BASSINS TAKE 1968 “CANADIANS”  AT BRONTE HARBOUR

Peter and Maggie Bassin, sailing their North American Champion W421 PIPPA demonstrated their championship calibre in all types of weather to take the 1968 Canadian Wayfarer Championships held July 6 and 7 off Bronte Harbour Y.C.

The Kitchener sailors once more played the role of the “Red Baron” for SNOOPY (W116) sailed by Al Schoenborn and Lynne Owens who had led by one half-point going into the final race of the six-race series, before the heavier weather overpowered the "yellow yacht".

Runners-up in the event were Heider Funck (W734) arid crew, Dunc McKerracher whose 2nd and 1st place finishes in Sunday's heavier weather also moved them past SNOOP' who finished a close third.  For Heider, this series was a tune-up as he now leaves for Germany where he will participate in the 5-0-5 World Championships.

The new system of much shorter races was flawlessly handled by the B.H.Y.C. Race Committee which was headed by Doug Schneider again this year.  The four Saturday races each consisted of once around a 1½-mile triangle plus an added windward leg while Sunday's pair of races were once around plus a windward-leeward.  Approval of this set-up appeared near unanimous among the 26 entries. Each entry counted its best five finishes in the six races.

FIRST RACE: A southwest breeze of about 10mph. greeted the fleet on a sunny Saturday morning; a situation which more or less re-maimed throughout the day.  Al Schoenborn (W116) took an early lead over Joy Blanchard (W1183) alias 618) daughter of George and terror of the former Leader fleet.  Al held the lead until Joy got away from his cover near the finish to steal the win.  A demoralized SNOOPY then just barely managed to nip in ahead of Heider Funck and Peter Bassin.

SECOND RACE: This race was Mike Schoenborn (W276 Waratah) all the way, followed by Joy B. and Al S. respectively.  Fourth place went George Blanchard (W283) ahead of Peter B. and Ed Pollock (W977) and Darrell Hicks (W46) Redwing II both of Bronte Harbour.

The lunch break then, saw Joy Blanchard well in the lead with 2 3/4 pts., over Al and  Mike Schoenborn with 5 and 5 3/4 pts.

THIRD RACE: The afternoon brought a little more wind and the en-suing racing was all Peter Bassin.  He took the third race handily ahead of Darrell Hicks.  Joy B. faded badly after holding  third place going onto the final buck.  She made the mistake of tacking when she could lay the finish line and fell to a sixth place finish. Third place went to Al S., while Heider F. and Ron Vandermey (W763) from Kitchener followed ahead of Joy.

FOURTH RACE: Al Schoenborn took a commanding lead at the weather mark but failed to find the second mark until it was pointed out to him in a move of good sportsmanship by Ron Vandermey and his father Bill who were in second spot.  These boats lost much of their lead here but were still one-two coming onto the final leg. In a dying breeze, Peter Bassin again came up and snatched the win less than 10 feet from the finish line. Ron Vandermay finished third with Ian Chovil fourth ahead of Heider Funck and Gerry Gibson (W929).

After Saturday’s racing, the situation looked as follows:
 

FIFTH RACE: - The first of the two races saw George Blanchard and Wally Cavill (W 283) finally get their wind to win going away from Heider Funk.  Third place went to a new Wayfarer from TS & CC, Larry Ball (W1359) ahead of clubmate, Ivar Zalitis (W867).  Ron Vandermey, with a fifth, continued a belated comeback effort.

Peter B., Al & Mike S. and Darrell H. were the more prominent members of a group of boats that overlaid the first mark by the proverbial 'miles' and never came back.

Going down to the wire, with one race dropped, it looked like this:
 

FROM THE BOW BUOYANCY COMPARTMENT: 

- O.K. North Bay, (i.e. Don Rumble, Don Paine, Ken Holloway, etc.) where the h... were you????
- Doug Schneider and his committee ran the most efficient show we have seen for quite some time.  Congratulations!!!
- Fred Hulke (W416) saved the weekend from complete monotony by dumping on Sunday.  What some guys will do to test the effficiency of the committee!!!
- Would John Wood (W606) who came in all the way from Sarnia, please tell me why he finished sixth ahead of me in race #6 yet got a DNF???
- Last year's champion and pre-race favourite,  Mike Schoenborn and Sarah Chu bombed out (it's about time after three wins!!!
- At the presentation dinner, George Blanchard added his usual colourful remarks and was rewarded by being made honorary life-time toastmaster of the Wayfarers - an honor which he was already awarded earlier this year at Kitchener's Conestoga Sailing Club.  Jovial BHYC Commodore, Gord Moir (inventor of the Herman [an in-joke Al will be happy to share with those whose curiosity overwhelms them]), was again on hand.
- Doug Cromarty (W938) found that a tight rigging helps in the heavy going as he improved considerably on his Saturday placings.
- Several entries sailed with three crews but found the weight a tremendous disadvantage in the light going (I think).
- This series marks a sad event in my life as I must now part with SNOOP' since I will be off to Europe August 8th, to teach in a German high school for a year (if I can borrow a boat I'll be up to North Bay August 3-5).  In this my final Newsletter, I would ask to try your patience with -

A double first would have been sufficient excuse to cancel a previous engagement for Sunday but as it was, we on SNOOPY felt obliged to show up at the cottage.  Reliable reports say that Sunday's event was mangled even worse by the gods of the M.Y.R.C.  The results of the drifter which finally developed left Darrell Hicks (W-46) in REDWING II on top with 5 3/4 points off a fifth and a first.

The race comittee did however, save their best shot for Monday where they started the final race after several postponements due to high winds, when the wind continued to get stronger.  Apparently the huge number of dumping boats did not bother the race committee as they had already seen two or three boats dump on Saturday afternoon.  In any case, the majority of the skippers felt that logic demanded that this race would surely be cancelled and only a handful had the fortitude to remain out there.  One of these was George Blanchard who sailed alone around the course and gained 8-3/4 points on every other skipper to turn a seventh place placing into the win. Nine boats were entered in the Wayfarer division.
The new Editor will be Darrell Hicks (W46), admirer of Gordie Howe, sailor(?), skipper(?) and owner of REDWING II.

Thanks for your past attention - yours truly
Editor - Al Schoenborn

... and here Darrell Hicks takes over as News Editor

Thank you Al, for the privilege of trying my hand at the News Letter I shall try to uphold the great caliber of wit which you so ably used the past 4 years and may I also on behalf of the Association as a whole, thank you for same.
First of all let's not forget the most important event of the year, the reason for tuning up and starting at all the past summer's races is for me - as I hope £or all owners - "The North Americans". Whether you finish 1st or last or somewhere in between, it is a must to trail to South Port Sailing Club on Lake St. Claire near Windsor to greet our American friends.  I'll be there with my tent pitched beside Ron Gillespie #854 down by the water, be sure to join us, Sat Aug 31st and Sun Sept 1st - $18.00 per boat.
 

Wed - July 10th is an historic occasion for Snoop (re: follow up on Al's poem) for during our Club Race at Bronte, Redwing II finally showed her transom to the proud yellow boat, somehow Snoop must have sensed that the Redwing II was going to give him more trouble than did the Red Baron (Pippa) out of Conestoga last year.  When July 19th dawned, Snoop gave a little yelp, shook her Wiscot carriage and roared off northward, perhaps looking for other companionship.  However on the way, I belieye the North Bay Humane Society found him and turned him over to a Dr. Asselstine to care for.  We wish all the best to Dr. Asselstine as the new owner of Snoop who I am sure will join the Trout Lake Wayfarer  addicts.

North Bay highlites as I recall - First Race - 20 odd miles consisting of a start with wind (as Dr. Paine promised that morning), followed by a good weather leg up to Crawford's Marina, Blanchard complained of a lousy start, Wally Cavill ex-Wayfarer owner and 1962  Canadian champ using Don Rumble's boat was up front at first mark, also Dr. Paine.  Reached back down to One Mile Bay.  I remember Ken Holloway and Peter Bassin putting up spinnakers to catch the leading boats; Ken did plane with his, (1st time I had seen this) making his way right up by the time we hit second mark.  We rounded it and headed down to Louisville Island and I remember Bassin's boat planing past us to leeward then almost going on the island as he rounded very close.  Then came a straight run down to Milne's Bay mark - some boats jibing and some sailing by the lee.  As we rounded it and headed up to Rolph Island on close reach, wind began to freshen up rapidly and having it die momentarily in the lee of the Island was quite an experience.
On coming out of the soft spot behind Rolph Island we really had our work cut out for us as we began the long dead-on buck back to Doran's Pt. Bassin took the lead and I could see Maggie stretched right out flat to windward trying to hold the Pippa flat and Peter feathering up and up getting everything out of his boat.  He was really moving out.  Next was Ken Holloway, then I believe (correct me if I am wrong - things were hectic with the wind now right up and blasting away at trying to bury us all) Wally Cavill in Commodore Rumble's 634 was next with McNutt's 855 - I remember his with the blue sails leeward. The Redwing was just getting her feathers loosened up and beginning to relish the brisk breeze that was building up. She started to overtake Cavill then once ahead looked to the Blue sails of the McNutt boat and with my bearded crew screaming to fly for the green boat which rounded the Doran Pt. mark 2nd after Pippa and headed close to Hemlock Island while Pippa went on a tack out further. We not knowing that Ken had developed troubles aboard decided to play it safe and tack to follow Bassin - went too far, missed Ken and finish was Bassin, Holloway and Hicks.
Congratulations are in order to Commodore Rumble, Dr. Paine and his committee for providing facilities without which the race would definitely not have been the thrill that it was.