Major breakthrough as MSC's Taylor brothers make 2004 TARTS their first regatta win!

Congratulations to Mark and Paul Taylor of the Mississauga Sailing Club. The future of our Class appears to be arriving now as these young whippersnappers have finally acquired new sails (the Mike McNamara designs from Quantum Sails in Toronto) and are now going very fast. Having gone fast but in the wrong direction the previous week at Conestoga's Warm Water Regatta, Mark and Paul made no such errors at TSCC's TARTS and 'balls Regatta June 5-6.

Sailing in a small but select fleet of 6 Wayfarers, the Taylors won four of seven races sailed in light to medium airs on Lake Ontario's Humber Bay over two of the top-ranked North American Wayfarers, Peter Rahn and defending North American champion, Heider Funck. After staying close with Saturday placings of 3-1-3-3, Paul and Mark won all three Sunday races to lock up the series victory, their first in a major Wayfarer event. Paul and Mark, seeded 3rd, also took Most Improved honours with their victory. Congratulations, Mark and Paul. 

Heider Funck and Tom Wharton lived up to their top-ranked billing on the Saturday, scoring 2-2-1-1, but when Heider could not sail the Sunday, the tiller was handed to Tom Wharton's son-in-law, Stefan Larsen, who sailed well but could not beat his main series rivals. Entering the final race, the Taylors and team Funck/Larsen/Wharton were tied with 9 pts., while Peter Rahn was sitting at 10. Peter and Alex decided to get an early start for Montreal after an altercation with W600, which left Mark and Stefan to go head-to-head for the victory. When Mark and Paul won the finale, Stefan, Heider and Tom were relegated to the runner-up spot, while the absent Rahns, Peter and Alex took series 3rd.

Also looking good as they had at the previous week's Warm Water, were Peter Kozak and Annelies Groen, who continued their pre-Worlds warm-up with an impressive performance that landed them in series 4th ahead of the veteran W team of John Cawthorne and David Weatherston. Another team getting in some pre-Worlds practice was W9658, Thomas Vendely and Zoltan Takacz who ended up 6th but gained valuable time in the water.

Thanks as always to the TSCC organizational team headed by Derek Griffiths, George Blanchard and Mike Codd for their huge efforts in producing yet another fine regatta in 2004.