Governor’s Cup is held at the Smyrna Yacht Club! Race Results are Now Posted!

Race recap is provided by the Governor’s Cup Race Director. Thanks Lisa!
Photos will be posted soon.

Good afternoon all!

What a day for the Governor’s Cup! The event went well; however, we had less than ideal conditions. We kicked off with a Welcome Reception at the Smyrna Yacht Club Friday evening and enjoyed great food and company from CCWBRA members from as far away as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virgina, and other areas of Florida. There was good attendance bright and early at the skipper’s meeting 8am at the Tiki on Saturday where the rules and course were reviewed. The course included several right and left turns and a chicane placed close to the Tiki viewing area. There was a large fan turnout and much for Dan Kolassa, our announcer to broadcast during the event. 

Winds were 20 knots with an incoming tide in the intracoastal. This made it a challenge to strategize for an optimal start while not crossing the start line. Special thanks to Pat Elam for creating the heats and scoring and to Ron McCall, Pit Boss for keeping the flow. We had plenty of presence to accompany the Race Committee Boat to include our own Key West safety boat captained by Steve Franklin and Gene Ledda, jet ski manned by Joe Elam, the Volusia County Sherrif boat, and the Volusia County Fire boat as well as EMT presence on land. The winds blew all day, at one point, causing the Sherrif’s boat to drift away requring retrieval by our jet ski. 

With chop on the intracoastal, we started the day with the 8hp Mixed Class. There were 12 heats with several interruptions to reset the course due to the winds and currents. Frank Vandall #112 Purple Passion got caught in the chop and flipped. Fortunately no injuries were sustained and he took home the Turtle Award with a smile. Finishers included Fred Allerton #28 Swamp Rocket in 1st; Ryan Pernell #102 Swamp Donkey in 2nd; and Keith Abell #1603 Sailor Jerry in 3rd. 

The ladies race was the excitement of the day. Four competitive women in 4 exciting heats followed by the Women’s 6hp Championship elicited cheers from the crowd. Finishers included Lisa Merilson #152 Siboney in 1st place; Kelsey Odhner #46 Rajic in 2nd place, and Brittany Adamek #180 Due South in 3rd. 

Conditions continued to worsen by the 6hp Mixed class and the tide turned outgoing. With our course facing north/south, a 20-25 knot north wind, and outgoing tide (running north) the chop became unbearable. Only 4 of 8 heats were completed and the race had to be called. The last heat before the call left only 2 boats. Tom Kerr #46 Rajic and Lisa Merilson #152 Siboney took on the chop to the starting line for the heat and attempted the course. The current nearly took Lisa Merilson over the start line resulting in a circle back before the start. Tom Kerr took a wave over the bow just over the start line filling his boat requiring him to return to the dock to bail out. Lisa Merilson continued on course at a slow pace and made it back to the dock drenched after which it was declared that the conditions were no longer safe to continue. Finishers for the 6hp Mixed included Kelsie Odhner #46 Rajic  in 1st; Tom Kerr #46 Rajic in 2nd; and Lisa Merilson #152 in 3rd. It is acknowledged that a boat cannot compete in the finals by two competetors; however, due to discontinuation, the placement was based on points acquired during the heats that were completed. 

The sun was shining and, overall, it was a fun day.

It was an honor to host the Governor’s Cup at SYC as race director and as CCWBRA Member At Large.

-Lisa Merilson

Race Results are here!  2018 CCWBRA Governor’s Cup Race Results