2007 Screwpile Special

Lin Mccarthy on Friday July 27, 2007 05:51PM

2007 SCREWPILE LIGHTHOUSE CHALLENGE SPECIAL
 
The Southern Bay Racers are home from Screwpile and what a Screwpile it was!  Great wind (mid-teens all three days) and stupendous parties in an A+ new venue.  LG Raley and his band of unrelenting, hospitality pumping, Mt. Gay Rum punching, race running volunteers hit the homerun of the year on the Bay.  Racers went at it full bore - a total of 8 races over 3 days packed into the post-breakfast to pre-party timeframe each day.  When you go to Screwpile, you go to race hard and to party hard, and those "needs" were met in aces. As Murphy would say, "EIGHT GEAR BUSTIN' RACES AND 4 KNEE WALKING PARTIES!" Here's some of what happened with our southern Bay contingent:
 
WAIRERE and MIDNIGHT MISTRESS WIN FLEETS AT SCREWPILE
 
First in PHRF 2 Fleet - Pete Hunter,Wairere, winner of Southern Bay Race Week this spring, added another significant trophy to his mantelpiece.  The Thompson 30 won 5 of the 8 races to walk away with the fleet title.   Another North Carolinian, Lloyd Griffin, brought Cash Flow, Hadley 40, in 3rd overall (2-4-3-2-2-2-2-5), a mere two points behind the 2nd place boat.  Leroi Lissenden's Tripp 38, Voodoo 2,  finished 7th in the 12 boat fleet.
 
First in PHRF NS Fleet - Jake and Pat Brodersen and the Midnight Mistress ( C&C 35) crew fought their way back from a downhill first day (1-6-8) to win an extremely competitive and well sailed PHRF Non-Spinnaker fleet.  Two points out of first at the beginning of Day 3, Mistress took a 4th and a 3rd to capture the top spot (1-6-8-2-1-1-4-3).   Black Widow, Leo Wardrup's Irwin 38-1, finished 5th in the 13 boat NS fleet (3-5-2-7-8-3-1-10 (pen).  The pretty black boat found the breeze and sea state to her liking.
 
In the PHRF 5 Fleet, David Eberwine and the Sea Star crew had a great regatta (1-2-2-3-2-2-1-2), finishing 2nd overall. When all was said and done, Sea Star was the only boat in the fleet to post a win (they had 2 wins, actually) over J. White's and Tom Ballard's nameless Beneteau 34, out of Annapolis.  Also, sailing in PHRF 5, were Alex Alvis' Chilcoot, (finished 7th overall) and Karl and Senta Petersen's Dehler 39, Valkyrie,  (finished 9th overall), in 10 boats scored.
 
White Boat, Dave McConaughy's J/30, staged a gritty comeback on the last day, coming from 4th place with 2 wins on Day 3, to finish 2nd overall in the one design fleet.  The Screwpile crew for White Boat included Rusty Burshell and various crew members from his J/30, Cool Change,  and, trimming the main on Day 3, Dave Gundlach, from Cyrano, (Bob Mosby's Frers 36, not at Screwpile this year).
 
In PHRF 9, Jerry and Andrea Lattell, finished 3rd overall in the largest Screwpile fleet (17).  Old School, the Lattell S2 7.9 had a string of (4-4-1-3-3-2-5-3) for the 8 races over the 3 days of demanding and fun racing. Schiehallion, Brad Miller's Beneteau 30, finished 10th overall in this fleet.  Both boats sailed out of Fishing Bay YC.
 
Sledd Shelhorse's Farr 36, Meridian 2, finished 3rd overall in PHRF 1, battling a southern Bay expatriate, Sanford Richardson's Kahuna, now sailing out of Annapolis YC, who took a 2nd behind Narrow Escape, a J/125.
 
Dennis Hannick, also a fleet winner in Southern Bay Race Week, brought his Tripp 26, Radio Flyer in 3rd overall in the PHRF 7 Fleet at Screwpile (3-5-5-1-4-2-1-3).  Dennis was 5 points out of the tie for first in his fleet between John and Linda Edwards' J/29 Rhumb Punch, and  Fleet and Overall Screwpile Winner, App-parent Tripp, Harrison and Yeigh, out of Annapolis YC.
 
Three J/105's from the southern Bay encountered tough competition in a 10 boat one-design fleet at Screwpile.  Brad Davis' Blade Runner, finished 6th overall, Inevitable, Moyer/Karn, finished 8th and David Clark's Corryvreckan, was 10th.   
 
Double Eagle, Sam Mitchner's J/109, finished 6th in the PHRF 4 fleet, and in PHRF 6, Greg Cutter, Gremlyn, Elliott 770, and Rob Whittet, Wavelength, C&C 37, took 8th and 9th respectively.
 
Beyond the racing there were other happenings:
 
Eddie Hornick, skipper of the J/105 Fleet winner, Veloce, said collegiate sailor (Virginia Tech), Andy Smith, handled the pit on Veloce, and that he did a great job.  Andy grew up around Fishing Bay. 
 
Patrick Ryan, who sailed on White Boat (J/30), celebrated his 23rd birthday and was serenaded at the Screwpile headquarters/party venue (Holiday Inn Solomons pool and patio deck) by a happy gang of off-key racer/singers.  Keep your day jobs, folks!  
 
The southern Bay relinquished the Battle of the Chesapeake Trophy this year.  Annapolis Yacht Club won the yacht clubs competition, winning over host Southern Maryland (2nd) and the defender of the trophy Hampton YC (3rd).  All the more reason for southern Bay clubs to mount a takeback-comeback for 2008!
 
Question:  How many racers can you fit in the Screwpile party venue swimming pool?  Answer:  All who topple in from the sundeck lounges and then some.
 
At Screwpile 2007, there were no throw-outs.   Every race counted and the racers raced all 8 like they did!
 
Dave and Carol Gundlach were at Screwpile as a stop on their own personal "Dance Around the Bay" summer tour.  Dave was shanghaied for racing as soon as his presence was discovered.  
 
Think about it -  there was a tiki bar at every point of the compass at the post-race party venue.
 
In the PHRF C fleet, on the first day of racing, one of each of the 3 Catalina 27s picked up the daily trophy for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place - a clean sweep.
 
Screwpile officials announced that the Holiday Inn Solomons, has offered to serve as headquarters and party venue again  for  the 2008 Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge.  So, think early ressies because Screwpile '08 is going to be a must on everyone's racing schedule.
 
Evidently the "weather gods" are sailboat racers.  The day after Screwpile, the wind lay down and the water went flat.  It's all in the timing...
 
Racers truly did come to Screwpile from all over the Chesapeake and some from beyond, e.g. North Carolina. 
 
Even the race management at Screwpile reflected a Bay-wide flavor.  Clarke McKinney oversaw all on-the-water action and the South Circle.  Clarke makes his home and business (Quantum Sails Loft) in the Solomons area and operates out of host club Southern Maryland Sailing Association.  Taran Teague was Principle Race Officer for the North Circle, is a long-timer at Screwpile,  and hails from the Annapolis Yacht Club.  John McCarthy was PRO for the West Circle and led a team comprised of mainly southern Bay race officials supplemented by Solomons area volunteers.  
 
MURPHY'S LAW:    Dear Readers,  Murphy, your racing beagle,  was unavailable for comment - last seen floating belly up in the pool with a rum drink in each paw.    /S/  Murphy the Racing Beagle, the sailing spirit in us all.
 
Fishing Bay Yacht Club
Office Mail: Fishing Bay Yacht Club, 2711 Buford Road #309, Bon Air, 23235,
Clubhouse Address: 1525 Fishing Bay Road, Deltaville, VA 23043 (no mail delivery)

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