Fourth Annual Good Old Boat Regatta

Sponsored by Good Old Boat Magazine
Hosted by Shearwater Sailing Club

October 4 & 11, 2003
Annapolis, MD

Race Results ›

2003 Good Old Boat Regatta Report

Another Growing, Grateful Gathering
by Don Frye

On both race days, nearly every boat crossing the finish line thanked the race committee. At the parties, racers and crew sought out Shearwater Sailing Club members to thank them for putting on the races and parties. Could this be the return of civility to sailboat racing? No, it is just a growing group of long neglected old boat owners who are spending the first two October Saturdays each year discovering how much fun racing can be when conducted in the low key, recreational sport mood of yesteryear.

Sponsored by Good Old Boat Magazine, the event is open to all sailboat designs whose first hull was built before 1975. The rules are inviting. You enter either or both Saturdays. Three boats of the same design or more earn a one-design start. Those with less are divided into fin and full keel handicap classes. Top it off with a challenging somewhat triangular government mark course plus a fun party afterwards and the entries start pouring in.

Beginning in 1999 with only 21 boats, mostly local CBYRA COD Classes which no longer had any October races on their schedules, the event has grown by 30% to 50% each year. This year, the GOBR, as it is now called, drew 73 entries with some from as far away as New Jersey and Chesapeake, Virginia. In fact, Jim Cassidy and Michael Brassert, the founders of the four race Long Island Sound Heritage Regatta Series, entered a 38' Hinckley Pilot to join the fun and compare notes. But the entry that brought the most "oohs" and "aahs" was Hans Schultz's 1936 New York 32, Raider, which looked like the unbeatable boat in the Full Keel Handicapped class until a difficult headsail change in high winds dropped it into fourth place

The first Saturday's race was rough with 25 knot winds and, easily, five foot seas. Several entries decided to stay in and start the party early. As the race committee plotted a course, radio calls of withdrawals and failing good old boat parts began pouring in. Last year's overall winner, Mike Cahall, lost the main on his Bristol 40. But at 1100, the sequence started and the stalwarts were off. That includes the committee boat which over the next half hour dragged anchor over a quarter mile despite its over 150' of anchor line out in 27 feet of water!

The second Saturday was a delight with 12-15 knots out of the northeast and one foot seas - real good old boat weather. Although northeasterlies generally pose a real challenge for government mark courses, Shearwater Commodore Tom Sliter produced a a course which included two windward legs, a leeward leg , a reach and a downwind finish which really brought the "thank you" birds to the rails.

And, of course, there were the parties including the traditional rowdy trophy presentations emceed by Charlie Husar and assisted by Good Old Boat Magazine Publisher Karen Larson and Technical Editor Jerry Powlas who also got drafted into offloading the committee boat. Is that any way to treat a sponsor? Later, the live music kicked in provided by Alfred Poor on mandolin, his wife, Bebe on bass and Charlie Husar on guitar, bass and beer can. A couple of other unidentified guitarists appeared, one of whom played some great down and dirty blues.

Editor, Karen Larson in red jacket.

Most of all, after four years and eight hard fought, competitive races, the Good Old Boat Regattas are protest-free. Can this be sailboat racing?

For the second year in a row, we traveled to Annapolis and took part in the Good Old Boat Regatta as crew on another Tartan 37. The race itself is turning into a classic!

After the post-race presentations, a group gathered on the upper deck and got out the instruments. During the jam, we sang this song (pdf 50KB). It was the debut, since it was written for the event.

Tom Wells
Tartan 37 #224
Higher Porpoise
(A very Good Old Boat)

Technical Editor, Jerry Powlas.

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Race Results

Saturday, October 4, 2003

  • Triton, 4 Boats
    1. Overdraft, Dave Hoyt
    2. Sandpiper, Dan Lawrence
    3. Sea Deuce, Jonathon Redifer
  • Pearson 30, 3 Boats
    1. St. Somewhere, Hagler/Ellwood
    2. Irish Mist, Roy Ericson
    3. Sprite, Barbara Kozminski
  • Cal 25, 11 Boats
    1. Harlequin, Leo T. Surla, Jr.
    2. CL2, Geoff Swanhart
    3. Quintet, Mike & Redina Miller
  • Catalina 27, 6 Boats
    1. Jolly Mon, Julian & Jennifer Richards
    2. Four Little Ducks, Tom Walsh
    3. Crow's Nest, Rick Crow
  • Cal 29, 3 Boats
    1. Capricious, Ed Poe
    2. Pentaquod, Alfred Poor
    3. Bay Breeze, Les Hester
  • Tartan 30, 4 Boats
    1. Miranda, Gene Gottschalk
    2. Beaujolais, Jeff Poehler
    3. Windrift, Brad Whitehurst
  • Tartan 37, 5 Boats
    1. Solstice, Beth Berry
    2. Laura T, Lynn Nye
  • Fin Keel Handicap, 17 Boats
    1. Diamond in the Rough, Cal 36, Jim Mumper.
    2. Killick, Cal 34, John Berens
    3. Mistofeelees, Bristol 33, John Ferman
  • Full Keel Handicap, 15 Boats
    1. Tern, Cheoy Lee 36, Richard Bacon
    2. Rosalie, Pearson Vanguard 32, Jim Reilly
    3. Tangaroa, Columbia 29, Todd Taylor

Saturday, October 11, 2003

  • Triton, 4 Boats
    1. Sandpiper, Dan Lawrence
    2. Overdraft, Dave Hoyt
    3. Sea Deuce, Jonathon Redifer
  • Pearson 30, 4 Boats
    1. Irish Mist, Roy Ericson
    2. Sprite, Barbara Kozminski
  • Cal 25, 10 Boats
    1. Harlequin, Leo T. Surla
    2. Chicken Little, Charlie Husar
    3. L'Orange, Tom Corby
  • Catalina 27, 7 Boats
    1. Jolly Mon, Julian & Jennifer Richards
    2. ato, Ross H. Arnett, III
    3. Four Little Ducks, Tom Walsh
  • Cal 29, 3 Boats
    1. Capricious, Ed Poe
    2. Pentaquod, Alfred Poor
    3. Bay Breeze, Les Hester
  • Tartan 30, 4 Boats
    1. Miranda, Gene Gottschalk
    2. Windrift, Brad Whitehurst
    3. Beaujolais, Jeff Poehler
  • Tartan 37, 5 Boats
    1. Pelican, Dan & Matt Garner
    2. Saratoga, Peter Easley
    3. Solstice, Beth Berry
  • Fin Keel Handicap, 17 Boats
    1. Delphinus, Allied 42, Bob De Young
    2. Mistoffelees, Bristol 33, John Ferman
    3. Killick, Cal 34, John Berens
  • Full Keel Handicap, 16 Boats
    1. Scrimshaw, Alberg 37, Charles W. Deakyne
    2. Pelago, Columbia 40, E. White/J. Dziuban
    3. Tern, Cheoy Lee 36, Richard Bacon

Good Old Boat Regatta Overall Awards

  • Best Performance, CBYRA Racer: Capricious, Cal 29, Ed Poe
  • Best Performance, New Racer: Tern, Cheoy Lee 36, Richard Bacon
  • Good Old Boat Magazine Perpetual Trophy: Capricious, Cal 29, Ed Poe
  • Oldest Boat Entered: Raider, 1936 New York 32, Hans Schultz

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