Slow Speed at Trans-Monroe Regatta

The 28th Annual Trans-Monroe Regatta on Lake Monroe in Sanford, Florida took a fleet of 24 random boats on a random 12 mile course, and used Portsmouth Yardstick handicaps to score the race. Hosted by Lake Monroe Sailing Association on March 5, the Trans Monroe is an around the lake race in honor of Bill McVay. Bill McVay was a local boat builder of the Victoria Sailboat which were sold in the very spot that LMSA calls home today.

The winds looked very promising in the morning as they were 8-10kts out of the North Northwest but as sailors know this is lake sailing. As soon as the class flag dropped so did the winds, as the shifts were unpredictable for some sailors to master but those who did finished the course in three plus hours. Other sailors were not as skilled or lucky enough to catch the shift from the south side of Lake Monroe.

Sanford sailor Andy Forrest said that every time the team on Show Me rounded a mark of the course, the boat would go head to wind. Making the team have to adjust their point of sail every time they tried to get ahead. South Carolina sailors, Raymond Gresham and Joe Waters claimed that local knowledge was a plus as they found out that there is a current in Lake Monroe as the lake is a part of the St. John’s River. This did not stop Holder 20 with the large bright pink A-Symmetrical spinnaker from South Carolina take a second place overall.

The winner of the Trans-Monroe Bill McVay trophy and LMSA’s Fleet Captain, Tom McNally told us that more luck than strategy had more to do with his teams win. Being in the correct place at the right time was not necessarily the name of the game but luck on position.

The best win of the day was LMSA’s Willie Blevins and the team on Loose Cannon. The F-31 Corsair and largest boat on the lake with the multi colored spinnaker that chased the wind clearly found the breeze so that Loose Cannon took Line Honors and the first place multi hull trophy. The exuberant Blevins danced his way to the awards table with the larger than life smile and personality shining through as he received both trophies. Blevins invited all of the participants to Connelly’s and Irish Pub that he regularly preforms at.

Overall results – Divisional results – Notice of Race