BABY DOE J/22 Leaps Ahead @ Dillon Open

THE DUMPSTER Trashes J/24 Fleet
(Lake Dillon, CO)- At 9,022 feet (2,750 meters or over a mile-and-a-half straight up into the stratosphere), there is no question that Dillon YC’s annual “Dillon Open” that is sailed on the Dillon Reservoir high up in Rocky Mountains is the longest-running, highest altitude regatta in the world.  It’s a gorgeous area to sail; just SSE is the fabulous Keystone Resort & Spa- the top of Keystone Mountain is 12,408 ft (3,782m, or over 2 miles up into the sky- the air does get a bit thin up there!)- https://www.keystoneresort.com/

Yet again, a great fleet sailors on J/22s and J/24s had to contend with incredibly challenging sailing conditions.  On Sunday, there was an amazing photo taken of Greg & Susan Johnson’s J/24 PINOTAGE rounding the windward mark, spinnaker up, then gets flattened by a 50mph hail-infested vertical micro-burst from the sky; shredding their spinnaker and jib all at once!  That is what happens when it blows over 100 mph just a few thousand feet above the tall 10-14,000 foot snow-capped peaks that surround Lake Dillon. The winds are often capricious and unpredictable, making for tough, tactical windward-leeward races.

Greg Schertz, the PRO for the Dillon Yacht Club running the races took this shot- he was blown away! “Yes, we have challenging sailing sometimes at the nation’s highest sailing club,” remarked Schertz.

Despite the crazy weather, Mateo & Tito Vargas talent-laden crew on BABY DOE took J/22 class honors with a remarkably steady 2-1-1-2-1-1 for 8 pts total. Reed Baldridge’s crew from the College of Charleston YC in Charleston, SC sailed fast to post a 4-3-3-1-3-4 for 18 pts to take the silver.  Rounding out the podium was Mike Kline’s NAUTI-MOOSE with a 1-5-4-5-2-3 for 20 pts.

Sailing with past J/24 World and Etchells-22 World Champion Vince Brun on board, Frank & Vivian Keesling’s THE DUMPSTER won their class only after the Johnson’s PINOTAGE got trashed by the hail-infused microburst.  THE DUMPSTER’s posted a 1-1-3-3-2-2-3 for 15 pts total.  The Johnson’s PINOTAGE had an equally impressive scoreline of 3-2-1-2-3-1-5 for 17 pts total.  Closing out the podium was Josh Bowens-Rubin’s ZERO GRAVITY with a 4-5-2-1-1-4-4 tally for 21 pts total.  For more Dillon Open sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Dillon Open Regatta Preview

(Lake Dillon, CO)- At a mile-high, there is no question that Dillon YC’s annual “Dillon Open” that is sailed on the Dillon Reservoir west of Denver high up in Rocky Mountains, is the longest-running highest altitude regatta in the world.  Yet again, a great of brave sailors on J/22s and J/24s look forward to sailing in one of the world’s most challenging sailing venues.  Ringed by 10-14,000 ft snow-capped mountain peak off the north, west and south, the winds can be capricious and unpredictable at best, if it’s from any of those quadrants.  About the only “normal” breeze that whisks across the lake comes from the southerly quadrants since the winds would not be swirling down off huge mountain peaks, down the slopes and on the lake surface.  The winds from the “hard” part are famous for “helicopter” puffs (seemingly mini-tornados) as well as vertical puffs- a.k.a. violent “micro-bursts” that drop out of the sky and knock boats flat out-of-the-blue, so to speak.  Nevertheless, the sailing and the vistas are spectacular!

Eight J/22s, the biggest fleet in years, are registered to sail the event. In fact, a few “rock stars” from afar will be in attendance; namely Reed Baldridge from the College of Charleston YC in Charleston, SC.  He will be up again the smart local teams, such as Tito and Mateo Vargas on BABY DOE, Mike & Robyn Kline on NAUTI-MOOSE and Phil Cooper’s SWEET BABY-J.

Similarly, the J/24s have none other than past J/24 World and Etchells-22 World Champion Vince Brun sailing on Frank & Vivian Keesling’s THE DUMPSTER.  The long-distance award goes to Brad Dober’s STRAIGHT JACKET, a boat and crew from Corinthian YC of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania!  No question, the “family award” may already go to the Peters family (John, Susan, & Niko) sailing aboard their appropriately-named- HARMONY.   For more Dillon Open sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.

Awesome Sailing @ Dillon Open Regatta

CAMP ROBBER Steals J/22s, THE DUMPSTER Trashes J/24s, HENDRIX Sings @ J/80s
(Lake Dillon, CO)- Racing on beautiful Lake Dillon in Dillon, Colorado has to be one of sailing’s most amazing experiences.  Sunny days on a crystal clear lake, fed by mountain streams, and surrounded by 12,000 ft high snow-capped Rocky Mountains is simply a spectacular, visual feast for the eyes.  Plus, the cool, clear mountain air simply enhances the sensory experience.

The regatta is hosted by Dillon YC, the nation’s highest yacht club at 9,017 feet above sea level, located just west of the Continental Divide, a 70-mile drive from downtown Denver.

As usual, the DYC offers a great schedule of racing, entertainment, food and other special events that makes if fun for all participants and their families.

After five races, it was a clear-cut victory in the J/22 Class for the appropriately named CAMP ROBBER! Stealing the show was skipper Bill Darling’s team, posting an almost perfect score of 2-1-2-1 for 6 pts total to win by an enormous margin of 10 pts.  However, behind them it was a full-on dogfight for the balance of the podium.  Ultimately, winning that battle was Keith Lawrence’s SHAMELESS with a 1-9-3-3 record for 16 pts.  Although he beat SHAMELESS in the last race, it was not enough for Mike Kline’s NAUTI MOOSE to overtake them, finishing with a 6-5-4-2 tally for 17 pts.  Rounding out the top five were Cameron & Cooper Robinson’s USA 720 in 4th place with 18 pts and in 5th place was Peter Fornell’s MAYBE LATER with 23 pts.

In the J/80 Class, two boats ended up with identical records of two 1sts and two 2nds for 6 pts total- winning on who won last was Kurt Vanderwall’s HENDRIX.  Getting the short-end of that stick was Heath Bowden’s RAKALI.  Taking third was Keith Tayman’s GOOSE.

Also, getting a near identical score to the other class winners in the J/24 Class was Frank Keesling’s THE DUMPSTER, posting a 1-1-2-1 for 5 pts total.  Josh Bowens-Rubin’s ZERO GRAVITY took 2nd with a 2-2-1-2 tally for 7 pts.  Then, taking third was Frank Kelble’s BANANA PANTS with a 3-4-3-3 record for 13 pts.
For more Dillon Open sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.