September 17, 2016
This past Saturday, sailors from all around the East Coast (New Jersey) congregated at Toms River Yacht Club to compete in the M-Scow class’ most storied regatta, the Easterns. Although there were whisperings of a postponement, the wind responded by filling in quite nicely - an easterly breeze of about 7 miles an hour at the docks. Everybody was treated to bagels, doughnuts, and coffee courtesy of the yacht club staff, and 9 boats set out shortly after the 10am harbor gun. The late-summer weather was nothing short of beautiful.
Races followed the same template that everyone had followed throughout the summer: Windward-leeward, four legs, downwind finish. The wind funnelled down either side of the river, creating a relative dead-zone in the center of the course. These were challenging conditions to be sure. Our course was also shared by the Ensign class for their Fall Classic, adding some obstacles to take into account.
With a 3 minute start sequence being instituted, the first race started quickly. Everyone stayed relatively close to the line, which was itself on the short side for a 9-boat fleet. Most favored the left side on the first leg, but were careful not to stray too far left, for the outcroppings on the North bank of the river tended to kill all wind speed. After the first downwind leg, John Applegate strayed right instead, and was rewarded nicely with a 1st place finish. Following him was Doug Corbett (LA-5), who was using Tim Faranetta’s boat and sails, and Susan Rogers (BH-11).
The five races today were fairly short due to a smaller committee staff. An emergency in Seaside prompted Head of Committee and emergency responder Brian Gabriel to leave the start line and help elsewhere. The rest of the races were officiated by Scott Yates. Race 2 bore similar results, with John Applegate in 1st, Doug Corbett in 2nd, and Bill Warner (Z-4), who made an impressive comeback from an 8th in the race prior, clinched 3rd. He would stay towards the front of the fleet for the rest of the regatta.
It should be noted that there was no time allocated for a lunch break, though nobody seemed to complain. Instead, we fit in our midday meal before start sequences as we waited for the Ensigns to finish. The wind slowly built past 10 mph, though the middle of the course was still squirrely. Race 3 saw a new first place finisher this time around. Tom Welsch (LA-10) barely beat Curt Morton (LA-22) in the last downward leg for 1st place. Just behind was John Applegate receiving a 3rd. This race also saw some controversy towards the back of the fleet. Janet Davis (BH-15) and I (LA-24) were battling for an edge as the finish line neared. To counter them as they pressured us outside of the line, I reared back to jibe beneath, but only succeeded in hitting their stern, and sending them careening into the committee boat. I took the disqualification and retired for the day to collect myself, and assess any potential damage to my bow.
Race four continued without as many hangups. Whitecaps could be observed on the water in places, and the race resulted in Bill Warner in 1st, John Applegate in 2nd, and Tom Welsch in 3rd. This was the first and only time the top 3 in the regatta took the top 3 spots in a race (albeit out of order). Just goes to show how competitive this fleet continues to be.
The last race of the day was championed again by John Applegate, sealing away his overall first place finish by a wide margin. Behind him came Bill Warner, who similarly went on to take second in the event. Returning from mid-fleet was Susan Rogers for third place, making for very symmetrical results on her end. Tom Welsch, despite a 6th place finish, was awarded 3rd overall. On the final results, only 3 points separated 2nd place and 6th place. The regatta was bookended by the award ceremony and a plethora of pizza.
With that, the summer series is over. Even though the weather is getting colder, there is still the Fall Series and Chili Bowl at Manasquan River Yacht Club, which I fully recommend to all. More details for each will be posted here on our blog. Thanks to all who made this year’s Easterns happen, and here’s to another successful regatta next year!
- Jeremy Welsch (LA-24)
Full results can be found here:
