Thank to Roger Dougal, J/24 Fleet 67 for this report:
Competitors at the three-day nor’Easter Regatta enjoyed boisterous beer slides, hopping happy hours, delicious dinners, and great springtime racing. In this 39th year of racing J/24s, the regatta delivered its usual assortment of racing conditions — tedious on Friday, wild, wooly and wet on Saturday, and shifty-north easterly on Sunday. Two light-air races were completed on Friday before RC sent the boats packing to await the promise of better winds tomorrow. Jim Farmer, (Party Reptile, Augusta Sailing Club) finished the day with two bullets, closely pursued by James Howard (Classic, Lake Lanier Sailing Club) with two seconds. Third place was tied between former Gamecock sailor James Thurlow (Fortitude, South Carolina YC) and last year’s winner Michael Quaid (Ice Cube, Malletts Bay Boat Club). As dawn broke on Saturday, the lake was a distinctly different place. RC mustered their game faces and gear and set out to lay courses for the J/24s who relished the lively conditions. Five races later, James Howard emerged as the new leader, showing consistent strength in heavy air, and two first-place finishes to Farmer’s single bullet for the day. The joy of winning was widespread, with both Dougal and Thurlow also having first place finishes. Sunday yielded three races in shifty northeasterly winds. Thurlow showed his Fortitude in these conditions, earning one first and one second, while the Party Reptile earned two firsts and one second, climbing back above team Classic to capture the regatta win in the tenth race.
The accolades started arriving barely after competitors hit the road for home. “You guys ran a great show.” “It is on my calendar as a not to miss event next year!” “I am thankful Columbia Sailing Club did it so well” “Y’all did a great job!” As both an organizer and a competitor, I am especially thankful for the outstanding on-water leadership and execution provided by PRO Charles Bumgardner (a former J/24 sailor) and his team of 20 race committee personnel, and for the awesome social and dining events (Italian night, and Southern BBQ) led by Hilarie Brush and her team of kitcheneers.
No nor’Easter Regatta report would be complete without some mention of the beer slide, despite yours-truly having lost most of its records — perhaps to protect the innocent. One scrap of paper seems to show that the top finishers in the final round were John Polek, Crisp McDonald (both of USA 5274), and Dave Varn (of Party Reptile), in that order. An astute observer may question whether veteran beer slider Dave could possibly have been beaten by two newcomers, but those appear to be the facts.
The Columbia Sailing Club hopes to see many more J/24s attend next year for the 40th anniversary of racing J/24s at this event, on the 50th anniversary of J/24 production, when this regatta will land on the actual and historic Easter weekend as a J/24-only event, and thus lose the “Not Our Regular” appurtenance, to once again become “The J/24 Easter Regatta”.
Top finishers, of nine boats, ten races sailed:
1st Jim Farmer, (Party Reptile, Augusta Sailing Club)
2nd James Howard (Classic, Lake Lanier Sailing Club)
3rd James Thurlow (Fortitude, South Carolina YC)
See full results at https://theclubspot.com/regatta/WWnvFpYMLY/results