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RACINGfect combination on a Thistle.“Abby’s brother, who is also a Thistler,” Dieball continued,“was getting married the final day of the nationals.Abby was the maid of honor but had to miss the weddingrehearsal dinner and the Thistles awards banquet in order tosail with us.”It is just one example of that great Thistle passion andfamily-oriented mindset that the class exhibits whereverthey hold a regatta.Second-place winner Mike Ingham’s boat caught fireminutes after he burned a line to seal it. The embers re-ignitedand four-foot flames melted the boom vang, burned thehiking strap, scorched the hull, and burned a hole in thepractice sail. Ten minutes later photos were posted on theThistle Facebook page, and Mike was renamed “Sparky”among several others. The class awarded him a special stop,drop and roll-tack T-shirt award at the banquet.Nicole Shedden, 28, of Cleveland, OH, received royaltreatment all week. One of three female skippers in thechampionship, and finishing 12th overall, Shedden did itwith a little extra something; She is six months pregnant.Although her husband had a conflict and couldn’t race, hermom filled in as crew. Her father and brother also ownThistles. Shedden is perhaps the first competitor at a nationalchampionship to compete in that condition. She was presentedwith a special Mom-to-Be gift basket at the awardsceremony and throughout the week was given extra attentiongiven the extreme heat conditions. “PYC took verygood care of us,” Shedden said.Nineteen-year-old Charlie Yingling of Cleveland, OH,sailed the 1960 wooden Thistle his grandfather, CharlieSteigerwald, owned when he won the 1972 ThistleNationals.A Thistler with a message, John Duckworth, has beenentertaining fellow sailors with his signal flag messagessince 1998. “I post a message at the end of racing daily,” hesmiled. “Sometimes it’s a challenge to say something creative,given the limited letters and numbers, but it’s fun.”For the championship, the week began with “All togethernow” and ended with “PYC Gr8 Job.” From all reports, hismessage was spot on.For complete results, go towww.pensacolayachtclub.orgUpcoming Regattas91st Annual Lipton Cup,Mandeville, LA, Sept. 3-5The Pontchartrain Yacht Club in Mandeville, LA, will hostthe 91st Annual Sir Thomas Lipton Cup Sept. 3-5. The regattais an inter-club competition between the 33 member clubsof the Gulf Yachting Association. Competitors sail the 19-foot one-design, the Flying Scot, in five races held over threedays. The winning club hosts the 92nd Lipton Cup in 2012.For more information, go to www.pontyc.org. Contactis Rob Doolitte at captainrob1@live.com, or (985) 507-8683.21st Annual Juana Good TimeRegatta, Navarre Beach, FloridaPanhandle, Sept. 9-11Always held on the first weekend after Labor Day, thisregatta is held at, and sponsored by, Juana’s Pagodas—athatch-roofed volleyball beach bar just south of the NavarreBeach Bridge on the Florida Panhandle. Racing on SantaRosa Sound, the regatta usually has about 50 boats participatingincluding cruising catamarans, beach cats and windsurfers.They are looking for trimarans to enter to maketheir own class this year. Many boaters travel from as far asLouisiana and Mississippi to attend.For more information, go to www.juanaspagodas.com,and click on Regatta—or any of the regatta links.Lost Bay Regatta, Perdido Bay, AL,Oct. 8The Lost Bay Regatta (known as one of the largest beachparties along the northern Gulf Coast) will be held Oct. 8 onPerdido Bay in Alabama. The Point Yacht Club, in PiratesCove Marina, Josephine, AL, is host. Regatta activities beginon Friday evening with race registration and party. OnSaturday, a competitor’s briefing will be held in the morningwith the race start at 1 p.m. Following the race will be aparty and awards presentation.For more information, go to www.pointyachtclub.org.J/22 World Championships,New Orleans, LA, Oct. 9-15The Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans will host the J/22Worlds in October. Racing will be on Lake Pontchartrain,which is usually excellent sailing conditions in October.Competitors meeting and reception will start on Tuesday,Oct. 11, at the yacht club. Racing will start on Thursday, runningthrough Saturday. For more information, go towww.j22worlds.com.Racing, Texas Style: 25th AnnualHarvest Moon Regatta, Oct. 13-16The Harvest Moon Regatta is the largest point-to-point sailingregatta in U.S. coastal waters. The regatta attracts morethan 250 sailboats and 1,700 sailors each year to race 153 offshorenautical miles through the Gulf of Mexico fromGalveston to Port Aransas, TX. Conceived as a gentlemen’srace by a few members of the Lakewood Yacht Club, thecourse reaches southwesterly down the Texas coast whenthe prevailing winds are southeasterly.Regatta participants moor at the City Marina or atIsland Moorings in Port Aransas following the race. TheHarvest Moon Regatta, a/k/a “Rum Regatta,” culminatesin the Welcome Sailors Rum Party and awards dinner onSaturday night to see who won the coveted Bacardi Cup. Asmany as 2,000 sailors and friends show up to celebrate andenjoy a party and barbecue dinner with music.54 September 2011 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindsmagazine.com