October 2009 eBook all pages (free PDF, 36.6 - Latitude 38

LATITUDE/ROB
Hestehave is also an avid Etchells
sailor and Velos' main sported an Etchells
insignia on the head.
"It was a little too big to measure in,"
he cracked.
Dale Williams' brand-new Kernan 44
Wasabi was the best of the rest, fending
off Sy Kleinman's strong-finishing
Schumacher 54 Swiftsure II to take
second on a countback.
IRC C
Dan Woolery's Pt. Richmond-based
King 40 Soozal won what was probably
one of the two toughest divisions
in the regatta. In doing so, Soozal took
the Richard Rheem Perpetual and also
wrapped-up the SF Bay IRC season
championship. Featuring two previous
division winners in Brad Copper's Tripp
— HANGIN' TOUGH IN '09
'Soozal' took IRC C; Inset — Tacitician Robbie Haines, left, and owner/driver DanWoolery.
43 TNT and John Siegel's Wylie 42 Scorpio
— neither of which cracked the top
three this year — the eight-boat IRC C
was tight, with one of the closest rating
spreads and some of the most similar
boats. With Robbie Haines calling the
shots and rockstar crew that included
Hogan Beatie, Matt Siddens, Chris
Lewis, Scott Easom, Gary Sadamori, Pete
McCormick, Rob Moore and Greg Felton,
Woolery sailed the boat to yet another
division win in a successful year, which
included wins at Key West Race Week
and the Pineapple Cup to name a few.
"I'm pleased with the win, but even
more so because it capped a successful
year-long effort," Woolery said. "The
most important part of the formula was
selecting the right mix of people that fit
the sailing style that I am accustomed to.
Knowing that we would ultimately end
up sailing in the Bay for the summer,
we wanted a crew that was local to our
area, had plenty of racing
experience and most
importantly, had the
personalities that befit
our program. I am a
low-key guy, and love to
sail with knowledgeable,
low-key people. This
was paramount as we
were to spend the entire
year sailing together,
and didn't want to go
through any crew changes
if at all possible. We
were also fortunate to
have backups that fit
these criteria as well if
someone was unable to
make a regatta."
Winning the IRC Nationals was the
goal for the Soozal program this year,
and while Woolery certainly put together
the kind of effort required to do that, he
was philosophical about the outcome.
"We had a very satisfying year — a
fairy tale year of remaining on top in the
40-foot range against the boats we sailed
against on the East Coast in the Grand
Prix events, and the IRC boats we raced
against here on the West Coast. Sure, it
would have been a nice honor to have
emerged at the top of the Nationals, but
considering the type of boats racing in
Division A, and the venue, we're very
proud of what we accomplished, and feel
we sailed as hard as we could have. We
still believe we've had the experience of
sailing on one of the fastest IRC 40-footers
out there."
The runner-up spot in the division
went to the only east coast entry, James
Bishop's J/44 Gold Digger. Tim Fuller
Gerry Sheridan, left, and tactician James Mullarney put 'Tupelo Honey'
in all the right spots, namely first in every race in IRC D.
SHARON GREEN/WWW.ULTIMATESAILING.COM
LATITUDE/ROB