Sixth Annual Good Old Boat Regatta

Sponsored by Good Old Boat Magazine
Hosted by Shearwater Sailing Club

October 8 & 9, 2005
Annapolis, MD

Race Results ›

2005 Good Old Boat Regatta Report

A Day Lost Is More Fun, Class Warfare Breaks Out!
by Don Frye

Bob and Cindi Gibson's Cal 2-30, Checkmate, rounding the first mark on the way to the 1st Place Fin Keel Handicapped Fleet II trophy.

For the past five events, the Good Old Boat Regatta (GOBR as it is known in this acronym obsessed area) has been enchanted weather-wise. Well the odds caught up with it this year.

A slow moving big, gusty monsoon set in on the mid-Atlantic three days before the event. At the Friday evening skippers' meeting, the umbrella-toting, yellow slickee clad sailors all had one question: "Do we race tomorrow?" In turn, the race committee responded: "Tune in to channel 71 tomorrow morning and we'll let you know."

Jim Graham's Columbia 5.5 Meter prepares for Sunday's start.

So, at 0830 Saturday morning, the RC boat left the dock to see what conditions were like outside the protection of Mill Creek. On the way out, it seemed the wind and rain increased with each hundred yards traveled downstream. The VHF crackled with reports of boats further south reading gusts of 40 to 47 knots. Onward the RC went. As they cleared the last mark and entered the Chesapeake, they were met with big rollers from the south and huge blasts. Immediately , they turned for home and radioed the cancellation.

So, were the crews of the 20 or so boats anchored off the party site at Sailor's Wharf disappointed? Maybe. But they decided to start the party at 0930 instead. First came the gathering over coffee and breakfast on the covered deck. Then came the luncheon goods and an impromptu food swap. The musicians started warming up just after noon. But things began seriously when Alfred Poor and the Cal 29 fleet started serving up Dark 'n Stormies. And so it went into the night.

But somewhere along the way, class warfare emerged

The race committee drops the starting line mark while racers wait for the course signal boards.

Alfred brought out hundreds of beer koozies for sale at the clothing stand. In some areas, they're know as huggies or cozies but they're those foam rubber insulators for beer or soft drink cans. On one side was printed, "2005 Good Old Boat Regatta". But the other side was emblazoned with "Cals Rule!" The reactions ranged from howls of laughter to feigned indignation. Some Columbia sailors bought a few and immediately began pasting Columbia logo decals over the offending message. Some Tartan sailors immediately retorted, "Just wait 'til next year." Obviously, this is going to escalate.

Sunday was a better day. Although overcast, the front cleared and left a 10-12 knot northwesterly in its wake. Ideal! So at 1030, 52 of the original 79 entrants followed the RC as it dropped the starting mark and posted an 8.8 mile round-the-government marks course. It was a classic GOBR race as experienced for the past five years. And, after it was over, what did everybody do? They partied! What else?

Charlie Husar (left) presents the Cal 25 1st Place trophy to Dave and Eloise Hoyt.

Over the years, each event has produced change. This year, the 2-race-over-1-weekend format seemed to be a hit and many people expressed that they would rather see the event limited to 80 entries than grow to a monster event which might lose the original flavor that has made the GOBR so attractive. Over the winter, entrants will be polled to determine the future.

But, like each GOBR before it, this year brought another milestone. Hosted by Shearwater Sailing Club and sponsored by Good Old Boat Magazine and Heritage Marine Insurance, Legg Mason Funds, sponsors of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic and several major sporting events, joined the team of supporters this year, thanks to two-time Perpetual Trophy winner Legg Mason Senior Vice President Ed Poe.

And, like each GOBR before it, another lesson was learned which was that no matter what kind of weather is thrown at them, Good Old Boat racers know how to adapt and have fun.

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Race Results

Sunday, October 9, 2005

  • Cal 25 (10 boats)
    1. Zephyr, David Hoyt
    2. Solitaire, Bill Natter
    3. Chicken Little, Charlie Husar
  • Cal 29 (5 boats)
    1. Capricious, Ed Poe
    2. Pentaquad, Alfred Poor
  • Fin Keel Handicapped Fleet 1 (11 boats)
    1. Diamond in the Rough, Jim Mumper, Cal 36
    2. Troubadour, Michael Lehmkuhl, Pearson 39
  • Fin Keel Handicapped Fleet 2 (14 boats)
    1. Checkmate, Bob Gibson, Cal 2-30
    2. Red Rum, Carl Engel, Catalina 27
    3. Elusive, John Littrell, Coronado 30
  • Full Keel Handicapped Fleet 1 (12 boats)
    1. Scrimshaw, Charles Deakyne, Alberg 37
    2. Cheater, Jim Graham, Columbia 5.5 Meter
    3. Raider, Hans Schultz, New York 32
  • Full Keel Handicapped Fleet 2 (9 boats)
    1. Andante, Andrew Cole, Alberg 30
    2. Petrel, Tom Witzel
    3. Tern, Rick Bacon, Cheoy Lee 36
  • S2, 9.2 (4 boats)
    1. Bay Retriever, Kevin Sherwood
  • Tartan 30 (7 boats)
    1. Miranda, Gene & Cindi Gottschalk
    2. Sunday's Child, Tom Hale
    3. Beaujolais, Jeff Poehler
  • Tartan 37 (4 boats)
    1. Solstice, Beth Berry
  • Triton (3 boats)
    1. Sandpiper, Dan Lawrence

Good Old Boat Regatta Overall Awards

  • Best Performance by a Woman Skipper: Cal Tip'n, Cal 25, Kristi Meritt
  • Best Performing CBYRA Racing Boat: Sandpiper, Triton, Dan Lawrence
  • Best Performing Non-Racing Boat: Tern, Cheoy Lee 36, Rick Bacon
  • Good Old Boat Magazine Perpetual Trophy: Diamond in the Rough, Cal 36, Jim Mumper(on corrected time)
  • Oldest Competing Boat: Teleia, Rhodes 41 (Bounty II), Goldwin Smith

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