather forecast for the 2011 SSC One-Design Regatta looked ominous, which lead to a smaller turn-out then expected.  However, seven Interlake teams arrived on Saturday morning to typical Sandusky Bay conditions, sunny skies, and a fantastic day of racing.  The first two races were held in 12-17 knots of breeze, and the team of Surge & Kathy Vanderhorst showed off their great boat speed and boat handling in the windy and lumpy conditions winning the first two races easily.  Out of town guests Don Wilson with his two sons as crew were also extremely fast in these conditions posting excellent finishes in the big breeze.  The next three races were raced in 5-8 knots of breeze as the wind and waves began to subside as the day went on.  The next three races were closely contested between Surge/Kathy Vanderhorst, Wes Blazer, and his collegiate rock star crew of Rachel Austin, and Jim & Jayme Ward.  The lighter conditions allowed Jim & Jayme Ward to slip by the Vanderhorst team to claim the overall title by a single point.  Wes Blazer and Rachel sailed very well, and took home the hardware for third place.  After racing, drinks and great food were enjoyed at the newly remodeled SSC bar, and beautiful engraved silver plates were awarded to the top three boats in each class.  We are already looking forward to the 2012 event, so please mark the SSC One-Design Regatta on your calendar for next year!

Final Results
1st  - Ward
2nd – Vanderhorst
3rd - Blazer
4th – Presley
5th – Sanderson
6th – Wilson
7th – Malott

Jolly Rogers Sailing Club held the Cattail Regatta on June 4th, 2011.  Fleet 4 did everything right including excellent sailing conditions.  We had nine Interlakes along with other one-design classes participating in the regatta.  Jolly Rogers was also the host to the Junior Travelers Series – Inter-Lake Yachting Association (I-LYA).  It was fantastic to see so many juniors, coaches, parents and families enjoying the great magic of sailing.

The race committee ran three great races.  Sailing conditions again were excellent with sunny skies and temperatures just over 90 degrees.  The Dieball team of  Skip, Laurie and Meghan made it look easy with three bullets.  The Bradley team of Bob Bradley, Betsy Bradley and Jeff Eischen came in second overall with scores of 2, 4 and 2.  The Marriott brothers, Tom and Tim, came in third overall with scores of 3, 6 and 3.

Back on shore the good times kept rolling.  It was nice to hang out with everyone.  Then it was steak time.  I assume some had the chicken, but seriously those steaks were great!

Final Results

The racing was tight all weekend with a lot of good battles throughout the fleet.  Scott Savage and his brother Rick Savage had three bullets on Saturday.  That evening while enjoying some beverages on the deck at LYC there a couple themes as sailors recapped the day of sailing; all were very exhausted and sailors kept saying boats ahead would get a big puff or lift, but they never saw it.  True to Leatherlips lure, you had to sail the wind you had, sail the wind bouncing of the trees, and attempt to keep in phase with the wind shifts.  On Sunday Steve Aspery, Dave Aspery and Connor Smith showed everyone how it was done and landed the last bullet of the event.

Top Five Results:
Skipper                Crew                                                          Scores
1) Scott Savage        Rick Savage                                             1-1-1-2 = 5
2) Steve Aspery      David Aspery, Connor Smith                2-2-3-1 = 8
3) Carolyn Tanner  Dick Evans, Cindy Elmore                    3-11-4-4 = 22
4) AJ Savage            Jill McCaughan                                      7-3-10-3 = 23
5) Jamie Jones         Joe Hurst, Alyssa Singer                     4-12-7-5 = 28

Final results

If you have any pictures from this year’s Chief please send them to webmaster@interlakesailing.org.  I will post a photo album under our photo gallery.  Did you know in the lower left hand corner of your photo gallery you can select different albums to view?  Continue to check back.

The next regatta in the ISCA Traveler Series is May 28-29 PRSA Spring Regatta at the Potomac River SA in Alexandria, VA.  After this event it is onto Jolly Rogers for the Cattail Regatta on June 4th.

2011 Midwinters (Davis Island YC – Tampa, FL)