On the heels of big fleets and big wind in Miami and Charleston, I invited Scott Findlay to come sail the SYC MacIntosh Cup.  He had mentioned before that he would like to get his  daughter on a Viper, so I suggested that he bring her along too.  The Mac is probably the most cozy and personal Viper regatta anywhere, so perfect for beginners and kids.   Savannah local and Viper technical chair David Guggenheim puts on a great event, helping everyone with lodging and logistics and throwing a great party Saturday night.  The whole thing is easy and comfortable on land and with great racing on the water.  Grace, a 10 year old 4th grader, had only sailed a few times, but she was willing to bear a 7+ hour drive from Boca to Savannah for a chance to sail with her dad.  All three of us together were somewhat less than 450 lbs, so we were a bit light for the Viper, and we were facing experienced fully crewed boats.  Some think the Viper is a bit of a radical boat, and must think it crazy to go out underweight with inexperienced kids.  Quite the contrary, the Viper is a stable platform and depowers easily while still driving well even in light air.  My wife and I sail club races with our kids and have a lot of fun doing it.  Besides, the wind was forecast at only 8-12, and Scott is very good with the spinnaker, so I knew we would be fine.  Turns out, we were more than fine.

Thanks Skip Whyte and crew for running a delightful, down-to-earth regatta! Viperers, Wickford definitely puts on a worthy event.

Five Vipers made it out, all regional boats.  Despite being unusually becalmed on Sunday, we got off four good races on Saturday in 8-12knots.  The water was just short of flat, with tidal currents and land-influenced wind shifts making for some good tactical racing.  (Too bad my boat, Bennett #56, keeps sinking... LOL still working on sealing that keel trunk...)

As I sit here typing a few weeks after returning from Miami Sailing Week and competing in the 2010 Viper640 North American’s, I can’t help but notice that I’m still grinning from ear to ear. This wasn’t my first time on a Viper, but it was my first time at a major Viper event.

As my blistered hands, sore body and battered liver will attest, it did not disappoint.

This years’ event was sailed out of Coral Reef Yacht Club on beautiful Biscayne Bay and sponsored by Bacardi Rum. Twenty-one Vipers from as far as Great Britain, Canada and Bermuda lined up to vie for the title of North American Champion.

Walking around the dock, you’d get the impression that this was almost one big Wednesday night beer can event. Teams helping out one another with rigging, others telling stories about the last event and more than one cooler of beer was violated. But on the water, this is one seriously competitive class. In fact, up until the final races on Saturday, the top 8 spots were far from decided.

The racing started on Wednesday with winds out of the east at 8-12 knots and gusts to the mid teens. And while it wasn’t glaringly obvious, the left side of the course was nearly always the way that paid. Lee Shuckerow, Somers Kempe and Barry Parkin all set the pace for the event with a strong set of races.

David Guggenheim and the Crew on “Black Mamba” Win the South Eastern Championship for 2009. 

David Guggenheim won the hotly contested South Eastern Championship for 2009 (not to be confused with the Securites and Exchange Commission). He sailed a great series and is a true champion. With a major win at the ACC’s (Charleston Race Week) and the McIntosh in Savannah he was propelled to become the SE champion for 2009. David had several crew members throughout the series that helped him achieve this great accomplishment. I know he will be back to defend his title in 2010.
 
We had several folks that were in contention right up to the final race @ Lake Norman that made the series a lot of fun to compete in.
 
The entire series started back in November 2008; at beautiful Lake Sinclair and from there we had 7 more regattas and over 35 competitors scored that made up the series. Because of the number of regattas the overall scoring included 2 throw-outs. This series is a true showing of a sailor’s ability to sail in all types of conditions (light air; heavy air and current) provided by all the great venues (Lake Sinclair, Lake Lanier, Lake Norman, Miami, St. Petersburg, Savannah, and Charleston).
 
We are all looking forward to the 2010 SEC which will include the NAs at Bacardi Race Week in Miami in March.