Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty…
29th Annual MadCatter Regatta
May 20-22, 2005
Syracuse, NY by John Bauldry
This years edition of Fleet 204’s annual MadCatter regatta lived up to it’s well deserved reputation of great sailing, great parties and great friends. Several Fleet 276 members made the journey including Paul and Kim, Matt, Henk, Tim and John. Rounding out the Michigan contingent were Jerry and Lori Mohney and Dave Steimsma from Fleet 519. 77 boats were in attendance with 16A being the largest class at 33.
Friday was the annual Guest Expert Program. This year’s Guest Expert was multi-time Hobie Champion Wally Meyers from New Jersey. About 2 dozen people attended this seminar on how to better sail their boats. On the beach instruction was followed by on the water practice drills. The weather was great although the wind was a bit light changing to non-existent by the end of the day. After securing boats for the evening everyone gathered around the beer trailer to talk sailing and renew friendships after a long winter hiatus. Having a beer trailer is great regatta insurance even if there is wind. Friday evening was the welcome party at the Arrowhead Lodge. Scrumptious finger foods were served while the DJ played music in the background. Those chocolate covered berry things were a big hit.
Saturday started with coffee, eggs, bagels and donuts courtesy of Fleet 204. This is one of those regattas were you don’t have to bring any food from home. Breakfast was followed by registration, boat rigging, tuning and the skipper’s meeting. The wind was already filling in from the NW when we were called off the beach. 4 races were held in conditions ranging from double trap fun to survival. The wind stayed up all day due to storms way to our east.
During the 4th race a squall came through with wind in the 30 range. Many, many boats capsized including yours truly. Giselle and I went over the handle bars going downwind without the spinnaker after getting hit by a violent gust. I called for a spin hoist after rounding “A” mark but turned around and saw a lot of disturbed water heading our way. “Get that thing down” was the immediate concern and Giselle doused with emergency speed. We managed to sail downwind about ¾ of the way to the gate before auguring in. Righting the boat was easy with that much wind. The only damage was a muddy mast tip and one lost daggerboard when the port side DB became separated from the boat. Those black carbon ones are very hard to see and I wasn’t the only one to lose a DB. The last race of the day reminded me of one of the lighter wind days at the Tiger Worlds.
We met again at the Arrowhead Lodge for Saturday evenings’ festivities, starting with a catered dinner. Pork loin, BBQ chicken, salt potatoes, salad and all the trimmings were on the menu. After dinner, the infamous Bear Bar made an entrance after the floor was cleared of tables and chairs. Fleet 204’s bar is a H16 hull with a wood table attached to the pylons. Add to that a whole bunch of Puerto Ricans and the result is a different kind of squall…a rum squall. This is one of those enduring Fleet 204 traditions that they have become famous for.
What’s the old saying…we had a rum squall and a Madcatter broke out?
Sunday dawned a little on the hazy side and I’m not talking about the weather. Breakfast was again served, boats were rigged and three more races in double trap wind were sailed. WOW…a MadCatter with 7 races in every kind of Syracuse weather except snow. There was one constant though…the wind…fat boy wind. The kind of wind that puts ear to ear smiles on sailors faces. After racing, the boats were made road ready and everyone enjoyed an all you can eat BBQ. The raffle was held and the awards given out. The MadCatter has a large youth participation and all youths received a recognition award for competing. Fleet 276 members did very well at this event. Paul and Kim came in 12th with John and Giselle taking 5th place out of 16 Tigers. Tim placed 6th in 16B, Henk placed 20th in 16A and a BIG congratulations to Matt for winning the event in 16A fleet. Looks like Matt is well on his way to qualifying for the H16 NA’s in Ventura, CA later this summer.
Cudos to Fleet 204 for pulling off another great regatta. This is one of those events that have great traditions and great people. For those who missed it, there will always be next year. I would encourage all fleet members to seriously consider going to this event. It is one of the best slices that the Hobie Way of Life has to offer and it’s way too much fun.
Event photos are available for viewing/purchase at several websites. Stuart Crabbe (www.crabbe.ca) and Mike Walker have photos posted. Arnal Photography (www.arnalpix.com) has photos that can be purchased. Given the wind conditions, there should be some great action shots.
See you on the beach,
Commodore John