2016 Soling 1Meter “CanAm Challenge” Regatta – Stowe, VT
by Charlie Berry

The 8th Annual CanAm Challenge Regatta for Soling 1M’s was held in Stowe, VT on July 30 & 31. The event drew 28 entries this year, 20 from the USA and 8 from Canada. The small turnout from Canada put them in a nearly impossible position for the team scoring this year. We’ll work to get a better team balance next year. We ran two-fleet racing under the Odd/Even system, which works well with the regatta’s theme: “A Friendly Cross-Border Rivalry”. The racing was based on individual performance but we also scored the two countries by taking the top 5 skippers from each country for each race. In this manner, any sailor could help out his country by scoring in the top 5 for their team in any given race.

The Race Committee set us up with windward/leeward race courses. Winds were light & variable for Saturday and the RC managed to run off 20 heats (10 races), allowing for 2 throw-outs. At the end of the day, Jim Goddard (12 pts) held a slim lead over Colin Mosgrove (14 points) and Doug Jones (16 points). That evening, the Commodores Inn held a buffet dinner for the sailors & guests. Clark Abbott of the Stowe club purchased a large bottle of wine for each table, which definitely extended the evening’s festivities. Thanks, Clark!

The forecast for Sunday was light rain with nearly no wind. Fortunately, the weather turned out way better than that forecast. The first three races were held in very light & variable conditions, but things improved for the final three races. The wind picked up from the SW, providing good moderate conditions to wrap up the regatta. The RC ran 6 races before we finished up for lunch & awards. In what continued to be a close battle throughout the regatta, Colin Mosgrove held off Doug Jones, for 1st and 2nd places respectively. Bruce Nourjian finished 3rd, Jim Goddard finished 4th (the top Canadian finisher), and Don Ouimette rounded out the top five.

The Team Award once again went to Team USA. And the chant, yet again, from Team Canada: “Wait ‘til next year”. This reflects the camaraderie that has been firmly established in this “friendly cross-border rivalry.” While this event began virtually as a Halifax vs. Stowe challenge, it has grown to include a number of different clubs in both the USA and Canada. We are all looking forward to next year’s event – with a better team balance.

Summary Version:
Event: CanAm Challenge Regatta
Class: Soling 1M
Date: July 30 & 31, 2016
Location: Commodores Inn, Stowe, VT
Host Club: Stowe Yacht Club (#159)
Entries: 28
Winds: Light & Variable
Races completed: 16 (32 Heats)
Scoring System: Two-Fleet Odd/Even; Low Point
Regatta Committee: Charlie Berry, George Dean, Rosemarie Fitzhugh, Bob & Suzan Letwenski, Louise Townsend, Kim Montcalm

2016 Soling 1M CanAm Challenge: Top 10 — 16 Races (32 Heats); 3 Throw Outs

 

Others (in finish order): John McKinney, George Townsend, Fred Goebel, Graeme Welch, John Martin, Clark Abbott, Peter DeWolfe, Tim Stone, Rick Wakeman, Julian Whittaker, Jose Montcalm, Jim Linville, Dan Masessa, Ed Goodhue, John Simms, Phil Tonks, Mark Whitehead, John Rankin.