Mike Ingham tops Thistle Southern Circuit

The Thistle Southern Circuit held its second and final stage when 38 boats competed in the Orange Peel Regatta on March 20-22 at The Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville, FL.

The Friday coaching clinic started with Mike Ingham and Paul Abdullah walking around and helping everyone get their mast and boats tuned. Several masts needed a “little persuasion” between saw horses so we could achieve the correct diamond tuning. This was followed by a chalk talk about why tuning the mast is so important. With the wind just building enough, the participants got out on the water for some informal racing and one-on-one coaching.

With teams coming from as far away as Maine, the regatta attracted some of the top sailors in the class. PRO Hal Gilreath waited patiently for the wind to build on Saturday and was successful in getting three solid races in before the sun set. Unfortunately there wasn’t any wind Sunday, with final results based on three races.

The top five in the Orange Peel were Mike Ingham, Stu Grulke, Paul Abdullah, Tom Hubbell, and BJ Jones. The top three of the Southern Circuit, which began at the Thistle Midwinters East in St. Petersburg, FL, were Mike Ingham, Paul Abdullah, and Scott Griffin.

Final results: Orange Peel – Southern Circuit