Southwinds Sailing June 2004 - Southwinds Magazine

Fairhope, ALJuly 17 – Fast Women’s Regatta – Point Yacht Club,Josephine, ALJuly 17 – Summer Regatta – Mobile Yacht Club, Mobile,ALJuly 24 – Bikini Regatta – Navy Yacht Club, Pensacola, FLJuly 24 - 25 – Junior Lipton Cup, Bay Waveland Yacht Club,Bay St. Louis, MSJuly 31-Aug 1 – Race for the Roses Women’s PHRF Championship,Pensacola Beach Yacht ClubJuly 31 – Weatherly Regatta, Gulfport Yacht Club,Gulfport, MSOpen Entry Fun Sailboat Races – on the second and fourthWednesdays evenings of every month, from April to October -at the Pensacola Yacht ClubOpen Entry Fun One Design Races – Wednesday evenings,Pensacola Yacht ClubFor additional race schedules check the Gulf Yachting AssociationWeb site at: www.gya.orgUPPER GULF COAST RACE REPORT:10TH ANNUAL CORSAIR-FARRIER TRIMARANNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND RENDEZVOUS,PENSACOLA, FL APRIL 20-23By Kim KaminskiDennis Connor’s catamaran Stars and Stripes showed the sailingworld how well a multihull sailboat could go to weather inthe America’s Cup campaign held in San Diego, CA, years ago.His catamaran proved that even the world’s most high techand newly designed monohull sailboat could not keep up (eventhough the boat was almost twice its size). Did you know that atrimaran sailboat is even faster than a catamaran going to windward,By combining the stability of a monohull with the pontoonsof the catamaran, Corsair Marine created a sailboat knownfor its maneuverability, stability and balance, which enable thisboat to exceed greater speeds than that of a conventional sailboator catamaran. Perhaps that is one reason why the Corsairtrimaran has become one of the most popular sailing vessels inthe country and why the number of competitors has grown innumbers for the 2004 Corsair-Farrier National Trimaran Championshipand Rendezvous.This year’s 10th Annual National Championship was heldin Pensacola, FL, on April 20- 23. Competitors from various regionsacross the United States could be seen transporting theirsailboats by trailers to the Pensacola Yacht Club facility in preparationfor the weeklong racing event. These contestants convergedout on the waters of Pensacola Bay for some of the mostideal racing opportunities to be found-ideal because the weatherconditions could not have been more perfect for this highlycompetitive regatta. Temperatures during the event were in themid 70s, with winds averaging in strength from 14 to 16 knots,and sunny to partly cloudy skies filled the horizon with only 10minutes of rain during the entire occasion.The race schedule included five classes with three startsper race. These racing classes include: the F-28 R, the F-24 andF-24M, the F-31 and the Open class. Forty-two racing class boatsentered the championship, while six cruising boats signed onfor the rendezvous adventures. The Rendezvous was an eventorganized to provide those trimaran owners who wanted to beChris Blaschke from Richmond, Texas and his team on Rumline kicked uptheir heels prior to the start of racing on the last day of the Corsair FarrierTrimaran National Championship held by the Pensacola Yacht Club inPensacola, Florida. Photo by Kim Kaminski.a part of the championship activities but were not interested inparticipating in the racing competitions with an option. Therendezvous sailors were able to sail and visit various landmarksas well as raft-up locations near the Pensacola area, allowingenough time for these adventurers to return to the PensacolaYacht Club facility for the evening festivities.The racers enjoyed four days of intense competition for atotal of eight races in all. During the first two days of racing,NEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS SOUTHWINDS June 2004 47