2011 420 Nationals, Sheridan Shore, IL – July 16th-18th
Martha Pitt
Last week, 142 sailors from around the country ventured to the Midwest to sail in 420 Nationals hosted by the Sheridan Shore Sailing School, in Wilmette, Illinois. The venue, about thirteen miles north of downtown Chicago, opens up to the expanse of Lake Michigan, giving the sailors the opportunity for a range of conditions, from open water and waves should the wind blow from the lake to flat shifty wind and water should the breeze come off the land.
With seventy-one boats competing as one fleet, the sailors had the challenge of a long starting line in a competitive fleet. With a heat wave sitting over Chicago through the weekend, the atmosphere was very unstable and unpredictable, making equally unpredictable conditions for the sailors. The light winds that plagued Saturday’s racing gradually built throughout the weekend into threatening storms on Monday morning that almost put a halt to racing. The Nationals sailors were challenged to stay on their toes and be vigilant to changing winds and weather patterns throughout the three day event.
On Saturday, sailors arrived to glassy water out on the lake. After an onshore delay to start off the regatta, a little bit of wind came in to send the kids out on the water. The heat and the haze made it tough for any kind of breeze to hold through most of the late morning and afternoon. During the delay, however, the sailors had the excitement of watching the big boats from the Race to Mackinac drift by on a tight reach on their way north. The Race Committee worked hard to get one race off in a light southeasterly breeze, as the predicted southwest breeze fought the thermal, with waves building off of the lake as the race progressed to create choppier conditions. The fleet sailed a three leg race, where about fifteen boats were not able to finish within the twenty minute finishing time limit as the wind began to shut off completely after a the first few boats finished. Many of the sailors who were expected to do well at the regatta struggled with the conditions that day, leaving them itching to get in more races over the next two days. Sunday brought much better winds, with solid breeze in the morning and continuing to build and shift right as the thermal came through in the afternoon. The good breeze lasted until about 4pm after four races had been sailed, and though the race committee tried to get in one more for a drop, the wind did not cooperate. Monday morning threatened some pretty nasty storms, so a vigilant land crew kept their eyes on the radar while the sailors and race committee headed out to get in a few more races. Luckily, the storms seemed to divert directly around Chicago, allowing the fleet to sail three more races before the 2pm cutoff time. With the impending storms came strong building winds that continued to shift west and blow directly off shore, creating a strong shifty breeze but nice flat water. The range of conditions throughout the three days allowed the top sailors to prove that they had the skills to succeed in all kinds of wind and weather.
Though sometimes frustrated by the unpredictable weather, the sailors certainly enjoyed the event. For Alex Curtiss, a sailor for Chicago Yacht Club, “it was exciting to figure out how to sail in all types of breeze. The sailing conditions stressed the importance of set up and boat handling that can make for great sailing.” Curtiss of Chicago and Crew Jackie Cappellini of Newport Beach, CA finished 7th. Consistency was non-existent for anyone at the top of the fleet. Even the winners, Chuckie Eaton and Trevor Hecht of Coronado, CA were plagued with a DNF in the final race. But besides that one tough race, they were the only team to finish the regatta with all top ten scores, demonstrating how truly important it is to be able to sail and compete in a diverse range of conditions. Behind Eaton and Hecht who had twenty-nine points, were Ben Herman and Mason Ryan from New Orleans, LA in second with forty-five, and Ben Garber with Johnathan Ricks from Minnetonka Yacht Club in Minnesota rounding out the top three with fifty-one. Regattas that host a range of winds and weather really separate the top experienced sailors who have the ability to transition switch modes easily throughout an entire event from the rest of the fleet. Those sailors can keep up with the changes and have the speed in many conditions to be able to stay with the top of the fleet despite the breeze. The 2011 Nationals was a true test of endurance and patience, and hopefully the sailors can take some of those lessons to other events throughout the sailing season!
FINAL RESULTS:
