Here is the report from the 2009 Triangle Cup Dixie Region 3 race in Raleigh:

Triangle Cup 2009                                                  May 2-3, 2009

This was my first time as RD for an RC sailboat regatta, much less an EC 12 Region 3 regatta. I was nervous! Having sailed a Vic for just over a year now.

Early on, I found there are a number of colorful characters who race this beautiful, but challenging boat in Region 3—especially in a blow, on a run.. These include, but are not limited to, the ever-tardy-but-almost-never-last Danny Thomas. He was even late for the Sunday morning 10 minutes pre-race group photo (something about no “#”#$&^$%$ ATMs in Cary), showing up five minutes before the first start. It also includes Frank Angel, a legend in the EC 12’s, who I had never been directly interacted before. His kindly but experienced manner put me at ease for what could have been a very nervous two days (Thanks Frank). Sixteen competitors from up and down the East Coast showed up to race!!!!

Saturday began with a light 2-3 MPH wind out of the south west, typical of Lake Johnson. While winds of 6-10 MPH were promised for that day, they were late in coming. We ran the seeding races to establish the A and B fleets. We then settled into a pace that allowed for a total of 10 scored races (20 total heats including the seeding heats). There were lots of wind shifts, typical for Lake Johnson, and lead changes were the norm. A brief shower threatened to make for damp skippers, but the threat passed quickly.

Very early, one of the local favorites, Bob Szczepanski, was put out by a defective rudder servo. Several servos came out of the woodwork, but none would fit the metal bracket in Bob’s boat. He reluctantly sat out the rest of the regatta, amusing himself with rescue-boat pilot duties, as several of the competitors did the “mast dance” (Thanks Bob). At the end of the day, Danny Thomas had a commanding 10 point lead.

Sunday opened with a challenging light south wind, making it difficult to set a decent windward leg on the course. As the morning progressed, the wind changed back to the southwest, and continued to build. Towards the end, it began to blow 6-10 MPH, with some very exciting gusts. We were able to run another 14 heats of A and B fleets. Most skippers were happy to hear the call for the last race.

It was a pleasure working with the regatta staff including:
John Amoroso – Co RD and windward mark official
Karen Szczepanski, Chase Thomas, Justin Flint – Scoring
Jock Gault – Photos
Doug Hale – Most every thing under the tent he arranged/brought.
Ronald McMenamin – Treasurer – arranging for lunch and handling the finances
Bob Szczepanski – Rescue Boat (Last minute volunteer)
Results:

Place Name                           Points            Sail #
1st Danny Thomas              41                    1405
2nd Gerry Cobley               45                    1625
3rd Skip Allen                      55                    2112
4rd Baron Bremer              62                    81
5th Chris Kakavas              66                    236
6th Scott Vernon               96                    880 Tie
7th Richard Proseus        96                    1519 Tie
8th Carl Olbrich                 113                  1896
9th Frank Angel                144                  1858
10th Doug Hale                 157                  1647
11th Mervin Jones           178                  2174
12th Dick Gerry                 180                  1796
13th Tony Shoaf                190                  1581
14th Eric Olson                 207                  2830
15th Jim Rutherford         231                  1678
16th Bob Szczepanski     281                   663 Equipment Failure

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