Halloween East 2000

The post script from Halloween last year was "it doesn't get much better". Well Halloween 2000 proved that it can ! More sailing teams (54), slightly higher temp, no Braves playoff games, and, thankfully, some water. It started out looking like the wind would not cooperate. Early Saturday morning 8 junior skippers with their junior or senior teammates demonstrated extreme patience and drifted through one very tough race. Kristen Williams, with Don Hackbarth up front, managed to sail around the fleet in a very light breeze on the downwind leg to claim the victory. Clayton Dixon and crew Ashley Fricker crossed in 2 nd after nearly sailing over Kristen and Don on the final beat, as the faint wind shifted further to the northwest.

These conditions did not show much promise for the main event in the afternoon. However, about noon, down at 'the point' things started to change. A line of clouds moved in and the temperature dropped ever so slightly. Could it be ? And it was. By the first start the wind was settling in from the west/northwest, running right down the lake. Do we live right or what ? Two great races were sailed in winds of 5-10, with the winds becoming steadier and moving to the north as the day went on. Pedro Lorsen from New York, with team mate Priscilla Duffy from New Orleans managed 2 bullets in the very competitive split fleet of Spooks. The other 2 Spook starts were won by Mike Lenkeit and Lisa Griffith from LLSC and Ethan and Trudy Bixby from St Pete. The Goblins Fleet races were won by Lee and Courtney Bradley and Tom Parks and Beverly Yarborough from St Pete.

The evening costume party very adequately demonstrated the costume creativity and bizarre nature of sailors with themes of silver sculptures, I-95, old sailors never die, they just get dingy, the public leaning pole, several cross dressers, the dawgs from the song Who Let The Dogs Out and many more.

Sunday morning the sailors awoke to the further blessing of the usual cooler post frontal 8-10 mph breeze out of the east. Lorsen capped off his trifecta, the first one to do this since Greg Fisher in the late 80's. The other Spook's start was won by the Bixby's sealing a solid 2 nd place for the event. The Bixby's were sailing their new custom made Jibe Tech Snipe with a very interesting main sheet system which comes up out of the floor leaving the cockpit free of obstruction.Third overall was won by Lenkeit/Griffith. Tarasa Davis from AYC with Kevin Snyder crewing sailed a great regatta and was the top female skipper ( 8 ). As the top placing female skipper in the Halloween Regatta Tarasa was awarded the newly established Victoria Norwood Nyshay Perpetual Trophy, which Woody Norwood donated in memory of his sister. The highest placing junior skipper was 14 year old Martha Fisher sailing with her father Greg Fisher who finished 12 th in the Spooks. Clayton Dixon and Ashley Fricker were the highest placing all junior team finishing in 25 th in the Spooks. Jim Richter from Indianapolis, with Kristen Williams from AYC as crew, finished 7 th and was the highest placing Master (55+).

It was just a great weekend of sailboat racing and friendship at AYC.

See ya all next year.

--Don Hackbarth

Spooks Division (42 participants)
    1.  Pedro Lorsen/Priscilla Duffy, Manhanset Bay NY/SYC  1, 1, 1
    2.  Ethan & Trudy Bixby, St Pete                        4, 1, 1
    3.  Mike Lenkeit/Lisa Griffith,  LLSC                   1, 2, 4
    4.  Craig & Mimi Beardsley,  LLSC                       3, 2, 5
    5.  Shawn Burke/Joyce Harvey,  LLSC                     3, 4, 4
    6.  John & Jeff Irvine, AYC                             2, 4, 5
    7.  Jim Richter/Kristen Williams,  Indianapolis/AYC     4, 5, 2   top master
    8.  Tarasa Davis/Kevin Snyder,  AYC                     2, 5, 6   top female
    9.  Dick & Jane Tillman,  WYC                           5, 3, 7
    10. Kevin Funsch/Watt Duffy,  OBYC                      12, 3, 2
    11. Dustin Kays/Neecee Coryell                          6, 11, 3
    12. Martha & Greg Fisher,  HYC                          5, 8, 9   top junior
    13. Don Hackbarth/Amy Thompson, AYC                     9, 6, 8

Goblins Division (12 participants)
    1.  Lee & Courtney Bradley, AYC                         1, 2, 2
    2.  Tom Parks/Beverly Yarbrough,  St Pete               3, 1,3
    3.  Alan Thompson/Jim Womble,  AYC
    4.  Sam  & PauletteYelverton, BSC                       2, 4, 6
    5. Bob Whitman & Chris Colterman, Cown Lake             5, 3, 5




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