2007 Wrap-up

MHRA has wrapped up its 2007 season. It was a good year for the club as far as finances, turnout and (most importantly) wind were concerned.

We got out to a good start in April at Black Butte lake for the Chico Classic, with 19 boats and pretty decent wind. We then moved on to "Go For the Gold" (hosted by the Gold Country Yacht Club), where we encountered very shifty winds and large mono-hull fleets, but the central location of this venue makes a lot of sense in these days of high gas prices.

The third event of the season was the Commodore's Regatta at Huntington Lake. We were joined by 10 Hobie 20s, 3 Thistles and that legendary wind that turns on at 10 AM, blows 15-20 all day and turns back off at 5 PM. Five days later we went to our other geographic extreme for the Firecracker Regatta hosted by the Klamath Lake Yacht Club. Although the wind didn't cooperate, a few Mojitos and body shots at the on-the-water bar followed up by fantastic slow-cooked BBQ made everything OK.

Two weeks after Klamath we were right back in the swing of things at Eagle Lake. The camping and scenery were great (as always), the wind blew hard and the Commodore got smashed by some Cadillacs and a couple of Yukons.

We had a month after Eagle Lake to get ready for Fullmoon at Washoe Lake Regatta, where the Washoe Zephyr was out in full force. Although only 6 boats turned out, we had one pitchpole and two capsizes. Fortunately, righting a boat at Washoe is easy: Just remember to walk out to the mast tip and pull it out of the mud first.

We finished the sailing season on the first week of October at Bodega Bay. The wind and swells made for a nice gentle ride out to the A-mark, followed by some racing inside the bay. Pete and Travis experienced their first dis-masting (fortunately close enough in to get towed in by Mike), and Jason and Paul found out what happens when you run up on the beach with a daggerboard down. No major damage was done in either case.

For series points, Division 1 was a sweep for the NACRA 5.8s:

1. Mike Peavy and Jody Christopherson
2. Peter Schmalzer and Travis Thompson
3. Jason Smith and Paul Thurman

Division 2 had the usual battle between Prindle 16s and Sea Sprays:

1. Lary Cox (P16)
2. Dan Nicholson and Cindy Buskey (P16)
3. Dave Hagen (Sea Spray)

The business meeting was held on the first Saturday in November in Auburn. Financially the club did well, due primarily to the lack of maintenance expenses for the club chase boat. No changes were made to the fee structure for 2008. The meeting minutes and financial information have been e-mailed to MHRA members: If you haven't recieved a copy, please contact the Commodore.

The agreed schedule is similar to the schedule for 2007, with the addition of the Whitecaps Regatta at Union Valley. Whitecaps used to be an MHRA points event, hosted by Hobie Fleet 3, before non-Hobies got banned. It appears that this regatta will go "independent" in 2008, and we'll once again get access to a great regatta with wind second only to Huntington and located halfway between Sacramento and Carson City.

Our tentative schedule or 2007 is as follows. Please note that this may change in the weeks to come. We expect to have final dates available by Jan 1, 2008.

• Chico Classic (Black Butte), May 3-4
• Go For The Gold (Scott's Flat), June 7-8
• Commodore's (Huntington Lake), June 21-22
• Firecracker (Klamath Lake), July 4-6
• Eagle Lake, July 12-13
• Whitecaps (Union Valley), ?
• Silver State Classic (Washoe Lake), August 16-17
• Champagne Regatta (Bodega Bay), October 4-5

Following the business meeting we did a little wine tasting at the Mt. Vernon Winery, where we cleaned out their entire Port supply, followed by snacks and more refreshments at Andrew Brigg's house. Jody Christopherson was voted Sailor of the Year for 2007.