CABB New Year's Day Race
Biscayne Bay, Miami Florida
January 1, 2006

Twenty two sailors on 8 boats brought in the New Year at the CABB New Year's Day Race. This was our inaugural race for the first of January. It worked out well; I think a tradition has been born. What better way to get your sailing year started right, than……..going sailing? If your New Year's resolution is to sail more during the year, this race will get you off on the right foot.

We had a beautiful day for the race. The high for the day was in the low 80s and we had a steady southeast wind. The winds were only about 7 knots most of the day, but it was very consistent. Many of the sailors didn't even use any foul weather gear for the race. Where else in the states can you do that on January 1?

A large triangle course in Biscayne Bay was called for the race. The two turning marks were green marker #21 near Stiltsville and the second one was green #1 at the Matheson Hammock Park south channel. The first leg was a beat. The second leg was a run, and the third leg was a close reach. The winds were a bit fresher at the start and there was some hull flying and trapezing going on. Halfway up the first leg the winds began to abate and that was it for the trapeze work for the day. The two Sonnenklar Inter 20s took an early lead. Robert Onsgard brought out his Corsair F28R for the race. He was ably assisted by Raul, Joann, and son Raul Lopez. Young Raul was fresh off winning the 75 boat Opti Green fleet at the Orange Bowl Regatta. Son Raul was calling puffs and shifts for his dad who was driving the F28R. They started picking off boats on this upwind leg. They were third around the first mark. The F28R is a speed demon for a large boat and it is rated about the same as a Hobie 20. Three boats dropped out of the race on the downwind leg because of the waning wind. We enjoyed seeing several dolphins frolicking in the bay during the race. The downwind leg seemed to take forever, but we were moving nicely the whole time. We stood up several times on this leg to stretch our legs. While standing, it was easy to see the grass covered bottom and to judge the boat speed. When we reached the Matheson Hammock channel, I realized that the green #1 was missing off the top of the post. I am sure the sign was yet another victim of hurricane Wilma. The other channel markers were intact, so it was easy to figure out the correct mark to round.

After Matheson, it was a close reach back to the beach. This was the fastest leg of the day. This leg required no tacking and minimal sail adjustment. Line honors went to Jared Sonnenklar and Jamie Livingston on the orange Inter 20. However, the F28R corrected out into first place. Congratulations to Robert and his crew for a job well done.

Eric Brislawn was down from the Chicago area for the race. He was sailing with his dad, Pete. They were on a Hobie 18M. Eric is an American Airlines pilot and his dad is a retired Eastern Airlines pilot. You would think that traveling form Chicago would get you the most distance traveled recognition, but that was not the case. For the second race in a row, the most distance traveled recognition goes to Chris Jurasek and his family, who were down from Racine Wisconsin for the holidays and some sailing. Terry and Even Greene were out with their Inter 18. They were doing very well on the downwind leg while flying their chute. My son, Sean, and his girl friend, Kristin, were in town for the holidays. They both sailed with me on my Hobie 20. We enjoyed the New Year's Day sail. There were six family combinations participating in the race. Nine sons and/or daughters were involved. What a great way to bring in the New Year.

Participants:

Crew---- ----------------------Boat---- Rating-- ET--------Corrected

Robert Onsgard-----------F-28R--- 65.6----- 2:55----- 162.53
Raul Lopez
Joann Lopez
Raul Lopez

Jared Sonnenklar------------I-20------59.3-----2:52------174.41
Jamie Livingston

Jay Sonnenklar--------------I-20------59.3-----2:57------179.47
Shawn Greene

Terry Greene----------------I-18-------64.0----3:14:48---182.62
Evan Greene

John McKnight-------------H-20------65.0----3:26:39---190.75
Sean McKnight
Kristin Gerlach

Wally Sullivan--------------H-16------76.1
Don Salerno

Chris Jurasek----------------I-20-------59.3
Jeanne
Allie
Courtney
Hilary

Eric Brislawn----------------H-18M---71.4
Pete Brislawn


2. Tradewinds.

The annual Tradewinds Regatta takes place this coming weekend, January 14 and 15 in Key Largo. This is by far the biggest catamaran regatta in these parts each year. The regatta is put on by Catamaran Sailor Magazine and CABB. Rick White will again be the Principle Race Officer. Several CABB members will be helping out with the regatta. The list includes me, Oriol Cruzeta, Wally Sullivan, Marion Lohmayer, and Lawrence Cooper. Many other CABB members will be racing in the event. Many of Rick's friends from Key Largo will also be on the race committee. There should be at least 50 to 60 catamarans at the event. There will be boats of every type from Hobie Waves to Marstrom 20s and everything in between. There will be a class for everyone. Boats will be coming from all over the state and country. This is a big deal. You don't want to miss this one! All the details can be found on the catsailor.com. See you there.


John McKnight
(305) 251-7600
CABB Forum: http://www.catsailor.com/forums/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=CABB