(Houston, TX)- The Houston Yacht Club along with their neighbors in the
"hood", Lakewood and Texas Corinthian YCs, always seem to be favorites
amongst sailors for hosting regattas. For all the reasons outlined
above when talking about our friends in Texas, they pull out all the
stops and make sure everyone is welcome-- and, most importantly, do it
in a "big" way so everyone is happy! This past weekend's HOOD Regatta
(Houston Offshore One-Design) was an epochal, history-making event for
the region. There were one hundred boats that showed up and the J
sailors simply dominated the proceedings, showing up with 48 J's in
total spread across J/22s (19), J/24s (12), J/80s (13) and J/105s (4)-
by a country furlong the most dominant "brand" at the regatta- 50% of
the fleet! Might as well have been called "J/Fest Pre-Regatta"!
In
the biggest fleet of the event, the J/22s saw some excellent racing
across the board with a few surprises, twists and turns thrown in for
good measure. Past J/22 World Champion Terry Flynn had a rough go of
it, sailing his J/22 TEJAS to a hard fought third place with a
2-3-1-2-5-11 record for 24 pts, losing out any chance at first because
of the "slow" last race. Reigning supreme was a long-time road warrior
Rob Johnston from Dallas' Rush Creek YC, sailing his J/22 DIESEL SNACK
to a pretty convincing first overall, snagging four bullets, a 3rd and
6th to win by 8 pts. Second was another Dallas team, Max scott racing
FAST LANE to a 4-5-2-3-2-5 for 21 points, holding off the indomitable
Terry Flynn for one more regatta. Fourth was Brank Koeopke sailing RICH
SKANK (?) and fifth was Ruthie Lambert skippering OUT OF SIGHT.
The
J/24s had a real donnybrook for the top three, with all scores being
settled between the teams in the last race. Emerging from the dust bowl
of a scrum was Bobby Harden's team on MR HAPPY, their 3-1-3-3-2-3 for
15 pts being the most consistent of the top teams. Winning going into
the last two races was Bryan Dryer on RUM LINE, but Bryan's team
couldn't hold it together, adding a 7-5 to their previous 1-2-2-2 record
to finish second with 19 pts. After starting slowly with a 4-6, Doug
Weakly's team on AMBASSADOR screamed into contention with three straight
bullets, only to blow it in the last race with an 8th for 21 pts to
secure third overall. Lying fourth was Corey Harding on another "happy"
boat- HAPPY DANCE. And, fifth was Dov Kivlovitz on USA 93! 
There
was a great turnout for the J/80s in this event. Bill Rose's team on
KICKS simply did "kick up their heels" and show their transom to the
fleet, amassing an impressive two 1sts and three 2nds for 8 pts to win
by the healthiest margin in the entire regatta- 12 pts in five races!
Paul Parsons raced PARSONS PROJECT to a 1-2-6(scp)-5-6 for 20 pts, good
enough for second. Just behind them it was a full-on wild ride for four
boats, all of whom nearly all tied each other after the last race!
Winning the tie-breaker for third was Claude Welles on JACKRABBIT,
fourth was Forbes Durdin on MOJITO. Winning the tie-break for fifth was
Al Poindexter skippering ANDALE, sixth was Alan Bates on WHISKEY TANGO.
While
the J/105s may have had one of the smallest fleets in the regatta, it
might as well have been a three-way match race for top honors. No
quarter given here, or there, or anywhere! At the end, the top three
boats finished just three points apart after five races. Emerging from
the scuffles in the last race was Bob Brann's RADIANCE, winning with a
3-2-2-1-1 for 9 pts. Missing out a strong opportunity to win was Uzi
Ozeri's INFINITY. Uzi's team started by firing off a 1-1-1, then
succumbed perhaps to a case of missing brain cells (or "slows") on
Sunday, amassing a 3-4 for 10 points to drop into second. Hanging tough
all regatta long was Malcolm Brenner's BABE, sailing to a 2-3-3-2-2 for
12 pts to snag the bronze on the podium.Finally, "Thanks" must be given to the amazing program laid out by the event's sponsors. Mount Gay Rum had a bevy of Mt. Gay Girls running around serving up Rum drinks. The HYC Ragnots also supported the event with "Weinerfest", raising money for the HYC Youth programs-- no question the crowds seem to be pleased with the delicious combination of wieners and Mt Gay for dinner! Sailing photo credits- Lacy Photos Sailing photo credits- Byrne Photo For more J/80 & J/105 sailing information. For more J/22 & J/24 sailing information
