No one will forget the 2013 edition of Charleston Race Week any time soon.  The new Jackpot won, and hit 22.3 knots in the process?  Don't believe it?  They won [results].  And here's a photo of them approaching warp speed.  A few more miles per hour and Jackpot will have to be renamed DeLorean -- here's a photo of Lee Shuckerow and Dave Nickerson discussing new Viper rigging techniques.  But seriously, Friday was windy, getting windier, Saturday was moderate, getting...moderator? [we kid -- but there was a moderated Saturday night Viper debrief with sailmakers]  And Sunday was barely a good day to be in a water ballasted ocean racer.  But still, there were 8 races over the course of the two days that were sailable, lots of boats, nearly 30 Vipers, and countless Dark & Stormies on the beach.  In 2014, CRW will be the host once again to the Viper Atlantic Coast Championship, so make your plans now. The Class has already requested four 66 foot bays, we're first up for dockage for 2014.

My Viper adventure began with a cryptic email message from Tim Carter earlier this month: “Just heard that one of the KHYC Vipers may be available to use for SD NOODs… March 15-17...   you would make 12... come on out girls, the water is fine.......:)” I responded “Are you kidding me?  You want me to pull together a girls team for a boat I have never sailed on, and the regatta is less than 15 days away? I’ll make a few calls but no promises.” I thought this would be the end of it, another failed attempt by Tim to get me off my Martin 242 and on to a Viper. He knows I’m all about getting girls out on the water so he hit my weak spot.  As promised I made a few calls, not expecting much on such short notice, and to my surprise, all the girls said YES! “Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?” I thought.

So many people have requested that the Viper class profile Jeff Jones that we couldn't ignore it any longer.  It's very possible that Jeff is the most prolific Viper owner in class history, having owned four boats and restored several others for the benefit of the Texas Viper fleet.  As a true Texan, he is a larger than life character -- the first one to rig and launch on days when weaker hearted (and weaker livered) sailors stay ashore, starting post race parties where none existed, and antagonizing past class presidents on a variety of internet message boards.   The Viper class is a larger and more interesting place to sail thanks to Mr. Jones, but for the newbies on the coasts, you may not yet know this wily coyote.  So here we go...  [photo at left: Jeff (middle) with a very unusual sailing trophy of unknown origin from the bottom of a Texas lake]

Congratulations are in order to Team F.N.G., USA 148, for schooling the 14-boat Viper fleet at the 2013 Sperry Top-Sider San Diego NOOD this past weekend---racking up a mere 14 points over nine races. With a picket fence scoreline only interrupted by one score of “two,” and two scores of “three,” they dominated the fleet.  Team F.N.G. was made up of owner and skipper Dr. Jim Sears and long-time Viper rock star crew Rachel Ellis and Sarah Hester.  A name change is in order, and the F'in New Guy will now be known as the “Fantastic NOOD Girls.”