The first day saw overcast skies which, for those that don’t know Huntington Lake, VERY abnormal. Skies had been clear for the entire week prior to the regatta however as the event approached so did the clouds and thunderheads. In the first race, Kent and Chris Foster got off to a tremendous start (partway up from the leeward pin) and found a magic lane that had equal speed and better lift than the rest of the fleet. In 2^nd (by the time the fleet approached the Boy Scout Camp) was Papadopoulos followed closely by Robertson. Working they way up the shoreline near the Camp, Robertson commenced a tacking duel and Papadopoulos committed a foul trying to tack out from underneath Robertson, sending Papadopoulos back to about 7^th as a result of him doing his alternative penalty turns. Meanwhile up in the front, Foster hit the shoreline a bit too hard and faded while Jenkins came up more in the middle of the lake and overtake Kent to take on Robertson. About 3/4ths the way up the lake the wind died (dead, kaput, zilch). The lake turned into a parking lot mixed with Lido’s and the various other classes that started before. The windward mark rounding order was Jenkins, Robertson, Walker, Foster, Papadopoulos, and Campbell. The race committee shortened the race to finish at mark 6 (at the end of the reach from mark 2).

The second race was abandoned and we all went in early.

Sunday even worse weather with darker thunderheads building in the highlands. The start looked similar to day 1 with Foster, Robertson, Papadopoulos, Walker, and Williams at the front of the pack as they sped over towards the Boy Scout Camp. About 3/4^ths of the way to the camp, the wind went goofy. The wind shifted enough to let boats sail almost straight to the windward mark on a port tack. The race down the lake was now mostly about whom had the best line of puffs. Walker led by a wide margin with the battle, if you can call it that, for 2^nd oscillating between Robertson, Papadopoulos, and Jenkins. About half way to the windward mark (Mark 3), the wind shut off and the fleet drifted to it. The mark rounding order for the first few boats was Robertson, Walker, Foster, and Papadopoulos. Drifting up the lake (towards the finish line), Papadopoulos found a magic lane and passed both Walker and Foster and, eventually, Robertson, to take the lead. Papadopoulos held on to his lead around the reach mark but Robertson worked his famous down wind magic and passed by Papadopoulos. The wind started to build and come forward (now from a more Southerly direction) so that the first few boats were reaching towards mark 1 (near the start line). Papadopoulos went high; Robertson sailed more along the rhumbline. Papadopoulos built a slight lead over Robertson only to find Walker pressing down hard. Walker reached over Papadopoulos, momentarily taking the lead. Papadopoulos fought back to take the lead. About this time it was apparent that the RC was finishing boats on a new finish line between shore and mark 1. All this battling between Walker and Papadopoulos brought them onto a broad reach to the mark, which should have worked because they were closer to the wind source and getting puffs before Robertson. Unfortunately, with about 40 or so yards to go, the wind died, giving Robertson, who was sailing a hotter angle, the win by a very scant margin, followed by Papadopoulos and Walker.

So, for the 3^rd time in four years, Robertson wins the High Sierra Regatta.