2002 Old News

The 2002 Schock 35 Nationals were hosted July 19^ththru the 21^stby the Long Beach Yacht Club. There were 12 boats entered and the racing program included three races on Friday, two on Saturday, and two on Sunday.

Friday’s weather was light with the fleet racing inside the breakwater in smooth water and bits of floating kelp. An upper-level trough of low pressure hovered over Central California and produced a weak coastal eddy expected to increase the dampening effect of the morning marine layer of light coastal fog.

The first start was a little close to an oil island. So close that anyone getting forced to stay on starboard tack ended up sailing into the lee of the island. Outlier and Power Play were over early and Whiplash was forced left. Whiplash sailed into and through the lee of the island and was left with a tough decision to make. Since they could finally tack, did they want to sail back through the lee of the island, or keep going and sail around the island? Rounding the island was a little too much of a flyer this early in the regatta, so they tacked and sailed back through its lee. Whiplash was lucky enough to get a little puff off the island and a consistent lift, which put them back into the pack. Once spinnakers were hoisted it was a slow agonizing downwind leg. There were various patches of wind and everyone did everything they could to hang on to their position. After another circuit of the course, Piranha finished 1^st, Whiplash an elated 2^nd, Ripple 3^rd and Outlier 4^th.

The second race had Outlier again over early. Up the first beat it was Piranha, Outlier, and Whiplash. The second set of results had Piranha again with a 1^st, Outlier 2^nd, Whiplash 3^rd, and Ripple 4^th. Things were tight for the 2^ndand 3^rdpositions with it looking like Piranha could run away with this regatta.

The third race had everyone flying heavy #1’s and easier sailing. Piranha was stuck going left and into the lee. When they came back right, Outlier tacked on them and forced them back left. Whiplash was able to hold on for a 1^st, Outlier 2^nd, Power Play 3^rd. Piranha came back to a 4^th, which placed them in a tie for first with Whiplash after the day’s three races. Outlier was sitting only 2 points back and remained a threat. Everyone raced back to the dock where the Schock party started. There was a keg of beer and lots of stories to tell.

The second day’s racing was outside and was very light with winds never exceeding seven knots. A 45 minute postponement during the starting sequence was called to allow the participants of the Seal Beach to Dana Point race to get away from their nearby starting line without disturbing the Schock 35’s. In the first race Piranha got a good start and went right, Outlier was over early again, gybed around the pin and went right. Whiplash was struggling for clear air and was forced left. Outlier was launched but was called over early, restarted, and by the time they were halfway up the first leg had climbed five boat lengths ahead of Piranha. Whiplash was at least 10 boat lengths back. Both Outlier and Piranha were now going left in a lift and Whiplash was going right in a header and couldn’t find a lane to tack. Finally, Whiplash found a lane just under White Fang’s bow. Whiplash went left, got more pressure and a lift and proceeded to sail into first place (a little luck never hurts). White Fang finished 2^nd, Piranha 3^rd, Ripple 4^th, and Outlier 5^th.

The last race of the day had Whiplash sailing in first and Piranha in second. As both boats were closing in on the last weather mark, a freighter, which had been anchoring about a mile above the mark, finally affected the wind. As both boats tacked above the layline they received a 40-degree header. Piranha got the best of the deal and closed to within a few boat lengths of Whiplash. Whiplash set their kite at the mark and gybed. They looked good for about 2 minutes but Piranha, who set and stayed on starboard tack, was looking great. Whiplash held on port and finally gybed. Right out of the gybe they were headed right at Piranha. It looked like they just gave up the lead. But, the wind came back with a header and, as Piranha was approaching on port, Whiplash gybed about 2 boat lengths ahead on the layline to the finish. Piranha tried a few moves, but to no avail. Race five results showed Whiplash 1^st, Piranha 2^nd, Outlier 3^rd, White Fang 4^th, and Ripple 5^th.

At the end of two days of racing, Whiplash was in first by 3 points over Piranha. Outlier was in 3^rd 5 points back and 5 points ahead of Ripple. There was another dock party and keg of beer in the late afternoon sunshine. Everyone must have had fun as the keg was emptied early.

Saturday night was the regatta dinner with Doug Sisk as master of ceremonies. There was a slide presentation with various pictures of the Schock fleet in action as well as crew. Ken Read, America’s Cup helmsman for Stars and Stripes, provided a presentation on Team Dennis Connor, which was very insightful. The Stars and Stripes team has been running boat and crew trials out of the Long Beach Harbor. After five months of sailing six days a week, Ken had never seen two days in a row of light winds until the Schock 35’s came to town. Ken left the podium predicting a third day could never stay light, but, then again, Sunday was the only day of the week Stars and Stripes hadn’t been out practicing!

Tom Schock handed out class insignia battle flags to participating owners, skippers designated their crew MVP’s and the class’s traditional Wooden Spoon awards were handed out for “out of character” boat handling goofs. Class President Jeff Janov earned Ripple’s Wooden Spoon for losing (and sinking) his #3 off the deck while momentarily “away from the helm” during a delivery. Ray Godwin and Whiplash watched with consternation as Piranha rolled by to windward during a weather leg of the Ahmanson Cup in Newport Beach while the chute was working its way out of the bag and down the side – all in full view of a poker-faced Piranha rail crew. And a third Wooden Spoon went to Dave Voss and Piranha for shredding a half-ounce spinnaker with mascot logo during Cal Race Week …while tight reaching into the harbor after the last day of racing!

During the evening’s festivities, Piranha was awarded the Season Hi-Point Trophy - earned by such outstanding results early in the season that the team locked up the trophy without needing to sail the final race in early August from Santa Barbara to King Harbor.

The last day of racing was not going to be easy. The wind was very light at the start, between three and five knots, and it was difficult to determine which side was favored. Whiplash was over early at the pin end and so was Twister. Both boats gybed around the pin, and headed right. Piranha got a good start and proceeded to tack on Whiplash, forcing them over to what Piranha thought was the wrong side of the course. But, Whiplash received a header, tacked over and sailed into 2nd place (a little luck again?), with Piranha in 6^th. Limerick sailed flawlessly and easily won this race with a lead of several minutes over second place Whiplash. Power Play was able to hold onto 3^rd. Whiplash now had a 7-point lead going into the last race but no chance to accept the regatta as over, since anything could happen in these light and fluky conditions.

In the final race Whiplash started late at the committee boat and headed right. There were a few shifts and lots of tension. Piranha sailed into first place and Whiplash was looking for speed. Every one seemed faster or higher. Whiplash was able to hang on and pass a few boats on the downwind leg and finally found their speed again. Whiplash rounded the last weather mark 3^rd with Piranha 1^st.

On the last gybe, Whiplash had a bad gybe that allowed Ripple to roll over them. Ripple finished in third and Outlier in 5^th. Whiplash was content to keep the 4^th and win the regatta.

Yahoo!!! The first National Championship for owner Ray Godwin and the Whiplash team! It took a while for the win to settle in, but, with a few celebratory cocktails and help from the Piranha crew to toss Ray Godwin, Jeremy Davidson, John Turpin and Wally Gordon into the water, they finally came around.

Trophies were handed out and unfortunately there were still protests outstanding. The race committee made a calculation mistake and awarded Ripple 3^rd place but, when the protests were over, it did affect Outlier’s points and Outlier ended up 3^rd with Ripple 4^th. Sorry Ripple!

Everyone seemed to have a great time on the water, at the dock parties, and in the bar. We saw almost every boat in the fleet in at least one race either in first place or close to the lead at the first mark rounding. This class is definitely staying strong with top talent and tight racing!

Also - 80 more photos from Nationals at www.kimbaracing.com courtesy of Kathmandu.

Thanks for your notes. I'm looking forward to meeting you both and learning about the S-35. I didn't start sailing until I was 21 (1974), and I never sailed dinghies. I think I have a lot to learn in order to maximize the Schock's performance. My first boat was a low aspect ratio wood 24' sloop. A real pig in light air, but came on strong when the sea the wind picked up.

I purchased Last Tango, hull # 11, from Mac McClanathan. It's now called Perfect Circle. It's been just about completely reconditioned including the standing and running rigging, keel, bottom, etc.. I've got a few more repairs to make it excellent, and those are in the works. Sails look OK, with the exception of the chutes. I need to get them up for a thorough inspection.

I am currently keeping the boat in MDR, G-226, in front of SMWYC. I have no immediate plans to move. I used to race a lot in the early 80's, before I bought an airplane, and spent most of my time in the air. When I was racing, I spent a lot of time on an Olsen 40 and a Santa Cruz 50, a bit of time on a 12 meter, and the occasional other big boat. The S-35 is the smallest boat I have sailed in a long time. I'm hoping the one design racing will hone my skills. I have a lot to learn about match racing. I got the Schock going to weather pretty well on the Pt. Dume race, but kept a little to close to the rum line to maximize my downwind performance. We finished in the middle of our class. I've sailed most of the east coast, Bahamas, Caribbean, southern Mexico thru Panama, and navigated across the Pacific, with a little Southern California and San Francisco for good measure. Some of my other goals, are to find a crew spot on a big boat for Puerto Vallarta, Transpac, Pacific Cup, and the Big Boat series in the Caribbean. If you know of anyone looking for competent crew, please let me know. I'm thinking I may not sail the Leukemia Cup this weekend, and try to find a crew slot at the Nationals. Do you know anyone who might want an old fat guy who sails pretty well on their crew? I'm a big man, 6' 6" tall and around 300 lbs, so my weight might put a boat close to the 1750 lb. limit.

Also Jay, would you provide me with appropriate details about this weekend. I think it would be great to come down and meet everyone. Also, since you offered, a new set of sails would be nice, oh, and with the assortment of chutes, would you please include a small 1.5 oz? :)

Anyway, thanks much for your kind welcome. I am looking forward to meeting all of you a kicking some A__ out on the water. Oh, since I have never sailed one design, maybe I should be just a bit humble. Naaa!

Whiplash Crew - Pacific Coast Champs 2002 (photo by Ann Chamberlin)

The Whiplash crew showed up with positive anticipation and a little uneasiness for the North Sails Race Week, as we do with each regatta, since the competition always seems to step it up for these events. We could not have all our regular crew on Friday, so it made us a little more nervous. In our crew meeting, we emphasized "No Mistakes". Sail clean, with no mistakes and we should be in the top 5 going into Saturday.

We were on the outside course, which was a little light, and lumpy. We were able to sail well and finished second behind Piranha. Piranha has been sailing well all year, and this raced showed, they were going to be the boat to beat again. For the second race we moved to the inside course and the wind piped up where the #3's were hoisted. We sailed fair to the top mark and sailed downwind in the parade of Schock 35's in about the middle of the fleet. We were not able to get our spinnaker pole down and clear of the thousands of lines that were now on the foredeck and we could not tack or sheet in the jib. Once it was cleared, it was just a march around the course to a 7th place and very dejected crew. We stressed no mistakes and now one mistake might have cost us a chance at 1st place in this regatta. Piranha pulled out another 1st and Outlier and White Fang were very fast holding the top spots.

Day two: We were outside again with the light and lumpy seas. Everyone felt their boats were slow, but there was no more speed to be had in these conditions. We liked the left, took it and sailed to a 1st place in race one. Every mark rounding someone seemed to reel us in, and then whether a shift, puff, or maneuver, we were able to hold on. The second race on Saturday was somewhat similar to the first with the boats that limited tacks and sailed for boat speed in these conditions seemed to move up the fleet. Whiplash came away with a 1 and 2 with Piranha sailing to a 2 and 4. We moved up from 7 points behind to now 4 points behind Piranha. We were two points ahead of White Fang and 4 points ahead of Outlier.

Our Sunday crew meeting had the same discussion, "No Mistakes". We knew Piranha was fast and there was no way we were going to catch her unless they had a bad race. We said we would sail our own race and see what happened in the rest of the fleet and determine our strategy on the last race. We liked the left, but was forced off right. We found a nice shift and rounded the weather mark in second place. Kathmandu rounded first and we were hot on their heels. Kathmandu was sailing high to protect us from riding over them. We told them to sail down and lets both "Go Fast". We both took off down the only downwind lane there seemed to be on Sunday heading for the oil island. We looked back and saw Piranha struggling in the middle of the pack. We knew they would pass some boats, but it looked like we might pull another couple points on them. We had to keep everyone on their toes as this was a long race and anything could happen in these conditions. Kathmandu rounded the leeward mark first with us close on their heels. As they tacked away, we congratulated them on a nice fast leg. We tacked within a few boat lengths and followed Kathmandu to the right, as most of the fleet was now headed right. There was a course change at the leeward mark, but Kathmandu couldn't find the correct mark and they let us by. We rounded the mark first and sailed home to victory. We couldn't believe it when we saw Piranha in 7th place! We were now in 1st place by 3 points over Piranha. Boy was our crew happy! We had to keep telling them, ourselves included, Piranha was ahead by 4 points and they took a 7th. The same could happen to us very easily in these conditions.

The last race started off very typical. Slammed at the start with a boat on our lee bow and another boat just off our quarter. Can't tack, going slow, and Piranha taking off to left which we wanted. FRUSTATION setting in!!!! We were finally able to tack and of course, the boats on our right are sailing 10 degrees higher than us, and the boats on our left, who have now tacked onto our board, are sailing 5 degrees higher than us. We see this race and first in the regatta slipping away and this race just started. We finally received a puff and a lift and now we were higher than the boats to our left and right. All right, a little mental composer has now arrived back on our boat. We rounded the weather mark with Piranha behind us. We were for the moment, safely in first for the regatta, but again anything can happen in these conditions. Tensions were high on our boat even as we passed boats and moved into first place for the race. We wanted to win this race to eliminate the dock talk about luck in the first race. We were still stressed until the last couple hundred yards to the finish when we finally accepted the fact that we would win. Boy, what a stress release. We again looked back and saw Piranha back in the pack. It had to be a very frustrating day for them considering the level of tension on our boat. However, the one saving grace for Piranha was, they tied for second with Outlier, and won the tie breaker, and this is unofficial, but rumor has it that Piranha has locked the Season National Championship for the Schock 35 fleet (again this is rumor. If there is any fact to this, I am sure it will come out on the Schock 35 Website.

John Turpin and Ray Godwin enjoy the PCC's trophy (dedicated to the class by the kind donation of Bruce Golison).

This was an excellent run regatta and the Schock 35 fleet was a very competitive fleet. We found ourselves being pushed by every boat at some time during the regatta. That makes this win that much more satisfying, knowing we were able to pull out a win in a fleet where any boat had the speed to win. Thanks for a great regatta Whiplash and Crew!

California Yacht Club’s Staff Commodore Alice Leahey (owner of Schock 35 Limerick) and her race committee put on a fine regatta over the weekend of June 1-2. There were several one-design and PHRF classes, and the Schocks contributed 10 boats. PRO Bill Stump ran very good courses, at least two laps each, with leeward gates, 1.5- to 2.0-mile legs, and downwind finishes; in one race, we had three laps with somewhat shorter legs, which added a bit to the sail handling and tactics.

Saturday began with somewhat atypical conditions for MdR, with 9-12 knots of breeze at about 250 degrees and flat seas. This made for great sailing right from the start of the first race. In Race 1, almost everyone used the heavy #1 because of the flat water. No one seemed to be interested in starting at the highly favored left end, so Outlier did. Coupled with a big line sag, Outlier had a jump on the group and won the first race. Piranha, Ripple, Whiplash, and Power Play completed the top five.

In Race 2, the wind was up a bit to 12-15 knots, but more from the usual 240-degree direction. Everyone opted for the #3, which produced some wonderful sailing conditions. Some word had leaked out about the favored left end, though, and many more boats were on hand there. Outlier and White Fang had a furious battle for the pin, but Outlier pulled it off and led until the finish. Whiplash, Ripple, Power Play, and Limerick were next in order. Piranha didn’t have much luck during this race, as they got off to the unfavored left side of the first beat and were well into the cheap seats near the first windward mark. Then, they broke a jib halyard, and the jib came out of the headfoil from the top. We watched and commented that we had never seen a jib come down so fast. Jeff, Marty and Dawn got it sorted out, but not before they were 7^th at the weather mark, very far back. Piranha was back to fifth and gaining when more bad luck hit when one of the gate marks broke loose and confusion over which way to round ensued. Piranha’s luck came after the race, when the committee found that there had indeed been no sound signals as required regarding the moving inflatable substituting for the missing mark and awarded them the average of their other places in the regatta after they had rounded and then re-rounded the single gate mark. Interestingly, the J-105’s following behind rounded the same mark in both directions – the first three to port and the next group to starboard!

Race 3 was more of the same, but now the wind waves were up and it was harder sailing. By now, the secret was completely out about the favored left end, and just about everyone was there, including Piranha who arrived a bit early and without enough runway. Outlier wanted the left again, but there were no seats, so we ducked just about everyone and started on port along with Power Play who was somewhat more toward the RC boat. These two enjoyed clear air on the lifted port tack, and went on to a 1-2 in that race. Piranha was third and Whiplash was fourth. These were tricky conditions, as it was difficult to point enough to slow the boat on starboard tack (we saw 7+ knots to windward a few times, which is far over VMG) and difficult to go 6 knots on port tack, but the waves generated nice surfing conditions downwind. Ripple, who finished 3^rdin that race, learned after the race that they were OCS and they were stuck with 11 points. Twister suffered a similar fate. Jeff and Ty were later seen at West Marine pricing VHF radios.

So, Saturday ended with Outlier leading (with 3 points), Piranha next (7.5 points because of the redress), Whiplash in third (10 points), and Power Play in fourth (11 points). CYC had beer on the docks and in the clubhouse, and Schock-dock was a very lively place. Later, CYC put on a fine Mexican buffet for dinner.

Sunday’s conditions were also atypical, in that we had 8-10 knots from about 240 degrees at the first start. Almost everyone used the light #1 for this race. Twister played the right on the first beat and had a fantastic lead at the first mark. The rest of us were in a pack well back. Twister held onto their lead for the next two legs. But the pack was closing and they led by only a few lengths over Piranha and Outlier at the second weather mark. Piranha and Twister went left on the run to the finish, but Outlier found a bit more on the right and won the race, with Twister in a well-deserved second place. Piranha, Whiplash, and Ripple were next.

Race 5 had a bit more wind than Race 4, and almost everyone used the heavy #1s. Whiplash and Power Play had great first legs and led on the run, with Outlier and Piranha playing with each other in third and fourth. On the final beat Outlier and Piranha managed to sneak ahead a little. Outlier found a shift that Piranha didn’t and went on to win. Piranha, Whiplash, Ripple, and White Fang followed in that order.

Overall, Outlier won with 5 points, Piranha was second with 12.5, and Whiplash was third with 17. Outlier dedicated the trophy to main trimmer Sue Herrschaft for her great work on Saturday in the tough conditions. They also won the Jimmy Morris Memorial Trophy (the black tennis shoe) that is a perpetual with this regatta. Outlier, Leweck and McLean’s Evil Twin (also with 5 firsts), and Pendragon IV took the yacht club trophy for CYC. It was nice, in a way, to see former Schock 35 sailors Carolyn Hardy and Ed Cummings win 1-2 in the J-105 class. Our class must have taught them well.

Ed. Note: Dick and Gwen are too modest to point out the unbelievable accomplishment they achieved in this regatta. In 16 years of class racing no one can remember any boat completing a "HiPoint" or "Season Championship" Regatta with a picket fence of entirely first place finishes! Congratulations to the entire crew of Outlier on setting yet another record for the class -- adding to such former feats as becoming three time National Champs!

White Fang, Ripple, Notorious, Whiplash and Kathmandu

It was a great weekend for Schock racing in San Diego on May 4^th and 5^th as the San Diego Yacht club hosted the 2002 Yachting Cup. This race is usually well attended as many boats make a stop in San Diego after the previous weekends Newport-Ensenada race. With 12 Schocks on a flat bay course and 10 – 15 knots of wind, it was time to race. The morning commutes to the South Bay racecourse were cool and overcast, but by the time the boats were lined up and the races about to begin, the sun came out and the wind picked up. What more could you ask for.

The starts were tight with the usual start line tactics going on and mark roundings were even closer, with several boats tagging the marks on occasion. Fortunately we didn’t have any general restarts. Only a few boats were over ahead of the gun for the whole weekend. They did their spins and kept up with the fleet. If memory serves me correct, I believe it was Ripple and Whiplash that were over early for the first Sunday race and ended up finishing 8^th and 10^th respectively. Piranha was over early on the second Sunday race and came back to take 2d! Good comeback guys. Only a couple times were the leaders able to break away from the pack, with most of the fleet fighting it out closely behind.

Piranha picked up two bullets for races two and three and finished day one in the lead with Outlier and Super Gnat tied for second three points behind. Whiplash was only another four points back. The top six boats were only separated by 10 points, so day two promised to be exciting.

Due to race one being thrown out, there were three races on day two with Outlier grabbing two bullets on races four and six, Whiplash getting the bullet on race five. After all was said and done, Piranha claimed overall bragging rights with their worst finish being a third in race four. Outlier edged out Super Gnat by taking two wins on Sunday and ended up three points behind Piranha. Super Gnat was six points behind claiming third which was great considering it was their first race of the year. We look forward to Cliff rejoining the full race schedule next year. Whiplash claimed fourth while White Fang and Ripple tied with 28 points taking fifth and sixth respectively.

Over all it was a great weekend of racing. I didn’t see any major breakdowns and all boats started and finished every race. It was great to see all the boats that made it from up north and we appreciate them coming down this weekend. The San Diego fleet is back up to six boats, so we look forward to more one-design weekends, both up North and here.

Many of you probably noticed me snapping pictures both days. Those will be posted on our website at www.shillelagh.cc, sometime late this week or next. There are also pictures from other Schock Regattas there as well.

2002 Newport to Ensenada
First report from Don Adams--White Fang

The Newport to Ensenada Race was the fastest race ever!! The first monohull, Magnitude, finished in record time a little after 11 pm after starting at noon. Approximately 460 yachts left Newport in a brisk breeze on Friday, April 26. The winds held at 12-17 knots true from the start with course South at 140 to 145 magnetic.

The Schock 35 Class was assigned to PHRF Class D with 18 boats in the Class. There were 10 Schock 35's entered in the Class--Whiplash, White Fang, Mischief, Tomahawk, Notorious, Slippery, Magic, Super Gnat, and Strategem (Pa'shaw did not start). Starts were with light #1 for about 30-45 minutes and then spinnakers appeared, sailing at 140-143 course. The bearing to the Coronados was 142.

Whiplash and White Fang were off the starting line close. Whiplash began to bear off closer to shore and White Fang held the rhumb line with boat speeds of 8 kts. plus with the spinnaker on a tight reach. White Fang flew the 3/4 oz spinnaker from the initial hoist until the finish. White Fang paralleled Whiplash for many miles with the former 1-2 miles inshore from Fang.

At 1600 we were off Camp Pendleton doing 9.6 kts. with 22 kts. wind still off our beam with tracking around 130 degrees. We hit peak boat speeds of 11.3 kts. We were past Point Loma at 2000 with the concern earlier that we would not clear Point Loma so we held it as high as we could, but we were lifted and easily passed Loma 3 miles out and headed well inside the Coronados. By this time we lost sight of Whiplash, figuring they would have a tough time clearing Pt. Loma, but the lift apparently allowed them to do that and continue inside down the course. Our holding high probably hurt us some to Whiplash.

By 2200 we were near the south end of the So Coronado Island. about 3 miles east and we got some wind shadow from the Island and went from 9-10 kts. boat speed to 7.6 to 8 kts. This may have been where Whiplash out sped us since I believe they were more inshore (I did not get a chance to talk to Ray Godwin so I don't know for sure). We were south of Rosarito at midnight sailing at 9 kts. on a course of 141 degrees.

At 0200 we had 15 nm to go and were turning into Todos Santos Bay. We did our first jibe from starboard to port at 0330 and headed for the finish. Winds had diminished a little to about 6.6 kts., but boat speed maintained at 6 kts. plus. White Fang finished at 0418, the fastest ever from us, but Whiplash, the first Schock to finish, was about 12 minutes before us as we were the 2nd Schock!

We docked at the Coral Hotel Marina which was very nice. (However I could not start my engine after the finish and had to sail from the finish line back up to the Marina). What a ride the race was and what FUN! If every year could be like this all Schocks should do it next time!

In the PHRF Class, Whiplash was 25th overall, with the small boats correcting out on us. Only 1 PH B and 1 PH C boat corrected out over Whiplash. I don't think the Schock 35 Class did to badly in this straight line, high wind race!

By Tom Cain, Whiplash Crew"

With an ominous weather report and rain at the BYC dock before push off, the scene was unusually quite. Crews working to put a little extra prep on for a race which we suspected would be no cake walk. Ensenada seems to be the only race that boats get to the starting area an hour and half before their start, but this year it was a great side show to see AC's and Sleds all showing off.

Of course, the ten boat Schock start was no different any other S-35 buoy race.... everyone bunched up within inches of each other screaming for rights as if it was their last race. At ten seconds before the start, we were a bit below everyone but then reached down the line immediately after the gun. Bill Lawhorn, our tactician, who has 47 Ensenadas under his belt, shouted to the other boats.. "Hey, Ensenada's that way!" and that they were taking high courses...... he gave them good advise, but it was a good thing for us they didn't listen. As long as the wind stayed up, we wanted to hit the rhumb line before anyone else so as to cut the corners off.

Within forty minutes after the start, the wind increased to 12-15 and was just west enough for us to set a kite. That was a bit risky because we knew if the wind backed, we would have to dig out from the beach with a slow head sail. We spotted Fang, Slippery and some others well outside of us with their headsails still up, but keeping pace with us for the next hour.

Then sailing reality set began to set in. By 3PM the wind was hitting 18-20 and at four o'clock we had solid 20's. Unfortunately, we had left the head sail lashed with two gaskets to the lifelines....not enough. Water poured over the weather bow and filled the the sail. Over and under the boat it went, taking the prefeeder and chunk of the headstay track with it! Oh my god ! I thought we were out of business with no way to raise a headsail.

Not to worry though, Mr. Cool, calm and collected, John Turpin, went forward and effected a complete repair in great seamanlike manner... as if it was nothing. That was to be the only problem the whole trip.

The rest was a matter of keeping the boat under control. To do this, we also set the #3 under the kite to help keep the bow down. We did everything else we could think of ... to push the boat, including pumping the main and vang to get us into the 4-5 foot swells running off our starboard quarter. There is still some debate as to whether this is helpful.

By 5:45 P.M. (that's right..Friday evening at 5:45 P.M.) we could see the Coronado's on the horizon! The wind was now hitting 22 kt gusts causing us to surf at up to 12 kts boat speed! As we earlier suspected, we were now getting a little pushed into the shore, enough so, that at dark, we would be headed right at Point Loma. Up went the headsail and down went the boat speed. The outside boats still had their kites up, so we knew we were in trouble. And...we were hungry and had had no beer, but it was still too hard to cook. However, this was really not to painful, as we were all still high from the 12 kt rides.

By 7PM we had reset the kite on the rumbline and there was no question.......we were going inside.. closer to the beach to stay away from the lee of the islands. From 8-9 P.M. the wind dropped to 10-15 kt, but boat speed was still 6-7kts...ok but we still very much feared the outside boats screaming along at 9-10.

At 10PM we were back doing 8 knots and pretty much stayed there for the rest of the race. By 2 A.M. the clouds had cleared out and a beautiful full moon on the bow lit our way into Ensenada Bay. Whoops, the finish line was a quarter mile left of where our two GPS's said it was supposed to be. ........we crossed it at about 4:05 A.M.

Hotels still closed, we buttoned up Whiplash and went below and talked for hours and hours about what we had just done."

Ed. Note: In all fairness, although Whiplash was in fact the official class winner of the event last year, it is with an asterisk. Reflex was the first Schock 35 to the dock, sailed by Kirk O'Brien, son of the former owners of Shillelagh. They just were not participating as a member of the class or with class OD measurements, so they were not scored in last year's Class Championship Series as the winner. But kudos to them for being the first to the dock and to Kirk for enjoying this year's trip onboard Super Gnat!

Bob & Kathy Patterson - Tactcian and Main Trim - Piranha

Big winds and big water -- must be Spring in Southern California. With conditions on the challenging end of what must still be called ideal, the Schock 35s raced fast and fiercely at the 2002 Ahmanson Cup, held on April 20 and 21 at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Dave Voss and his Piranha crew swallowed the competition with a 4-2-1-1-3 record for the event.

Newport showed the 13-boat fleet an uncharacteristic generosity of wind pressure. On both days the breeze hovered from the upper limits of the light-medium #1 genoa to the #3 jib. And when it piped up for the last race on Sunday, even the #3 felt like a lot of sail. With the fun dial cranked up so high, and the fleet sharing a course with sailing legends Mark Reynolds and Paul Cayard on the Farr 40s, the 2002 version of the Ahmanson proved to be one of the most exciting Schock 35 regattas in recent memory.

Competition was exceptionally close. At the end of Saturday's long day of racing, only five points separated the top five boats. In most races, the leader at the first weather mark did not catch the gun at the finish.

Saturday's inconsistently shifting southeasterly had the efficient race committee busily moving the weather mark after almost every rounding. It also had tacticians looking for breeze on the right, and not always finding it. In race 1, Jeff Janov and Ripple led most of the way around, only to be caught by Ray Godwin's Whiplash on the last weather leg. Sail selection was a factor, as the choice between the LM or the H #1 was a coin toss for many boats.

Dave and Steve & Kris Potter from Piranha

Don Adams on White Fang, with a third in the first race, led all the way around for the one-lapper drag race of race 2. Fang's bullet put them in a strong position going into race 3. But that was when Dave Voss and Piranha made the move, scoring the first of two bullets for the regatta.

At the end of the day, Piranha led with 7 points, followed by White Fang with 8, Whiplash/10, Outlier/11, and Ripple/12. The results could not have been much tighter.

On Sunday morning, the breeze had clocked to a more familiar Southwesterly, and the seas were quieter. It looked like normal SoCal sailing weather, but the wind just kept building all day. In race four, Saturday's leader Piranha showed a burst of downwind speed to stand up to the heat of an early lead by Tom McQuade's Power Play and notch another bullet in race four. Ripple came back from a slow start to edge out the rest of the fleet for a second, good enough to move her into second overall. First Race Sunday - Second Downwind Leg @ Ahmanson Cup

First Race Sunday - Second Downwind Leg @ Ahmanson Cup

Going into the memorable race 5, Piranha led the fleet with a strong 8 points, Ripple followed with 13, and there was a three way tie for third between Outlier, Whiplash and White Fang with 14.

For race 5, the breeze approached 20 knots, to the accompaniment of wind beginning to moan in the rigging. Schock 35s were launching off the tops of waves and burying their bows upwind, surfing wildly and corkscrewing downwind.

After a downwind roundup aboard Whiplash, crew member John Turpin found himself launched overboard, and the boat sailed on some way before regaining control. Alice Leahey aboard Limerick and Ty Hokanson of Twister were quick to respond to the incident. Says veteran yachtswoman Leahey, "I knew just what to do. We instantly dropped our sails, first the spinnaker and then the mainsail. We had the engine on and were standing by." Ty threw a horseshoe buoy to the fallen crew, who was able to retrieve it. Turpin reportedly told Hokanson: "Just keep racing. I'll be okay." Turpin reboarded Whiplash via the lowered transom -- showing off a safety feature of their new modification. Whiplash retired from the race; Leahey and Limerick were awarded redress by the race committee and were credited for a fourth, coinciding with their position upon stopping to render assistance.

Dave, Gwen & Jeff - Piranha, Outlier and Ripple

At the front of the fleet, Ripple led the way around the course, exchanging tacks with Outlier as they finished 1-2. Piranha was right up there with a third, which fit Dave Voss's plan. "We were sailing conservatively at the roundings, dropping our spinnaker early, just trying not to make a mistake," Voss said after collecting his trophy -- an Ahmanson-embroidered bath robe. Piranha successfully protected their lead, winning the class with 11 points over the five races to Ripple's 15 for second. Outlier finished third with 17.