Thanks for this report by Matt Barron, MYC Rear Commodore, Fleet Captain of J/24 Fleet #185:
The Mendota Yacht Club, in collaboration with the Hoofer Sailing Club at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, hosted the J/24 District 15 Championship Regatta for the 2nd time on the weekend of August 2-4, 2024 on Lake Mendota. Our first time hosting this event was in 2022, shortly after we officially established Madison, WI as the home of Fleet #185 of the International J/24 Class Association. As a member of J/24 Class USA District 15 (which includes Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and parts of Michigan), our District Governor wanted to welcome our Fleet into the District fold with a big event. And thanks to the (then-new) crane at the Hoofer Sailing Club, it became possible for our lake to host a true keelboat regatta. The 2022 District Championship Regatta was a big success for MYC and our newly established Fleet, with sailors bringing boats from Fleet #1 at Wayzata Yacht Club in Minnesota, Chicago, and Milwaukee. It was such a successful event that, when Wayzata realized that they had more than enough on their plate this year in hosting J/24 Nationals, the District Governor asked us (with somewhat short notice) to host the event again. I am pleased to report that everyone involved rose to the occasion and our 2024 District Championship Regatta was even better than the last. The ten (10) total registrants for 2024 Districts included three off-lake boats: Electric Mayhem and Blur of Wayzata Yacht Club, and Wild Card of South Shore Yacht Club, all of whom arrived at the Memorial Union for lift-in on a hot Friday afternoon. After the traveling boats were splashed and rigs mounted, our local and visiting sailors gathered at the Hoofer Sailing Club Social to make predictions on the weather for the weekend and share tuning advice to newer teams from the Hoofer Sailing Club. Visting boats then retired to the Edgewater Hotel which graciously agreed to provide block rooms at a reduced rate and offer complimentary berths at their docks for visiting teams for the weekend. With light and variable winds predicted for both Saturday and Sunday, organizers’ nerves were stretched thin with concerns that we might not get enough wind to sail a race over the weekend. But with a large and experienced volunteer cohort (made up of Anma Ingeana, Paige Fitton, and the Fitton kids on RC1 as the signal boat; more Fittons on a markset pontoon, Grant Frautschi, Bob McClaren, and Brian Louther on the Bayside Pontoon as pin/finish boat; Don Sanford and Afan Ottenheimer on Don’s Skiff as Markset, and Brett Hulsey and Dale Gordon providing event photography and markset support on a rib), the Race Committee was prepared to deal with whatever the weather allowed. And they delivered the most efficient, fair, and competitive races we could have asked for. Thank you Race Committee! Thankfully, our forecasts are not always reliable, and a light but sailable wind showed up for us on Saturday morning out of the N/NE, and continued to build through the afternoon, eventually 8-12 kts. MYC’s Razzmatazz (USA 4961), skippered by John Rather with Doug Wake on tactics, proved the skill and speed that they have been showcasing every Wednesday night on Mendota, securing a convincing first place finish in the first and second races of the day against a highly competitive fleet of boats from around the Midwest. Wild Card (USA 2522) skipper and tactician Eric Tobias and Scott Eisenhardt, (both alumni of the Wisconsin Sailing Team, each of whom are known to be dangerous in the light and shifty conditions presented), traded 2nd and 3rd place finishes with MYC’s Alibi (USA 4435), skippered by Dave Elsmo with UW Sailing Team Coach, Ian Beckley, on tactics, Zach Childs trimming, and myself on bow. After a short postponement to reset the course, the AP flag was lowered and the final race for the day (and last completed race of the regatta) began. After winning the pin with a strong start, Team Alibi allowed ourselves to be lured by the visible wind-sign on the water to the left side of the course. Our competition, however, made the correct choice in following the prevailing pattern for the day. With the windward mark positioned southwest of Governor’s Island, boats on the right benefited from a left shift on the first half of the leg from the wind warping around Maple Bluff followed by a big right shift on the starboard layline. Alibi recovered by picking off one boat in the final downwind leg to the finish, securing a 4th place finish, with Razzmatazz taking 3rd, WYC’s Electric Mayhem, skippered by Mike Myers in 2nd, and Wild Card in 1st. While the top 4 boats were able to hold off the rest of the fleet by the end of each race, the entire fleet remained very competitive with signs of significant growth and improvement. Ben Nichols and Greg Stroupe on Bebop (USA 446), (the newest addition to the Hoofer Sailing Club’s fleet of six J/24s) proved that an older boat can keep up with any other J/24 if it is well-maintained and skillfully sailed. The all-women team on Vela (USA 1427)– who have been sailing together since our 2022 District Championship Regatta where they were just getting to know the boat – demonstrated how consistency and practice can pay off, with a 6th place finish out of the gate, just behind Hoofers’ Ulla La (USA 511) in 5th. After three tricky races, all were ready to call it a great day and get on with the party. A big thanks to the Race Committee volunteers who put on championship-quality races in very tough conditions. At 6pm guests showed up for a pizza party at the Maple Bluff Beach Park shelter. Another big thank you to Brett Hulsey and all of the MYC volunteers who pulled this together. Teams were able to review each others successes and failures over the day through the photo slideshow provided by Dale Gordon and enjoy one or two rum drinks with a beautiful sunset on the lake. From there, some moved on to the Ivory Room Piano Bar, reviving an old MYC J/24 fleet tradition, while others went to bed. Sunday’s wind conditions, however, did not live up to its somewhat more favorable forecast. After a two hour on-water postponement, with winds moving 200 degrees around the clock at 1-2 kts, we finally had enough wind that settled out of the east to start a race. But it did not last. The wind shut off while half the fleet was on the final downwind leg (after shifting another 90 degrees) and the race was abandoned. Boats quickly mounted motors and made for the Memorial Union where the traveling boats could de-rig and where we awarded the J/24 District 15 Championship Perpetual Trophy (interestingly, donated to the District by BACARDI, Gold Reserve Rum) to MYC’s Razzmatazz. MYC’s Alibi finished the event in 3rd place, with SSYC’s Wild Card taking 2nd. Thanks again to all the volunteers and traveling teams who made this event happen. Special thanks to Dave Elsmo for serving as Regatta Chair for the event, Grant for Organizing the on-water RC team, and Brett Hulsey for organizing the party. Thanks to Lon and Donna Schoor for helping to prep the shelter and ensuring that the trash cans had room for all of our empties. Thanks to the E-Fleet and other keelboats for giving up the Sunday races to make space on the lake for this event. Thanks to Coral Reef Sailing Apparel for designing our regatta merchandise and getting the word out to participants on short notice while our organizers were away sailing offshore. We are looking forward to continuing to grow our fleet and to hosting the District Championship again (in two years time)! Next stop for Team Alibi is J/24 Nationals at Wayzata Yacht Club September 5-8, 2024. Want to show your support of the event and MYC with some new gear? The Regatta Apparel Online Store is still open! Head to www.mendotayc.org/j24 for links to the Regatta Apparel Online Store and the full photo album from the event.
