For those who missed out this year, the Ski/Sail National (Intergalactic) Championships were April 19-20 in Lake Tahoe.
Claimed by some at the "Windiest Tahoe Ski/Sail National Championships ever," solid 30 knot puffs from the SW made for some fun steep waves on the north shore. Fortunately, the Tahoe City air was warm going on "balmy," despite early gusts that must have matched the water temperature. A guest appearance from Shane "I'm the only boat that didn't capsize" Wells made the event all the more entertaining. While everyone else flipped at some point, the fun of sailing in in big breeze on the lake was well worth it, and the racing was tight. The Vanguard 15s finished four races, with Kevin Richards and Sarah McNaboe in the lead after Day 1.
Margaritas were mixed on site courtesy of Laser Champion Luke, followed by a great party and band at Tahoe Yacht Club. The party included the requisite buying of shots for competing teams in hopes of causing them more difficulty the next day (well, maybe we were the only ones that tried that), boat races, and the passing on of the yellow suit to event founder Ralph Silverman this year.
The skiing took place on Day 2 at the Exhibition course at the base of Squaw Valley. Some of the ex-ski champions in the Laser fleet didn't make it out this year, so the rest of us (whose only "racing" experience consists of past Ski/Sail events) weren't embarassed as badly as usual. Chad and Adam won the skiing by slightly more than half a second, clinching the title for the event. Matt and Avery finished up in second, with Kevin and Sarah in third.
Congratulations to our 2008 Ski/Sail V15 National Champions Chad Gray and Adam Eichorn!
NorCal sailing generated an awesome 7 minute movie about the event! Check it out at http://www.norcalsailing.com/Ski-Sail-Nationals.html
And keep your calendars open for April/May weekends next year. Thanks to Ralph Silverman and Caroline McNally's planning, a great venue, and a fun crowd, it is well worth motivating to get up there for the event.
Avery
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