Saturday was breezy, blowing across the Elizabeth City River, as it is a majority of the time (though a little eastward this year). Sunday was lighter and flukier with about the same direction.
This is the 25th Nationals since the revival of the Classic Moth and, to mark this milestone, the National Champion was to come from the Vintage Division (those who are racing hulls built before 1950 - there was five in number this year). Walt Collins overcame boat problems on Saturday and in deftly deciphering Sunday's shifts, came from behind to finish 1st in Vintage and take the National Trophy. Gary Gowans, sailing his homebuilt and slightly modified Cates design Good Newz, won the Gen 1 division over an Olympic Europe and Jamey Rabbit borrowed Jeff Linton's Mousetrap to run away with the Gen II trophy. (Jamey was a young hot-shot Mothist when I first showed up on the Classic scene but has been absent for about ten years... it's good to see him back in a Classic Moth.)
George A. over at Mid-Atlantic Musings actually attended the regatta and has written an extensive report complete with a large selection of excellent photos from Hope Malott, I recommend you read his post; click here.
Some photos. Most are from John Z with the exceptions noted. As always, to get higher resolution, click inside the photo.
Below is Gary Gowan's Cates design, winner of Gen I division, sitting on the Pugh's lawn. As far as I know, this is the first time a Cates has won Gen I; the Cates being the most successful Moth design in the U.S in the early to mid 1960's. (Oops! got that one wrong. George A. sends along this correction... this is history before my time in the class.)
"Mike Albert won the Nats in 1997 sailing the ex-Bill Schill Cates, Pegasus, over Joe Bousquet's Mistral (Joe failed to attend the skipper's meeting and was dsq'ed for passing through the start/finish line on a critical race. This faux pas cost Joe B. the regatta). This was before we had the Gen I and II divisions and shows that a Cates in the right hands could be competitive against the best boats of that era. Jeff Linton also was able to almost beat Mark Saunders and co. the first time he raced a Moth down at St. Pete, sailing an old beat up Fletcher-Cates he borrowed from Ken Willus."
Gary Gowan's two Mothboat trailer rig ready for the homebound trip. His pretty Gen I winner is on top with a winter project Vintage hull on the bottom.
Jamey Rabbit is at least ten years older from the last time he appeared at the Nationals but he hasn't lost the magic sailing touch of his youth. He had six 1st place finishes out of eight races.
A Hope Malott photo of Jamey rounding a leeward mark. Concentration plus plaid sailing shorts. Now that's stylin!
Another Hope Malott photo. This is fellow Marylander Victor Stango launching from the Pugh's property for Saturdays racing. Victor has a wider Gen I Lindenberg design.
The Classic Moths are all about diversity. From left to right, a Vintage Ventnor with a wood mast (all Vintage Mothboats have to sail with a wooden mast), a Gen I Lindenberg, and a Gen I Olympic Europe.
The Results of the 2014 Classic Moth Nationals.
The Gen II winner is marked with yellow, the Gen I winner is marked with green, the Vintage and National Champion is marked with orange.
| Skipper | Races | Hull Design |
| Jamey Rabbit | 1,1,1,1,2,1,1,[2] | Mousetrap |
| Mike Parsons | [4],3,4,4,1,3,3,1 | Mistral |
| John Zseleczky | 3,[4],3,3,3,2,2,3 | Collins-Mistral |
| Gary Gowans | 5,5,5,[6],5,4,4,4 | Gowans-Cates (Gen 1) |
| John Pugh | 6,[10],8,9,4,6,7,7 | Olympic Europe (Gen 1) |
| Victor Stango | 7,7,7,[12],6,8,6,6 | Lindenberg (Gen 1) |
| Rutledge Young | [DNF],6,6,5,9,5,5,12 | Olympic Europe (Gen 1) |
| Joe Bousquet | 2,2,2,2,[DNC],DNC,DNC,DNC | Mistral |
| Walt Collins | 8,8,[DNC],DNC,7,9,8,9 | Dorr Willey (Vintage) |
| Greg Duncan | 11,[12],11,7,8,11,9,11 | Connecticut (Vintage) |
| George Albaugh | 9,11,9,11,10,[12],12,10 | Connecticut (Vintage) |
| Ed Salva | 13,[15],12,8,12,10,11,8 | Olympic Europe (Gen 1) |
| Zach Balluzzo | 10,9,10,10,[DNC],DNC,DNC,DNC | Maser (Gen 1) |
| Dan Mallott | 14,DNF,[DNC],DNC,13,13,14,13 | Shelley (Gen 1) |
| Don January | 15,[DNF],DNC,DNC,DNC,14,13,14 | Ventnor (Vintage) |
| Bill Boyle | 12,12,[DNF],DNC,DNC,DNC,DNC,DNC | Abbot (Vintage) |
Make that a "Lindenberg" not Lindenberger. This Moth was designed and built by Paul Lindenberg. Paul founded Lindenberg Yachts in 1975 and while best known for a series of small yachts in the 24 to 30 foot range, raced Moths in the 1950/60s mostly at regattas on the Atlantic coast of FLA.
ReplyDeletePS: Mike Albert won the Nats in 1997 sailing the ex-Bill Schill Cates, Pegasus, over Joe Bousquet's Mistral (Joe failed to attend the skipper's meeting and was dsq'ed for passing through the start/finish line on a critical race. This faux pas cost Joe B. the regatta). This was before we had the Gen I & II divisions and shows that a Cates in the right hands could be competitive against the best boats of that era. Jeff Linton also was able to almost beat Mark Saunders and co. the first time he raced a Moth down at St. Pete, sailing an old beat up Fletcher-Cates he borrowed from Ken Willus.
ReplyDeleteGeorge,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the corrections. I must have had cheese on the brain when I was writing "Lindenberger". Your Gen I history has made it into the main post.
I keep hoping that George Bailey will some day find the model of his father's 1954 World champ boat "Mach One". The Florida-Cates was a tamer and easier to build version of Mach One.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this round-up of the Nationals -- a month of bad internet leaves me a bit behind, but thanks for the photos and news...
ReplyDelete