Thanks, Steve! Group photos:
https://goo.gl/photos/EMRpd1gpqfDH74GE7
Sorry, no time to filter, so there are lots. Choose your own!
Adam
On Mon, Oct 24, 2016 at 7:25 PM Steve Kleha <skleha at gmail.com> wrote:
>> *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
>>> *Vanguard 15 Champion Emerges on Stormy NorCal Weekend*
>> Inverness, CA -- As the Vanguard 15 fleet descended on Inverness Yacht
> Club for the 2016 Fleet Championships, the weather decided to commemorate
> the event with a late fall, early winter storm. Day 1 saw fierce winds and
> rain batter the fleet without mercy.
>> This was some of the most challenging sailing I've done," said competitor
> Cole Hatton. "If the 20 knot plus puffs weren't hell on your quads, then
> it was the unrelenting competition that would steal your lane or hose you
> off the start. I've seen some crazy stuff in my life, having been to
> Burning Man several years in a row, but this event is up there."
>> The race committee set an ambitious agenda for the event: sail
> college-style, short-course, windward-leeward races, once or twice around,
> until the local shallow tides made sailing impossible or until the steely
> resolve of the fleet was broken. In this regard, the race committee was
> largely successful. Tight starts with all boat bows on the line, 20 knot
> puffs, radical shifts and off-the wind planing characterized all the races
> of the day. Around race 5, however, the stress started to emerge. Citing
> the extreme conditions, new comers Robert and Caitlin decided to hang up
> the hiking pants and call it a day. It was a prudent call. The light
> weight crew of Al and Ethan Sargent took to the docks for the final two
> races of the day in order to preserve strength for day two. Matt and Maddy
> started the last race of the day with every intention of winning, but it
> was not to be. The sheer force of the wind combined with a full hike
> caused the windward shroud to shear near the hounds. The mast came
> crashing down with the sound of thunder. Dismasted, the crew looked over
> at the Race Committee with weary eyes and shredded rigging in hand.
>> "Our work is done here," said PRO Amanda Kleha, "any more of this and
> we'll be breaking spirits instead of boats!" After eight races, the day
> was done. And at the end of day 1, Matt and Avery/Maddy led the regatta
> followed closely by Sam and Danielle. Previous champ Sally and Adam
> rounded out the top three. Citing fatigue and extreme exhaustion, Cole and
> his crew Yuri would have to retire after the first day and seek therapeutic
> assistance at a local hot spring. They would later recover from the
> exhaustion.
>> The fleet was blessed at the end of the day with the generosity of the
> Inverness Yacht Club: were it not for club's gas grill, we would never
> have gotten the briquettes lit and much needed sustenance would not have
> made it into the bellies of worn out sailors. The delectable treats from
> the grill in combination with some high quality beer made for a raucous
> time at IYC. Several tall tales were told, each one seemingly more
> fantastical than the previous. Assistant PRO Steve Kleha was overheard
> relating an implausible yarn about a troubled Pacific crossing complete
> with gear failure and diaper rash. A spiritual Bear Grylls Award goes to
> all those who camped at Olema that first night in the rain. At least they
> had the keg to keep them company.
>> If day 1 of the regatta could be compared to taking sip of water from a
> firehose, then day 2 was an extended game of online, multi-player chess
> played with a blindfold. Combine the light following winds of a storm with
> the generally fickle nature of Inverness wind with a strong flood tide and
> you've got conditions that will befuddle even the best sailors. Each
> participant saw highs and lows, recording finishes in the front and the
> back of the fleet. A confused Matt and Nicholas Sessions scoured their
> boat, looking for a leak when none was discovered. Emilio and Maria sought
> to preserve their sanity and sailed in for the last race of the day. The
> twilight zone conditions even had several sailors report that two
> individuals on the race committee boat had mutated into an oversized banana
> slug and praying mantis. (These reports were unconfirmed.)
>> All the weirdness considered, the regatta came down to the final race, as
> it seems to every year. After 16 races, second place team Sally and Adam
> was within 4 points of leaders Matt and Nicholas. These two boats have
> been perennial favorites in the Vanguard 15 fleet, both with past Fleet
> Championships to their credit. This year it was Matt and
> Nicholas/Avery/Maddy's turn to take the trophy. Sally and Adam took second
> followed by Sam and Danielle taking third. (Full results of the regatta
> can be found here
> <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q9UHZL5e9scJOoepgyEIwoNcOxhsUuNYVGYwQE-VEi4/edit?usp=sharing>.)
> Special recognition went out to Robert and Caitlin, and the two received
> the "most improved" award, having battled tough conditions both days. The
> two were smiles all around and are a wonderful addition to the fleet. A
> final word of caution: junior sailors Ben Foox, Nicholas Sessions and
> Ethan Sargent look poised to challenge for the podium in the years to
> come. Everyone should keep up the hard training.
>> In a fitting conclusion to the regatta, the weather saw fit to provide
> sailors with a double rainbow. Tired sailors took a break from packing
> their boats to gaze on the rainbows. In a quiet moment, one competitor
> could be heard to say, "what does it all mean?" The boats packed up, the
> keg running dry, the 2016 Vanguard 15 Fleet Championship came to a solemn
> end.
>> A special thanks to Inverness Yacht Club for hosting the event year after
> year. The coziness of the club and the warmth of its members is unrivalled
> in the Bay Area. Sam Wheeler coordinated travel to and from the regatta
> with the generous aid of triple boat trailers from the Golden Gate Yacht
> Club and the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation (PYSF). Travis Lund and
> the Treasure Island Sailing Center is home to the fleet and tolerated the
> pell mell of boat loading before and after the event. Finally, Principal
> Race Officer Amanda Kleha sacrificed a weekend and ran a solid 17 race
> regatta.
>>> *Contact:*
> Steve Kleha
>skleha at gmail.com> 650-248-3849
>>>> _______________________________________________
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