Those who lay abed will long regret the great regatta that they missed. We admit to being blown out Friday - gusts to 45 - but Saturday was a lovely 18-22 with gusts to 30 in sunshine and 50+ degrees. And then Sunday - although we had to wait until eleven to get the sea breeze, it came in beautifully - 5-8 for the first race and a grand 12-14 for the second!

Michael Dietzel is the new champion - the first time that we have had a Bavariian Champion! But he had to break a tie with old reliable Manfred Kanter (both had two firsts, one second, and one third! - but only Michael had a fourth !! Third was Andy Dize - once again the top American! - who beat his fellow American, Stu Walker, by a boat length to lead him in the series and win the final race.

The first race Saturday had the big oscillating shifts one expects in a northwester and was mostly 18-20. After a mixed first leg the leaders sorted themselves out on the run with Manfred Kantler well ahead. Stu Walker followed Manfred in a lift to the right and they found a nice header below the layline, went around the weather mark, 1-2, and finished in that order with Tom Mitchell 3rd and Michaael Dietzel 4th (the fourth that won the regatta!).

The second race presented the strongest wind of the day. I remember rounding the weather mark in a 30 knot gust and wondering whether I really wanted to set the chute - but the crew already had it up! Manfred led after the first beat withTom Mitchell, Stu Walker, Andy Dize, and Michael Dietzel trailing. On the second beat the three blind men in Stu’s boat managed to collide with Michael - and propel him into the lead! (while Stu, doing his turns, fell to 6th). At the finish it was the Peripatetic Bavarian, first; Manfred, second; Andy, third; and Tom, fourth.
In the third race - a five-legger - the leaders - Manfred, Terry Booth from Nova Scotia, Michael, Andy and Stu pulled well ahead of the rest of the fleet after two rounds and at the final leeward mark were overlapped in that order. Stu broke off to the left on what seemed the lifted tack (only to find that the llft was just beginning) while the other four went right with Mafred holding the lead easily and all finished in the order they had rounded th leeward mark.

At the end of the first day Manfred was well ahead with a 1-2-1, Micheal was second with a 4-1-3, Terry third with 5-5-2, Stu fourth 2-6-5 and Andy fifth 7-3-4.

We waited on the water for an hour and a half for the sea breeze (telling war stories), but it finally filled in and we started race 4 in about five knots from 150 degrees. The locals reckoning that it often veered farther to 160 tacked and went right and died in the lighter air nearer shore, while the visitors not having that local knowledge went off the favored port end into more wind. Henry Thomas, also ignoring the local knowledge, went with Michael and Manfred and these three led around the weather mark. Andy and Stu closed on the run but could never catch the front three. Michael won - his second victory - with Henry second, Manfred third and Andy fourth.
In the finale with the wind up to 8-10 at 155 degrees, Stu took the heavily favored [in, stopped the boats astern, tacked to cross the flet and led around the weather mark. But Henry was close behind (again!) and he, Michael and Andy were inside at the leeward mark. On the second beat Andy, Michael and Stu Stu pulled away . As they started down the run, Andy led with Michael and Stu close astern. They rounded the final leeward mark overlapped. Stu caught Michael and, believing that Andy was not laying, dipped his stern and racked for the mark above him. At first the windward position looked good as everyone below would have to tack for the line - but the wind gradually lifted and Andy worked a boat length ahead. As they finished Michael was able to shoot the heavily favored port end to nip Stu and win the race!


Complete Results

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Article wrote by Stuart Walker and read by 1270