Bow Lake Sailing - 2005

Summary Letter 2005 – by Bob Shapiro

2005 BOW LAKE SAILBOAT RACING
by Bob Shapiro

Bob Evans Regatta

Forty sailors, ten sailboats, ten Race Committee members, and many spectators participated in the Bob Evans Regatta this summer. Sixteen races were held on Bow Lake from July 3 through September 3. For the first time in many years, no races had to be postponed or cancelled due to no wind or bad weather.

In the Lightning class, Bob Shapiro had won this event for the last six years, while Ned Hinds had won the 22 years before that. Ned with typical crew Karen Hinds and Jeff Baker in Naut! built up a big lead and cruised to a one point victory for the season. Bob, with Margo Krukonis and a host of other crew in Miss Behavin’, finished in second. John Boynton, along with brother Jamie and several other crew in What Now!?, continues his rapid improvement and finished in his personal best third place. Mike Aversa, together with Amy Byron and his daughters Jillian and Kristen, in The Blind Squirrel finished in fourth place. Mike didn’t get his new boat until part way through the season; next year Mike will be the boat to beat as he finished strong! Norb Church, Dave Sandmann, and Bob Murphy finished fifth in Three Men in a Tub. They were sinking fast but bailing faster and managed on most days to stay afloat long enough to finish both races. Greg Shapiro guest skippered on two different boats, and Mike Aversa skippered and crewed on other boats before his new one arrived.

In the Open class, Greg, Emma, and Caroline King sailed their Hunter 146 Y-Knot to a runaway victory. Amy Byron, sailing a SunFish, a Laser and her Catamaran at various times, finished in second place. Amy spent most of the season sailing in Lightnings, or she would have given the Kings a run for their money. Guillaume Joffries, who visits the lake from his home in Malta for a few weeks each summer, also sailed in the Open class and in the Lightnings. Winning skippers were awarded fleece picnic blankets, and crew received Bow Lake sailing fleece headbands.

Many people helped out during the summer on Race Committee. Special thanks to Pam Daigneault, Werner Daigneault, Marion Hinds, and Sandy Boynton for all of their help. Bow Lake Race Committee windbreakers were presented to these Race Committee stalwarts to thank them for their service.

Ed Hinds Regatta

Saturday, September 24, 2005, was the 2005 Bow Lake Ed Hinds Memorial One Day Lightning Flash Regatta. Fourteen Lightnings attended, and everyone had a fabulous time. Five boats from Bow Lake joined 9 visiting boats from Lake Massabesic, Squam Lake, Newburyport, Lake Spofford, Lake Champlain, Newfound Lake, and Lake Michigan. The weather was great with 70-degree temperatures and bright sunshine. The wind was lighter than desired, ranging from 0-5 knots during the day. The wind changed its direction for every race, keeping the crash boats busy moving the racing marks.

Pam and Werner Daigneault and Marion Hinds were on Race Committee. Roger Williams, Rich Mechaber, Colin King, and Pete Bradley manned Crash Boats, and several spectator boats were watching closely. Four windward-leeward races were run during the afternoon of sailing.

The caliber of racing was very high. The winner was current Lightning North American Championship runner-up Bill Fastiggi, with crew Suzy Coburn and Chip Kaupp, from Burlington, VT. Second place went to perennial contender Ken Deyett with Larry Christian and Ken’s daughter Ali, from nearby Lake Massabesic. Bob Bush, with Sterling Bush and Dan Egan, rounded out the top three places. After this tune-up at Bow Lake, Bill and Suzy, Bob, Sterling and Dan all headed to the Lightning World Championships in Chile at the end of November.

Bow Lake’s Mike Aversa, with Amy Byron and daughter Jillian crewing, was the top local boat with a strong fifth place finish. Mike finished fifth in all four races in this tough field. Bob Shapiro, with Margo Krukonis and Jim Lerner on board, finished 7th, and Ned Hinds, with Karen Hinds and Jeff Baker on his team, was one point behind in 8th place. John Boynton teamed up with his brother Jamie and Bryan Lewis to take 12th place overall, representing another step in his march forward through the fleet. Norb Church, Bill Murray, and Greg King did a fine job of bailing their leaky boat, appropriately named Three Men In A Tub!
Detailed results are on the Web at http://www.lightningclass.org/ne/Results/2005/bowlake_results.htm
Photos from the Regatta are posted on the Web at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/finallybk/my_photos

After the races the Bow Lake Grange Hall was the center of activity. Appetizers included more shrimp than Forrest Gump ever caught, chips and salsa, guacamole and vegetables with dip. Dinner was a taco bar with tacos, tortillas, beef and chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese, guacamole, olives, sour cream and salsa, along with salad, vegetables and garlic bread. For dessert, carved pineapples, fresh fruit, cupcakes and more were available. But Amy’s Kahlua Trifle, otherwise known as “tub of booze, cream and chocolate”, took the cake. Thank you to everyone for making the dinner so successful. Special thanks to Charna for preparing food and getting the Grange ready while the rest of us were all out sailing.

The Martha Comstock award is given each year to a person who exemplifies the spirit of sailing on Bow Lake. This year Ned Hinds presented it to Gerald Thorne. Gerald has been an avid supporter of Bow Lake sailing for many years, and it was a pleasure to see him recognized for his spirit!

Please get your sailboats out of your garages and sheds and onto the water next year and join us for racing! Contact Bob Shapiro at bshapiro@lightbridge.com for more information.

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