Battling Sunburn, Not Frostbite in Mid-Winter Regatta

Fourteen boats, eighteen drivers and absolutely perfect weather: mostly sunny, mid 80s, slight breeze, and no other boaters.  No wonder 15 of the 18 drivers were from out of state.  One participant even commented how nice it was to be battling sunburn rather than frostbite!  This second-and-final race of the Mid-Winter Regatta was held 3 March on Lake Apthorpe in Lake Placid, Florida, surrounded by orange groves.  A new, unique course (the “Peace Course”) was incorporated consisting of three hairpin turns and two long straights.  There were no concerning issues between modified- and unmodified-keel CCRs during the day’s races.

New members Ed Johnson and Paul Adamek received special recognition for being our first two post-80-year-old competitors, and Steve Brendlinger received the “Lost Award” after leading Robert Edmonds astray.

Tom Meisenheimer, correspondent for the local Highlands Sun newspaper, dropped by our event in the morning to interview members and snap pictures for his article in that Thursday’s paper.  Official race results are here and photos may be viewed here.

Many thanks go to all the volunteers who made a fun race day run smoothly.  And special thanks to our host Carl Staron for making the event a success, for operating the rescue boat, and for grilling up his crowd-pleasing “Famous Hairless Dogs”!