| Wayfarers Return to
Pumpkin with Fine Eight-Boat Fleet in great weather
October 1-2 |
|
Team Chich Wins Fourth of
Last Five Pumpkins
The Pumpkin Regatta at London, Ontario's Fanshawe YC is usually the last regatta of the Wayfarer year, unless you venture across the border. It typically brings a cold nose from the chill in the air, brilliant colours of trees beginning to turn, and of course - shifty winds. It can be beautiful fall weather or weather that makes you dig deep and be tough. But it always makes you feel glad to be alive. In any case, the Sailors are always warmed on the inside from the Motherly (and Fatherly) hospitality, down-home turkey dinners, and being very well welcomed and looked after. We had been missing this event over the last two years. There was a plan hatched last year to join FYC just so we could attend the event which had been declared members only due to COVID. Even when that plan fizzled, we were not deterred, and ran a replacement event at TSCC that had some unintended consequences, but we’ll leave it at that. It was more satisfying to return to the Fanshawe Yacht Club where the open Pumpkin was held October 1-2. It did not disappoint.  Ready for Pumpkin weather are Joanne Van Kampen and Sue Pilling (r). Winds were strangely out of the north-east and gusty over the bluffs. Saturday saw five races completed as Sunday threatened to blow harder. Our PRO John and crew got us out on the water early by 9am Sunday in order to get 3 races in before lunch, when the winds were forecast to become too strong. We enjoyed some invigorating reaches which suddenly turned into runs, then back to reaches … The usual multi-class fleet included Lasers (who decided to all go Radial this year to keep the fleet more even), an RS-400 (the winner), and an RS Aero, a variety of Keels, plus an impressive eight Wayfarers . The Race Committee amazingly managed to keep us out of each other’s way (most of the time) and sent the keels on a longer course down the lake. A beautifully restored wooden Wayfarer showed up, and still had its wooden mast, sailed with sail #6084 by Peter Lebel and Max Lucas. The race for bronze was tight as Mike Codd with son, Lee, and Leo Van Kampen with wife, Joanne, each entered the final race counting 13 points, until Mike/Lee sailed over their spinnaker in the last race, I believe, which lost them a spot on the podium. In the single-lap first Sunday race, Sue/Steph and Scott Ramsay with Les Sherratt were lying 3-4 at the leeward mark, until they tacked right at the mark, laying the finish line while others rounded up at the leeward mark and may have waited a bit too long on port tack, which made them overstand the finish.  Sue and Steph's
concocted rudder managed to work well, as long as one
didn't need to swing it up in shallow water.
 Thank you to the Fanshawe Crew for another great Pumpkin Regatta! Sue Pilling Addendum from PRO, John Kabel: There were two RS boats in the Open A fleet. An RS-400 (the winner), and an RS Aero. Both wickedly fast boats needing agile crew to stay upright. Another unique feature of the Pumpkin this year was the influence of the remnants of Hurricane Ian. These brought in the weird NE winds, with leftover cloud Saturday and bright skies Sunday as you could just see the last cyclonic clouds far in the east. |