News & Views for Southern Sailors - Southwinds Magazine

and set up Friday afternoon.New to the Nationals this year:• Glenn Howell, Raleigh,NC. Glenn has owned hisIsotope for three years anduses it to practice fine-tuninghis racing techniques.Glenn also races an F-31but finds that Isotope reallygives him a chance to feelthe effect of every adjustmentand wind shift, andwith an active fleet in the Raleigh area, Glenn can counton having 8-10 boats on the line.• Matthew Harroll, Middlesex, NC. Matthew owns theboat with his father, Tommy. They race the boat alongwith other family members and neighbors on three othercatamarans on the Buckhorn Reservoir. Matthew is onthe NC State Sailing Team.• Patrick Duke, Holly Springs, NC. Patrick purchased hisboat last year in partnership with his boss as a chance to saila catamaran with his boys, Corbin (age 8) and JJ (age 5).Other interesting facts from the weekend:• Alan Wolf’s #007 sustained a major hole in the third raceon Saturday, but with the aid of duct tape, Alan won thefirst race on Sunday, to finish fifth overall in theNationals.The Isotope Nationals on Lake Waccamaw, NC. Photo byValerie Nieman.For a firsthand perspective,read excerpts from theaccount by regatta winnerGlenn Howell:It is just real hard to finishconsistently in this fleet madeup of veterans and pastnational champs. Make onemistake and they will buryyou. Six of the 14 competitorshave won the nationalsbefore, and two others havewon the coveted Governor’sCup in the last two years. You are on a roller coaster of upsand downs, and you are constantly digging out. FrankMeldau (#100) invented the boat in the early ’60s, and if youthink an old fart can’t sail the heck out of an Isotope, you aresorely mistaken. He wears a Lawrence of Arabia type whitehat so you can’t miss him breathing down your neck. Wecrossed tacks in the fifth race four times, twice by inches. Aslong as we are naming folks, Eric Rasmussen (#42), winner ofthe 2004 and 2005 nationals, had two firsts and a second for anintimidating total of 4 points going into the final two races onday two. The next closest competitor (#92) had 11 points, withAlastair McEwan a close 12 pointsRace #5: I squeeze out a few boats barging at the pin onport. Sly fox that he is, Frank Meldau, moving suddenlyinto my field of vision from the left, is trying to squeeze in,News & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS October 2006 55