Hosted by Willamette Sailing Club in Portland, OR
Sunny skies and calm winds greeted 8 crews on Saturday May 8th for Willamette Sailing Club’s Lido 14 Turtle Regatta. 2010 was the second year of this event, renamed this year from Spring Fling in honor of the sudden horrific squall that hit the fleet last year seconds before our first start, capsizing eight out of twelve boats.
We spent Saturday afternoon enjoying the calm, warm, sunny weather from the picnic tables. We then watched the wind come up nicely just as we sat down for an excellent chicken dinner at 6:00 server by Mark and Kathy Sandifer.
Sunday was kinder to those of us willing to shun Mother’s day. While contemplating another day of sitting around on the dock munching on delicious leftovers, at about 12:00 we noticed a patch of wind about a half mile south of the Club that seemed to be holding up. Was it real, a mirage? We sent the committee boat down river and sure enough, somehow the local geography was funneling a Northeast wind across about a half-mile stretch of river, with calm on both sides., We all drifted down river to get to the wind while the race committee hastily set marks on what turned out to be a great part of the Willamette River to sail. The wind stayed steady at 5-8 knots and we completed three windward-finish races. It turned out about as good as sailing gets in May in Portland, with all participants in shorts and t-shirts, just like they do in Southern California in January.
Racing was tight, with only three points separating 1st from 4th. Ron and Nicole Runyan took the day while Mark and Cathy Sandifer edged out Terry Sellers from Eugene for second.
James Clevenberg, two time winner of the Oldest Skipper award at the Class Championship Regatta, and 1967 Rogue Fleet Champion, took 1st in the Bs. James plans to sail at the CCR again this year after a broken ankle slowed him up last summer.