2001 Season Results

Leukemia Cup Regatta
August 18, 2001

Sail Newport ran four short races North of the Newport Bridge off the War College. The first two were sailed in a light WSW breeze that took the fleet across the East Passage and the shipping channel. By the end of the second race the southwesterly had filled in and stengthened so the RC moved north so that they could set the weather mark just north of the Bridge. The sailing was marked by strong currents and local knowledge was at a premium.

Andy Gillis and Pam Morris won their first one-design race and their first one-design regatta all in the same day. Pam and Brendan Kelley started slowly, but figured it out in the southwesterly and won two races. It was a light turnout for Fleet #14, but good racing, nevertheless.

-- Nelson

Buzzards Bay Regatta
August 3-5, 2001

                                         BUZZARDS BAY REGATTA 2001
                                                   J-105
                                               3-5 AUGUST 2001
Date: Aug 05, 2001
Time: 3:48pm                                                              (c)YACHT RACE SCORING INTERNATIONAL
**************************************************************************************************************
Yacht Race Scoring Systems   | RACE 1 | RACE 2 | RACE 3 | RACE 4 | RACE 5 | RACE 6 |     ||
                             |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|     || TOTALS THRU
                             | Finish | Finish | Finish | Finish | Finish | Finish |THROW||  RACE NO. 5 
                      SAIL   |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  | OUT ||--------------
SKIPPER, ETC.          NO    | Points | Points | Points | Points | Points | Points | R # || POINTS| POS
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||-------|----
REESE HILLARD                |  2     |  3     |  TLE   |  1     |  1     |  ----  |     ||       |
HOSS                    237  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 9     | 1
FORT WORTH BC                |  2     |  3     |  2     |  1     |  1     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
DON PRIESTLY                 |  3     |  1     |  TLE   |  6     |  3     |  ----  |     ||       |
WET PAINT             51012  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 15    | 2
MASHPEE, MA                  |  3     |  1     |  2     |  6     |  3     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
JOHN HOURIHAN                |  4     |  4     |  TLE   |  3     |  2     |  ----  |     ||       |
PFM2                    315  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 15    | 3
AMERICAN YC                  |  4     |  4     |  2     |  3     |  2     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
SCOTT BENDER                 |  5     |  2     |  TLE   |  7     |  7     |  ----  |     ||       |
                        486  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 23    | 4
STONE HORSE YC               |  5     |  2     |  2     |  7     |  7     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
ED DAILEY                    |  1     |  5     |  TLE   |  8     |  9     |  ----  |     ||       |
STAR EYES               444  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 25    | 5
BEVERLY YC                   |  1     |  5     |  2     |  8     |  9     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
JOHN MCCOLLOCH               |  7     |  6     |  TLE   |  5     |  5     |  ----  |     ||       |
HOTSPUR                 398  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 25    | 6
AMERICAN YC                  |  7     |  6     |  2     |  5     |  5     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
LARRY HENNESS                |  8     |  7     |  TLE   |  2     |  8     |  ----  |     ||       |
WOODY                   353  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 27    | 7
DUCK ISLAND YC               |  8     |  7     |  2     |  2     |  8     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
JACK GIERHART                |  6     |  8     |  TLE   |  9     |  6     |  ----  |     ||       |
AEGIR                 51439  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 31    | 8
MARION, MA                   |  6     |  8     |  2     |  9     |  6     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
BILL PURDY                   |  DNC   |  DNC   |  TLE   |  4     |  4     |  ----  |     ||       |
40 WHACKS               354  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 34    | 9
MEGANSETT                    |  12    |  12    |  2     |  4     |  4     |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
RONALD MORTARA               |  10    |  DNF   |  TLE   |  10    |  10    |  ----  |     ||       |
GIOIA                 50803  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 44    | 10
NEW BEDFORD                  |  10    |  12    |  2     |  10    |  10    |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------
J C RABY                     |  9     |  OCS   |  TLE   |  DNF   |  OCS   |  ----  |     ||       |
DECORUM                 442  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |  ----  |     || 47    | 11
NYYC                         |  9     |  12    |  2     |  12    |  12    |  ----  |     ||       |
-------------------- ------- |--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-----||--------------

Narragansett Bay Championship
July 27-29, 2001

7.28.2001 00:12

BY DAVE PHILIPS
Special to the Journal

JAMESTOWN -- It was down on the schedule early in the year to be a major one-design weekend regatta in Newport: "Six to eight classes," said Pete Lawson of the Atlantic Race Management Team, "and three circles."

But as winter turned into spring it gradually became apparent that promoter Robert Taylor's plans weren't working out. By the time the regatta began yesterday the three circles had come down to one for the J-105 class.

There would have been no racing at all if J-105 skipper and Wickford Yacht Club member Nelson Weiderman hadn't said to Pete Lawson and his wife, Marshall, in May: "We still want to race, will you run races for us?"

The Lawsons agreed and the regatta survived as the J-105 Narragansett Bay championship. Fourteen J-105s were on the course south of Beavertail Point yesterday and they sailed three races in crystal-clear weather. A little more breeze would have been nice but there was enough for principal race officer Bill Riessen to give them three races over windward-leeward courses.

When the racing was over, Jim Sorensen of Sag Harbor, N.Y., on eastern Long Island and his boat, Wet Leopard, were the leaders with the low score of six points, two points ahead of Darden and Hillard Williamson of Fort Worth, Texas, and their boat, Hoss.

Sorensen, who keeps his boat in Jamestown in the summer, had 2-1-3 finishers and stood to pick up another point if his protest in the third race against Doug Riggs and Rigadoon, who finished ahead of Sorensen in that race, was upheld.

"I have a great crew, a very experienced crew," Sorensen said. "They're all off other very well-sailed, successful boats."

The fleet had a 12 to 15 knot northeasterly breeze for the first race which gradually softened as the race progressed.

Riessen shortened the windward leg by half a mile for the second race and sent them off but the breeze was continuing to die and to be sure they beat the two-hour time limit, he ended that race at the second weather mark, shortening the race from six miles to four. By the time the fleet was approaching the new finish line the breeze had hauled from northeast to southeast, eventually settling in the southwest and building to 10-12 knots, enabling Riessen to give them a course to beat the two-hour time limit.

This is Sorensen's fourth year in the class and, he said, his third boat. "I tried a couple of different combinations with tillers and wheels and I decided I liked the wheel best and these boats hold their value so well I didn't lose anything," he said.

The schedule calls for three races today and there may be four additional boats on the course. The leaders: 1, Wet Leopard, Sorensen, 2-1-3, 6; 2, Hoss, Darden & Hillard Williamson, 1-3-4, 8.0; 3, Masquerade, Tom Coates, 3-6-1, 10; 4, Rigadoon, Doug Riggs, 5-5-2, 12.0; 5, No Surrender, Jack Colby, 4-7-6, 17.0.

7.29.2001 00:05 Narragansett Bay J-105 title to be decided today

BY DAVE PHILIPS Journal Sports Writer

JAMESTOWN --Clear the decks for a good match race today on Rhode Island Sound between Jim Sorensen's Wet Leopard and Darden and Hillard Williamson's Hoss to decide the Narragansett Bay J-105 championship. They're tied for the lead through five races and two days of competition, and both finished in the top five in all their races.

That kind of consistency is hard to beat. But two or three other skippers have a chance to get into the running if the leaders lose their edge on the final day of racing.

Masquerade, skippered by Tom Coates of San Francisco, has a chance at six points back. And Providence skipper Jack Colby still has hopes, too, after winning the second race yesterday on No Surrender.

Colby made a bold move on the second windward leg of the second race yesterday, splitting way out from the fleet on the left or seaward side of the course. That's where the most wind was and Colby caught everyone, going to that next weather mark, establishing a lead he held to the finish of the seven-mile course.

Masquerade and No Surrender will have a better chance of contending for the championship if principal race officer Bill Riessen runs three races today. The origial schedule called for just two races today, but Riessen wrote the three-race option into the sailing instructions and said he might try for three races if they get wind early today on Rhode Island Sound.

Patience was a necessity for Riessen and his race committee yesterday, holding off until they had wind enough to start a race. They'd hoped to run three races, with the first one starting at 11 a.m. but the wind at that time was about 3 knots from the northeast, too light for racing.

Their patience was finally rewarded at 1 o'clock, when the wind hauled to the southwest as it had the day before, and freshened to 6-8 knots. Then Riessen got 16 racing yachts away on a 3.5-mile windward-leeward course and he doubled the distance for the final race.

Hoss squeezed in ahead of Masquerade in the first race, forcing Masquerade on port to tack just short of the finish line pin and wear around, losing second place to Nelson Weiderman's Kima. Sorensen, meanwhile, had been buried at the start and in a race that lasted just under an hour, he didn't have time to catch the leaders.

Sorensen and his crew trailed Hoss by two points after that race but pulled even with their second-place in the final race, while Hoss was finishing fourth.

Coates from San Francisco and the Williamsons from Texas indicate in a small way how widespread the J-105 class has become in the 10 years of its existence. Class president Don Priestly, of Mashpee, Mass., calls it the fastest-growing one-design class in the country.

Besides Narragansett Bay, there are thriving fleets on Long Island Sound, on Chesapeake Bay, in San Diego, Chicago, in Houston and the Dalls-Fort Worth area, almost 500 racing yachts in all.

1, Hoss, Darden & Hillard Williamson, 1-3-3-1-4, 12.0; and Wet Leopard, Jim Sorensen, 2-1-1-5-2, 12.0; 3, Masquerade, Tom Coates, 3-6-1-3-5, 18.0; 4, No Surrender, Jack Colby, 4-7-5-6-1, 23.0; 5, Kima, Nelson Weiderman, 7-8-7-2-8, 32.0; 6, Wet Paint, Don Priestly, 6-2-10-10-10, 38.0; 7, Picante, Robert Salk, 8-13-4-7-7, 39.0; 8, Rigadoon, Doug Riggs, 5-5-dsq-8-9, 45; and Woody, Whitehead & Hennessy, 10-12-9-4-11, 46.0; 10, 40 Whacks, Bill Purdy, 11-4-13-11-13, 52.0.

7.30.2001 00:22 Sorensen, Wet Leopard win J-105 title

BY DAVE PHILIPS Special to the Journal

JAMESTOWN -- Jim Sorensen got a chance to smoke his victory cigar at the Narragansett Bay J-105 championship yesterday, but the Sag Harbor, N.Y., skipper couldn't think about lighting up until he and his crew on Wet Leopard cleared the finish line in the final race of the three-day series on Rhode Island Sound.

Sorensen thought Glenn Darden on Hoss, the skipper he was most concerned about, had taken himself out of contention by being involved in a port-starboard situation on the starting line and having to do a 720 (two complete turns) before resuming the race.

That put Hoss in last place in the 17-boat fleet. But Darden, his co-skipper Reese Hillard and their crew from the Fort Worth, Texas, Boat Club, staged an amazing comeback, passing 11 boats as the six-mile race progressed. Suddenly the compet