2010 InterClub Midwinter Championships
The InterClub Midwinter Championships has a reputation for being one of the more entertaining, and brutally cold, events of the east coast winter racing circuit. This year’s event, held over the weekend of January 30 and 31 at the Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis, MD, was no exception! With temperatures never reaching above freezing for the entire weekend, and six inches of snow accumulation on Saturday, the 2010 Midwinters was definitely a test of endurance for the 19 teams that competed. Brendan Healy was there, reporting for CompleteSailor.com, and sailing in his first ever InterClub event.
The InterClub Midwinters is organized very similar to a college or high school sailing event, with an A and B division, combining their individual scores for an overall total. At this particular regatta, each division completed between two and four races before returning to the docks to rotate, allowing plenty of time for their teammates to put on more sailing gear, and to escape the snow and brutal cold for some complementary chili, pasta, or Soco-coca offered by SSA throughout the weekend. Teams from up and down the east coast, hailing from between North Carolina and Maine gathered for this year’s edition of the event. A total of 18 races were sailed throughout the weekend with breeze ranging between five and eight knots on both days. Saturday was sailed in near white-out conditions, with many competitors sporting ski goggles, full spray gear, and dry suits to get through the blizzard. Sunday, with sunny skies and slightly warmer temperatures, was a much more pleasant day, despite the fact that competitors arrived to a frozen Annapolis harbor, and had to spend much of the morning chipping ice and snow from their boats, while the race committee was forced to postpone ashore in order to allow time to clear a path through the ice. Team Vineyard Vines, with John and Molly Baxter sailing A-division and Danny Pletsch, with crew, Megan Magill in B-division, dominated the regatta, winning both divisions and finishing 33 points ahead of their nearest competitors.
For somebody who is new to the InterClub, I found the one-sail-wonder to be quite a challenge. The boat is much more “tweaky” than I originally had thought, with a very flexible rig, adjustable forestay, and mast chalks. In addition to sailing the boat for the first time, a good amount of our team’s focus was on keeping rock salt in the boat to prevent the snow and water from freezing, an inside tip gained from our Rochester, NY friends who sail these boats on a regular basis. For those who know how to set the boat up correctly and tune it however, the IC is a great boat to sail.
Overall, the regatta was a great experience. The Severn Sailing Association provided an unbelievable dinner on Saturday night and refreshments and cocktails both during and after sailing to keep the competitors warm. The IC fleet is one of the most generous and friendly groups of people that I have ever had the pleasure of sailing with. I can guarantee that I will be back next year in a search of redemption.
Complete results from the InterClub Midwinters are available on their homepage.