Leroy Grant Regatta
With none of the “big teams” stepping up to run this event, John Griffin of William & Mary volunteered. Knowing that the facilities there were not the best for the time of the year, CNU offered to run the event with William Mary’s help and the combination worked well. Saturday was very windy but well handled by most sailors. Winds were from 10 and up to unsailable from the south southwest. We had ten capsizes, five on the way in from the course in the afternoon when the wind went off the scale and the Race Chairman threw in the towel. Six races were completed in A Division and five in B. The course used was the CNU Box (windward, broad reach, windward, beam reach and run). Sunday gave us light winds that didn’t stabilize until after 10 AM. But 11 races were completed, five in A Division and six in B Division, using a heavily modified triangle. Winds settled in from the south southwest and some very close racing resulted. Congratulations to Monmouth University for winning the 2008 Leroy Grant, the first regatta win for one of the newest teams in MAISA.
Special thanks go to all those who helped make the regatta a success. From William & Mary: Coach, John Griffin, Adam Rosen, Beau Blumberg, Bri Paxton, Priscilla Pinckney, Nicholas Kantor, and Jim Donecker. From CNU: Ben France, Taylor Gray, Lynn Ball and Johanna Faroe.
Our most sincere thanks go to Eddie Hornick of Virginia Road and Bridge Supply who funded T shirts for the participants and through William & Mary, the Southern Cross Adaptive Maritime Program and Gary Bodie of U.S. Sailing for providing Saturday’s lunch.
IMAGE: There is nothing wilder than a capsize on the finish line in a blow, but Ben doesn’t seem excited about it at all as he calls the finishes.