News
McCleskeys Win 41st Annual Firewater Regatta
Date: 6/23/2008
Author: John Buckley
The 41st annual Firewater Regatta was held the weekend of June 21-22 at Branched Oak Lake near Lincoln, Nebraska. Once again it was very well attended, with twenty-four boats registering - including road warriors from Milwaukee, Denver, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Omaha.
On Friday afternoon, Race Committee (and Chief US Measurer) Bob Ewoldt held an informal measurement demonstration, as a couple of competitors’ hulls were measured and Moment Of Inertia tests performed. There was great interest in this, as most people have never seen a boat measured, and were unfamiliar with the principles involved and all the reasons for doing so. It was a good learning experience for everyone - thanks to Bob for taking the time to do it.
A hamburger and hot dog cookout was held Friday evening, as out-of-towners set up tents and locals came out to visit, drink beer, and swap lies. Saturday morning dawned sunny and calm, and unfortunately remained calm, as boats were rigged and launched. But by mid-afternoon a light east breeze filled in, and we got in one short windward-leeward race before calling it quits. This very relaxing day concluded with the traditional Firewater cocktail party and steak fry.
It appeared that Sunday would be a carbon copy of Saturday, but after a short postponement a decent North breeze came up. Twenty-four boats quickly hit the water for two nice Olympic courses, finishing just in time for lunch and trophies. Congratulations to Blaine and Adrienne McCleskey of the Rocky Mountain Snipe Fleet on another great Firewater performance.
At the Firewater we always have an A fleet and a B fleet, which we think helps our participation. Typically the two fleets sail together as one, and when it’s all over trophies are awarded to the B fleeters in order of their actual finishes. This allows them to sail with everyone else – and get credit for any A fleeters they might beat - while competing amongst themselves. It’s simple to score, fair from a competitive standpoint, and will accommodate any size B fleet – a win-win situation. This year’s B fleet was small, but in the past has been as many as 25% of the boats.
As is the case every year, it was the time spent and effort put forth by lots of people that made this regatta a success. Special thanks, however, go to the Regatta Committee – Pat Keane, Chuck and Debbie Lewis, and their many helpers. Also to Bob Ewoldt, who gave up sailing to do Race Committee, and to local sailor Pete Crawford’s wife Michelle, who headed up efforts to provide day care/babysitting services during the races. This makes the Firewater a realistic destination for some people, and as a result, the club site is crawling with little kids all weekend, arguably having as much fun as their parents, if not more.
The Firewater Regatta – the most fun you can have without electricity and running water!
Results
(A Fleet)
Place Skipper/Crew Races
1 Blaine/Adrienne McCleskey 2 1 1
2 Pat Keane/Debbie Lewis 4 3 3
3 Will/Sarah Thomas 6 2 6
4 John/Mary Buckley 5 7 4
5 Pat Flood/Sigrid Festersen 3 14 2
6 Carter Weitz/Libby Snipes (no joke!) 1 12 8
7 George Rood/Jan Churchill 11 4 7
8 Mark/Julie Heup 12 6 5
9 Bill/Tina Brush 7 15 10
10 John/Jimmy Briggs 13 8 11
11 Chris Scofield/Courney Zurek 19 5 9
12 Andy Towles/Pat Moran 14 10 12
13 Steve/Mary Snider 17 9 13
14 Doug/Karen Swenson 10 16 14
15 Joe Frey/Mike Kuhl 8 19 15
16 Peggy Bertsche/Jim Weis 18 11 18
17 Chuck Higginson/Amanda Lowery 15 18 16
18 Rick Scofield/Scott Harris 20 13 17
19 Larry Briggs/Vicki Albert 16 17 19
20 Jim Russell/Heidi Oman 9 dns dns
21 Bill Gustafson/Jason Jamison 21 20 20
22 Jack Wagener/Nancy Loftis dnf dns dns
B Fleet
1 Pete Crawford/Tripp Bishop 23 21 21
2 Raj Kumar/Teresa 22 dns dns
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