the 2009 Midwinters & U.S. Nationals
Sunday's awards presentations
photos mostly by Uncle Al, Andrew Haill, Andy Douma
...

3rd place in the Midwinters Fleet: James (l) and Jim McIntyre
...

Midwinters 2nd: Butch and Janice Minson
...

USWA Commodore, Jim Heffernan (l) and Mike Murto (r) congratulate Midwinters Fleet winners ...
...

... Jim Lingeman (r) and Charley Jensen who get a one-year lease on The Challengers,
a trophy created and donated by Hans Gottschling, our Wayfarer cover maker.
...

Midwinters Fleet Most Improved  was LESC Commodore, Dave Hepting, who beat his seed by an impressive three places!!
Well done, Dave!!!
...
The U.S. Nationals: Unfortunately, this year's winners of The Designer's Trophy (top US finisher [4th] in the Nationals), Richard Johnson and his wife, Michele, had to start their long drive back to Charlotte, NC before the ceremony where Richard had a flight to catch at 0630 the next morning. Commodore Heffernan (above) displayed the trophy on behalf of Richard and Michele who sailed an excellent series. Also sailing a fine series - 3rd overall - but having to leave early to start their long slog back to Montreal, were defending Midwinters champions, Peter Rahn and his son, Alex.
...

Nationals 2nd: Frank Goulay (l) and Andrew Haill were only one point out of first.
...

USWA Racing Captain, Nick Seraphinoff, had some special prizes for the second-place crew: flash cards with handles that will facilitate the oh so important communications between crew and helm. Here, Nick demonstrates the card the crew might flash to his helm after a great start, a card that can be turned around quickly in the event that ...
...

... the start was less than perfect!
...

"I'm doin' it, I'm doin' it!" The perfect crew response to a helm who is urging his crew to speed things up. This famous line was once uttered by Fantastic Freddie Schueddekopp, a former crew of Uncle Al's who was a great crew but at times a bit slow and methodical. In this instance, we were sailing a mixed fleet of about 50 Fireballs and 470's on Ford Lake outside of Detroit in the early 70's. Freddie and I had gotten a great start at the extremely favoured pin end in light-to-medium airs. The problem was that we were already able to lay the windward mark on port tack and so every second that we stayed on starboard was a second wasted. But it would be touch and go if we tacked, whether or not we could cross the first starboard boat behind us. And if we missed crossing him, we could look forward to taking 48 more transoms - an unappealing prospect. So, I warned Freddie that we were about to tack on the count of three, and that if ever he did the perfect job of getting the Fireball's little jib in and filled on the new tack, this would be the time!! Well, at the count of three, I whipped the boat around, got the main re-cleated, and to my horror, saw the jib flogging its little heart out. "Get the f*cking jib in!" I shrieked.
...

... To which Freddie responded in slow, measured and somewhat aggrieved tones, with those words immortalized on the card Nick is holding above. We did cross the starboard boat without fouling, by the way. If you check the past winners of the U.S. Nationals page and look under 1976, you can see Freddie's name on both the list and on the Designer's Trophy which in those days was still available to non-US helms.
...

Jim Heffernan congratulates Nick and Al who successfully defended the US Nationals title they won last summer at Rock Hall.
...

Uncle Al thanks the LESC and its many cheerful volunteers, with special emphasis on
the great RC work provided by Dave and Joan Williams and their assistants.
...
next photos page
return to Mids/Nats index page