The weather was perfect, the water was relatively calm, and the competition was keen at the 2014 CCWBRA National Championship event on August 16. This was our fourth and biggest Nationals, with 32 boats, 54 drivers, and our first Youth Class racers! Competitors traveled from as far away as Toronto and Georgia.
There were 86 Cocktail Class races on Saturday, including 26 heats (three races per heat), two tie-breaker races (one each for 8 hp and 6 hp Classic), and 6 Youth races. Our four Youth racers appeared very comfortable in the CCRs. Observers got the sense that the youngsters were looking over their shoulders at their coaches saying, ‘Come on, will you keep up!’
During the Awards Ceremony, Jack Pettigrew presented a Perpetual Plaque, in honor of Dr. Bluefeld, the grandfather of the CCWBRA, to the Bluefeld family. This plaque is the size and shape of a Cocktail Class Racer’s transom with brass plates for each class of racers in all Nationals since the first in 2011. The winners’ names for each class are inscribed onto the brass plates. And there is lots of room for more Nationals winners!
The competitors raced in seven championship classes. The first three were for 6 hp OMC motors manufactured after 1979, with the mixed class 165 pound minimum weight — driver plus ballast if necessary, heavyweight — 200 pound driver weight minimum, and women’s class. Then came the open 8 hp class, with 200 pound minimum limit for driver and ballast, and three classic 6 hp classes for OMC motors 1979 and earlier: light, heavy, and women’s.
PropTalk has to brag a bit. Our #67
Molotov had a great day. Jess Rigelman won both women’s 6 hp classes, barely edging PropTalk Severn River teammate Tara Carew in each class, and PropTalk’s Zach Ditmars drove
Molotov to a second in the 6 hp Heavy Post-1979 class. Unlike the last outing at the Kent Island Regatta,
Molotov stayed rightside up throughout the day, so the team was less embarrassed at the awards ceremony when Jack Pettigrew presented Mike Serio the “most spectacular flip” award for upending Molotov in the pits at Kent Island. That award was a suitably-inscribed plaque, mounting a toilet paper dispenser.
In each class, there were three-race heats followed by a three-race set of finals. The racers with the lowest cumulative scores in the finals were the winners. As has been true in the past, the competition was so keen that in some races, one or more boats were over the starting line before the horn, thus receiving a penalty.
Boats were often so evenly matched that there was contention for the inside line not only at the first turning mark, but also at each mark around the course, and finishes with boats overlapped kept the scorers busy. The 6 hp Mixed Post-1979 motor class and the Youth class ended with two racers tied on points. Three of the remaining 6 hp classes, the 6 hp Heavy Post-1979, 6 hp Women’s Post-1979 and 6 hp Heavy Classic were each decided by only one point between first and second.
Chas Iliff in
Toothache II won the 6 hp Mixed Post-1979 class, which started the day, by a tiebreaker over Ian Millington in Virginia Gentleman. Keith Carew with Dram followed with a win in the 6 hp Heavy Post ‘79 class, edging Zach and
Molotov, and Jess took her first of two championships with
Molotov in the 6 hp Women’s Post-1979 class, one point ahead of Tara and
Dram.
Next, the 8 hp class delivered the most excitement of the day with fast and exciting racing, and a couple of spectacular flips. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and both boats came back to run later and win. After flipping with Lawrence Fuccella, Brass Monkey ran in a later 8 hp heat, and the finals where second pilot Chris Riddick edged Steve Brendlinger and Kamikaze for the win. Russ Bowler’s Flying Kiwi was towed in inverted, but with a classic engine replacing the 8 took the 6 hp Mixed Classic class with Chas Iliff and Toothache II second. Jess Rigelman took Molotov to her second Championship in the 6 hp Women’s Classic class, by a point over Tara Carew in Blue Hawaiian. Then the Edmonds brothers, Robert and Lee were 1-2 in Shaken Knot Stirred and Sundowner in the 6 hp Heavy Classic finals to cap the adult competition.
The last class to race was certainly the highlight of the day, as it was the first time the CCWBRA has allowed youth entrants to race at the national level. Zach Malone had broken the ice with solo runs at the Kent Island Regatta. At Nationals, he was joined by Caroline Fuccella, Will Hundley, and Jack Pusser. After some orientation runs with accompanying coach boats, all the youngsters were cleared to race. After heats and finals, Caroline and Jack were tied on points and are the first CCWBRA Youth National Champions.
As has become a tradition at Nationals and at the races at Urbanna, informal runs were set for the Sunday after the Championships. Unfortunately, this year’s informal event was marred by an accident in which Virginia competitor Donnie Johnson skidded wide and hit a piling. He was transported by helicopter to University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore. His injuries turned out not to be as severe as had been feared, and as of this writing, Donnie’s on the mend and looking forward to repairing #79 Sea Squirt and getting back on the water.
The hospitality of the Rock Hall YC was once again superb. Fine food and drinks were available throughout the weekend, and the Hawaiian Luau buffet Saturday night was a fitting end to a great day of championship racing.
Edmonds adds, “More than 30 volunteers on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday helped in various ways to make this event such a success. A big thank you to all volunteers, especially Race Director Todd Steffes, and to RHYC!”
There are more great Cocktail Class regattas scheduled and a new one or two in the planning process, so watch PropTalk and ccwbra.com for information and results.
by Charlie Iliff