|
Richardson Cup 2009 By Michael B. Hoey It was June 18th, 1924 when English
mountain climbers George Mallory & Andrew Irvine looked at the path
before them. Climb the coldest place on earth: Mt. Everest. Five times they had
tried to climb Everest and five times they had failed. It was October 8th, 2009 when Dutch
sailors Chris & John VanTol and Irish veteran, Michael B. Hoey, looked at
the path before them. Sail in the coldest place on earth for the 2009 Great
Lakes Match Racing Championship: Minnetonka, MN. Five times they came
within close reach of the summit and five times they had failed. The
winner of the event would be awarded the coveted Richardson Cup. The
Richardson Trophy was established in 1912 by Commodore S. O. Richardson,
Jr., of the Toledo Yacht Club, Toledo, Ohio. It is a Sterling Silver Trophy
(created by Tiffany & Co) which is the second oldest sailing trophy in US
history. The 2009 event was the 70th running of the
Richardson Cup. Flash:
Friday-
Wayzata Yacht Club- Lake Minnetonka greeted 11 different teams with brisk
winds and 45-50 degree temperatures. Your BYC team finished the day with a
4-2 record to start the 11 team round robin series. Two other teams,
Steve Lowery and Lars Hanson, finished the day a perfect 6-0. Flash:
Saturday- the
sea was angry…. like an old man trying to return soup at a deli. Temps now
plunged into the 20’s and the forecast was for a high of 34. Winds were 15-25
mph with a wind-chill of 18 and a layer of steam blowing from shore to shore.
The J22s were covered with about an inch or so of snow. Our team
scrambled to the local Target and bought up critical winter gear that
included fake fur hats and gloves. Tactic: the warmest team will win. This
day our team went unbeaten; finishing out the round robin 8-2. Flash:
Sunday: 6-10
knots, 40 degree temperatures Final 4: 1st spot - Steve Lowery:
9-1 2nd spot - Lars Hansen:
9-1 3rd spot - Chris
VanTol: 8-2 4th spot - Mark
Johnson: 6-4 Steve Lowery,
2008 Richardson Cup winner, picks Mark Johnson for the first to 2 points
semi-final. The other semi-final features VanTol vs. Hansen. Result-
Lowery wins 2-1 & VanTol wins 2-0. Final
Flash: The finals. Team VanTol vs. Lowery: First to 3 points. Race
1:
Lowery squeaks a two boat length win Race 2:
Lowery
wins 5 boat length. Race 3:
Back
against the wall- VanTol wins by ˝ a leg. Race 4:
Momentum
has swung -VanTol wins by a leg. Race 5:
8 minutes
remain to the 2:30pm warning signal cut off. Warning signal Foxtrot is
posted. Race on. Pre-start: boat boats battle for pin bias and a last second
hook on Lowery flicks the veteran with a penalty. But Captain Crash, aka
Chris Van Damage, sold the 2nd luff too hard; tap tap tapping
Lowery’s stern quarter. Flags go up on both yachts and a long delay on the
umpire boat ensues. The call: blue & yellow! With
offsetting penalties the spectator crowd of 30+ brings up the noise level to
that of a ballgame. Positions swing radically in the shifty conditions. On
the last downwind, Lowery leads by 10 ft at the last windward mark. Both
boats initially carry on the final run within inches. Our final move is
signaled out by the cagey bowman who somehow signals for a fake gybe as he
wrestles the pole. Our vessel surges to starboard and swings radically
to port; Lowery takes the bait and has already gybed to starboard. With
more pressure in hand and the starboard advantage...Team VanTol sails on to
reach the summit in the 2009 Richardson Cup. No loss of Sherpas. Results
|
