(Seabrook, TX)- As anticipated, Lakewood Yacht Club’s team were not only
gracious hosts of this year’s J/105 Midwinters, the weather and the
regatta PRO cooperated beautifully to provide three good days of racing
for the eleven teams in attendance. After starting off the regatta with a bullet, there wasn’t much stopping Terry McLaughlin, recently named Sail Canada’s Rolex Sailor of the Year and a two-time New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup Champion with his friend John Hele (a past J/24 and J/105 sailor himself). A native of Toronto, Ontario, and member of the Royal Canadian YC, Terry chartered a local boat called AVICI and simply showed the “good’ole boys” in Texas how its done. Sailing AVICI with Paul Parsons, Kevin Taylor, Jeff Cooke, Emmett Dickheiser and Monica Parsons, McLaughlin totaled only 22 points in the 11 race series. They endured a 20 percent penalty in race three, and otherwise tallied all top three finishes to be crowned 2014 Midwinter Champions.
This
is how it went down. On the first day, winds on Galveston Bay held at a
steady 10-16 knots throughout Friday. McLaughlin won three of the day’s
five races for 10 pts total. Locals Bill Lakenmacher on RADIANCE and
Uzi Ozeri on INFINITY held the next two spots, with 15 and 20 points,
respectively. McLaughlin started the event with a bullet, as Greg
Turman’s HORNY TOAD placed second, and Bee Bednar’s STINGER third.
AVICI again took first in the next contest, while Lakenmacher and Ozeri
moved up to the silver and bronze positions. Mark Young’s KILLER RABBIT
earned the victory in race three, as again Lakenmacher and Ozeri
rounded out the top three. McLaughlin returned to first in race four,
followed by Young and Bednar. The closing battle was won by Lakenmacher,
as McLaughlin settled for second and Ozeri for third.
The
second day dawned with light breezes around 4-5 knots. During the day,
the breeze kept creeping up a couple knots each race so by the third
bout, teams saw 10-12 knot winds. McLaughlin notched another round of
consistent scores to total just 20 points in 10 races heading into the
final day of competition. Local Bill Lakenmacher on RADIANCE continued
his stellar performance, and kept hold of second place with 31 points.
Fellow Texan Uzi Ozeri on INFINITY maintained his bronze position with
43 points. Greg Turman’s HORNY TOAD lodged Saturday’s first victory,
trailed by McLaughlin and Lakenmacher. Radiance won the ensuing contest
over Ozeri and McLaughlin. In the third race, Mark Young’s KILLER
RABBIT took the bullet. Again Lakenmacher and McLaughlin made it into
the top three. AVICI returned to the first spot in the next battle
during the 4th race, followed by Alan Bates on ZIPPITY and Matt Arno on
BLUE FLASH. McLaughlin ended the day in race 5 with another victory,
ahead of Turman and Lakenmacher.
The
last day of racing only saw one race and there were great possibilities
for a massive shake-up in the third to fifth spots in the standings.
Ozeri’s INFINITY, Young’s KILLER RABBIT and Turman’s HORNY TOAD were
locked in a battle for the last spot on the podium. Whomever beat who
on the last race determined the final outcome. Despite the potential
for drama and theatrics, they ended up finishing one after the other-
3rd, 4th and 6th, respectively. Consequently, they were 3-4-5 overall.
Lackenmacher’s crew won the last race to secure their second position
overall. McLaughlin raced with Paul Parsons years ago, but actually didn’t know the rest of his crew, since Paul did the organizing. “Our win was a true team effort,” McLaughlin said while accepting his trophy. He also complimented the great Race Committee, noting, “It has been a long time since I have experienced 10 races in two days!” With favorable breezes on Friday and Saturday, the Race Committee was able to complete five races per day, leaving just one on Sunday. Sailing Photo Credits- John Lacy Photography For more J/105 Midwinters sailing information
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