Just got results from the Snow and Satisfaction

Snow and Satisfaction Regatta 2008
Yale Corinthian Yacht Club/McNay Family Sailing Center
November 7-9, 2008
4:28 PM 11-20-08

REGATTA HIGHLIGHTS:
Thanks to everyone who came and sailed or helped out. It was great to have all the 420s filled and to have so much support by alumni helping on RC.

Friday brought warm weather and sunny skies to the group of competitors, but unfortunately the wind did not cooperate. After waiting for one-and-a half hours for the wind to fill in, the Race Committee decided that the conditions were suitable for some practice team racing. The competitors went out and sailed in a very shifty Northerly of between zero and five knots for a few hours, with the last races getting over around 5PM. While no scores were kept as the teams were randomly assigned based on sail colors, it seemed as though all the competitors enjoyed the experience and helped get those who have been out of the boat for a while some practice time in. Thanks to Karl and Cecily Ziegler, Richard Feeny , Cameron Cullman, and Will Turnbull who helped fill in for people who could not make it out for Friday's racing.

Saturday looked much more promising. Under warm weather and cloudy skies, competition got underway at around 10:50AM. Racing started off at the edge of Short Beach Cove in a very choppy sea state with wind from the South, with a number of shifts. Racing was moved in the afternoon farther out into the sound where the waves were larger and the current was stronger. By the end of the day, the sailors struggled against the elements, with rain and light fog disrupting the sailing conditions. Seven races were completed on Saturday in winds of four to 12 knots in the puffs. They were tough conditions to get the boat going in. Windward-leeward courses with a gate and offset were sailed, with a variable number of legs. In all except for the first race a gate was used, something that was necessary due to the congestion at the leeward mark. One breakdown was awarded and three redresses were awarded due to improper procedure in over early situations.

Sunday was a prime example of what the Snow and Satisfaction Regatta is meant for: fun racing. The wind was strong, the waves huge, and the reaches were full on planing. The wind was coming from the West at between 12 and 20 knots. Gold Cup Courses were sailed all day, which made racing especially fun because of the fast, full plane reaches. It was full-on hiking all day long with big waves. Two breakdowns were awarded for a mast that came out of its step. Thomas Barrows and Marla Menninger showed they were in the big breeze groove, winning all five races by large margins.

On Saturday, a great dialog occurred at the dinner, so thank you for everyone that participated. The first topic started out with Ken Legler getting a variety of sailors involved in discussing the past and future of the International 420 class. Isabelle Kinsolving and Skip Whyte then spoke about Isabelle's win at the 2008 470 World Championships. Stuart McNay and Thomas Barrows gave a short look into their experiences at the 2008 Olympic Games. Ski Whyte also enlightened the group with a riveting tale about the medal race for the 49'er fleet. A number of other great issues were brought up along the way, so thank you for everyone who participated in the Saturday evening talk.

It was interesting to see the shake up in the results this year. Both the first (Thomas Barrows and Marla Menninger) and second (John Mollicone and Maria Mahler-Haug) place teams did not compete in 2007--this was both of their first times competing at the entirety of the event. Stuart McNay, third this year, placed ninth in 2007. On the other end of the scale, the winner the past two years, Justin Law, dropped to 10th this year, while Jesse Combs and Caleb Dorfman, second last year, dropped to 15th this year. Zachary Brown and Grace Becton stayed consistent, placing third in 2007 and fourth this year. This shake up in the rankings is testament to the tough competition at the event--to perform well, everyone truly needs to be at the top of their game.

Thanks for everyone helping to make the regatta a success again. It is great to have such a diverse group both on and off the water and I hope to see many of you again next year. And to those of you who helped: thank you. It isn't possible without you. Congrats to Thomas Barrows and Marla Menninger on their impressive win!
Caleb Dorfman
Snow and Satisfaction Regatta Chair

Results:
1. Barrows/Menninger 44
2. Mollicone/Mahler-Haug 63
3. McNay/Hession 86
4. Brown/Becton 108
5. Morris/Rosenberg 120
6. Siegal/Hoyle 122
7. Ferrarone/Killion 123
8. Merrick/Smith 127
9. Huang/Furie 141
10. Law/Gilman 149
11. Hill/Hughes/Zevi Dell 151
12. Barry/Oakland/Levin 152
13. Legler/Hwa 158
14. Macky/ Jackson 159
15. Combs/Dorfman 161
16. Whyte/Coplin 162
17. Strammer/Rabin 164
18. Breault/Stewart 174
19. Cullman/Emhiser 183
20. Helias/DeCollibus 191
21. Farrar/Kinsolving 194
22. Brown/Nebergall 205
23. Besse/Heacock 214