2014 Easter Regatta in Columbia, SC

Over Easter weekend, Columbia Sailing Club hosted the 48th Annual Easter Regatta.  Although not the original regatta boat, the J24 has made the Easter Regatta a must sail destination for many a decade.  After much dedication and hard work from local sailor and Goombay Smash Mixologist  extraordinaire,  Steve Rose, the Ultimate 20 fleet received an invitation to join this rather unique and prestigious regatta.
Anybody who sails understands that the success of a regatta comes from those who never get a chance to sail. In this case, the volunteers from CSC led by the very colorful and energetic Alex Bolan put on a weekend that should be the model for race organizers across the country.    Alex put together an amazing staff for both on and off the water activities. And his organizational skills were so phenomenal, that he even got to race! With 35 boats between the two fleets, the well orchestrated boat launch procedure made the logistics of setting up and breaking down the boats a breeze.   Three days of camping, great food, drink and sailing were included in the entry fee for both skippers and crew. CSC hosted two excellent dinners.  On Friday night, hungry sailors feasted on the South Carolina staple of pulled pork, while Saturday night’s dinner featured a low country boil with shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob and potatoes.  Of course, the night is never complete until you have had a Goombay Smash from Steve Roses now famous Goombay Smash Blender.    Some competitors recalled memories of the “tent cities” from regattas past while others were left to create new memories of newly forged friendships that will not soon be forgotten.  And that was before anyone hit the water.
The racing included 3 days of perfect sailing conditions to complete 8 races.  The wind ranged from 12 to 20 with plenty of shifts and lines of pressure to play up and down the course.  The Ultimate 20 provided the perfect boat.  Ease of shifting gears and its ability to power up or down made the U20 very quick all weekend.  With skipper’s ages ranging from 16 to 70, it is easy to see why the boat has such broad appeal.  The fact that the outcome was not decided until the final race of the final day between the top 4 boats speaks to the competitive nature and close racing that exist within the fleet. 
The first day started best for BJ Jones and his Charlotte/Philadelphia based crew. BJ won the first race showing consistent speed throughout the course sailing both smart and clean.  In the second race, Don Corey gave the class a clinic in downwind sailing by passing 4 boats to pull out the victory. Keith Ziegler and his motor city based crew also showed to be an early favorite by finishing with a 2,1 after missing the first race due to a halyard failure.   The day ended with BJ Jones leading the standings with 7 points followed by Jordan Wiggins, a promising junior from Lake Norman, with 9 points and a tie between Tim Dunton, who brought a team from Lower Alabama, and Don Corey from Lake Norman with 12 points.  At this stage, the fleet was wondering if the Lake Norman guys were going to take home all the silver.
The second day showed early morning showers and a freshening NNE breeze. After a 2 hour delay to let the weather clear, racing finally got started.  Once again, Keith Ziegler proved to be the guy to beat.  After trading leads with Tim Dunton, Keith showed superior downwind speed on the last leg of the race to take the win. The fifth race saw Tim Dunton’s LA Boyz returning the favor by finding stronger breeze down the middle of the course while the other guys sailed the edges.  Matching Keith Ziegler’s 1,2 with a 2,1 now showed the day ending with the LA Boys joining the conversation of contenders.  The day ended with any of the top 5 boats having the potential to win the regatta.
The final day of racing would start out tame but finish with a gusty breeze from the NNE at 12 to 20. Factoring in the throw out, the score sheet showed Keith Ziegler winning and a point spread of 3 points between the top three boats. Everything was on the line and it was anybody’s regatta to win.  Race 6 saw BJ Jones find a sweet shift down the right side of the course to pass several boats downwind to take the win and the points lead.  BJ was followed by Tim Dunton and Jordan Wiggins.  In Race 7, Tim Dunton found that “spot” in the middle of the course again to take the win, followed by Jordan Wiggins and BJ Jones.  So, it all came down to the final race.  Jordan’s strong showing on the final day had him in contention and helped erase Keith’s advantage.  The first beat put the guys from LA to the weather mark first and they were able to hold position on the downwind leg.  The crew from Lower Alabama chose to go conservative and attempt loose cover of both BJ and Keith on the following beat.  The fleet again  tightened at the final top mark.  Rounding just behind the LA Boys and in great position to make a passing move at the jibe point, the crew from Detroit executed perfectly and motored on to win the final race.
Racing had ended and it was time to go back to the dock and tally the scores. It was extremely tight but at the end of the day, the winners were:
1 All who came to race
2 Columbia Sailing Club
3 Alex Bolan and Steve Rose
4 The Ultimate 20 Class who found an outstanding new spring destination regatta.

See y’all next year.
Official Results