Great Sailing Conditions at Pensacola Midwinters
by John MacDonald
Photos by Seth Rejda, son of PRO Kevin Rejda
Pensacola Midwinters (formerly Performance Midwinters) was held March 21-23 on the emerald green waters of the Quietwater sound just off the beach of Key Sailing on Pensacola Beach, FL. Good breeze and 70 degree temps gave all 31 teams their money's worth, and sent the them home with tales of spills and thrills as promised.
Action began on Friday with the Nacra 17 fleet burning off three races, and provided warm up races for the N20's and open fleet in medium breeze. The breeze came up Saturday in the 10 - 15 range and 4 races were burned off quickly allowing for plenty of prep time for an awsome bar-b-q. Can't decide which makes a better meal for a hungry group of sailors, bar-b-q or pasta, but a hush fell over the crowd as we gathered in the shelter of Kirk's shop and stuffed our faces on them comfortable wooden picinic benches.
Sunday
brought winds in the 15 - 20 range, which held a few teams who had celebrated
in fantastic spring-break style back on shore for the first race. (I
heard a couple folks sat as wet t-shirt judges?) Anyway the fleets burned
through 3 races Sunday, with the breeze lightening a bit for the final
race.
Thanks to all for making the journey and helping keep cat racing alive.
Mark your calendars for another exciting sail on the emerald green shores
of the Gulf Coast with us for the 3rd weekend in March next year.
Nacra 17 Fleet
Bob Curry - 14 pts.
Chad Schwall - 22
Bill Gillespie - 32
Floris van Laar - 49
Jim Leonard - 52
Donald Lawerence - 63
Brian Harrison - 71
Mark Batchler - 79
Chris Batchler - 81
Rick Adams - 100
Andrew Luquet - 104
Nacra 20 Fleet
Stan Schreyer/Jonathan Farrar - 6 pts
Mike Hill/Holly Conklin - 15
Trey Brown/Chuck Harden - 21.3
John MacDonald/Michael McNeir - 25
Charlie Harp/Bert Rice Jr - 36
Phillip Mumm/Crew - 44
Harry Newkirk/Glenn Holmes - 46
Mark Smith/Bubba Barberi - 48
Mike Wilson/Kirk Van Zant - 51
Tad Pecorak/Bailey White - 61
Brett Robertson/Alan Freedman - 68
Open Fleet
Chris Armador (F16 Blade) - 15 pts
Taylor Reiss/George Reiss (Old School NF18) - 15
Andy Humphires/Alex Efre-Perez (Infusion) - 16
Craig Wilusz/Glenn Purcell (N6.0E) - 19
Mark Ederer/Robbie Holstead (P-19) - 33
Kenny Boudreaux/Rick Klein (F18 Tiger) - 34
Kevin Smith/Rundell Curtis (Old School NF18) - 39
Steve Miller (F16 Viper Uni) - 56
Mike Bolden/Daren Hoffman (F16 Viper Sloop) - 59
37
Crag Wilusz and Glen Purcell doing battle with the breeze and waves
finished 4th in the Open Fleet on their Nacra 6.0 Express 'Hoof Hearted.'
Bobcat nails top position at the start Sunday morning.
Rick Adams gears up to make a run at the N17 pack and gets
hit by a big puff in transition (haven't we all been there?). You can
probably guess what the next frame would contain.
Strong breeze at the N20 start. Capt Kirk nailed pole position, while
Charlie Harp got off clean at mid-line.
Charlie Harp and Bert Rice Jr had a great regatta going when their
mast snapped in half after flipping. Report from race committee was they
both were able to keep their cool and salvage everything in good condition
expect for the mast. Local N20 buds are wondering if they will be the
first to get an aluminum stick in the southeast.