Missouri Valley Championship

Lake Manawa, Council Bluffs, IA, September 15, 2019

Report by Mary Buckley

Sixteen teams gathered on Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs IA  for the 69th Annual Missouri Valley Championship on Sep 14-15, 2019. This regatta also served as the District 2 Championship and as a qualifier for the Western Hemisphere & Orient Championship to be held in September 2020 near Boston, which drew several competitors from outside the district, all vying for a spot in the WH&O.

It was breezy and gusty on Saturday, with winds up to 18 mph or more. Three tough races were sailed, and at the end of the day Lee Griffith from New Jersey, past SCIRA Commodore and veteran of countless national and international regattas, and his crew Nikki Bruno also of New Jersey, were in the lead by just 2 points over the local, all female team of Jen Lee and Mary Buckley out of Lincoln Nebraska. There was no wind, and no racing, on Sunday, so the first day finishes held.  While Lee and Nikki received the first place trophies, both the Missouri Valley Championship trophy and the District 2 skipper and crew trophies were awarded to Jen and Mary as the highest finishing District 2 team.

The Iowa/Nebraska Sailing Association and Snipe Fleet #309 are to be congratulated for running a great regatta with plenty of social activities and top notch Race Committee.  While “waiting for the wind to blow” on Sunday morning, Regatta Chair Patrick Leahy asked everyone to take a few minutes to introduce themselves and say something about how they got started sailing.  We heard some great stories including from Keisha and Josh Meyer who said when they decided to get married, they decided to buy a boat instead of having a big wedding!  I think that calls for a toast!

Mary Buckley
District 2 Governor

Final Results