(Pensacola,
Florida) Monday, April 23: The first day of the
Alter Cup was held in light to moderate winds and in shifty conditions. There are twenty
teams representing the best catamaran sailors in the country. The Alter Cup is a US
Multihull National Championship. It has always been a top level event, but over the last
few years it has become a super charged event. It has become a championship of multihull
champions. This year appears to have the deepest talent in the event's history. Over
three-quarters of this year's competitors have at least one National Championship title.
There are ten US SAILING Areas and each of the areas has a qualifier. Added to this list
are the current National Champions in the top catamaran classes. Also several spots are
used for petition. The championship is a four-day event running through Thursday.
Tuesday, April 24: The
second day of the Alter Cup was everything the event was billed to be. Top competition in
really great winds. There were still shifts on the course but not as dramatic as the first
day. The winds were much more consistent and built up during the day to about 12 knots or
so in the last race of the day. It was excellent conditions for the championship being
held on Inter 20 Catamarans. One race official, who had never been around small
catamarans, called the speedy vessels water-borne rockets and said they were a thrill to
watch.
Wednesday, April 25: Day three brought in a big wind
shift and started out with strong wind. The sailors had to be on their toes as the wind
would shift back and forth with each puff. There would be waves of winds and holes. So the
racing went on in very trying conditions. This threw off some of the sailors and there
were some spectacular thrills and spills. Former Inter 20 National Champion, Matt Struble
from Michigan, took his third bullet thus far in the series in the first race. He talked
about what a ball he was having claiming this was the fastest he had ever gone downwind.
Florida's two-time silver medallist Randy Smyth is staying just ahead of Struble and
matched his three first place finishes. In third place in the event after three days
Californian Brandon Wallace took a first today to stay in the hunt. Wallace spoke about
finding channels of wind and getting hooked up in them. The current Inter 20 National
Champs, Co-Skippers Georgia's Nigel Pitt and Florida's Alex Shafer are tied with East
coast skipper Mike Ingham.
Thursday,
April 26: For the Finals of the Alter Cup, US SAILING’s Multihull National
Championship, it was a bright sunny Florida day and the wind was up. Only problem is the
wind decided to get even stranger than the sailors had been working with all week.
Thirty-degree shifts with velocity changes of from 5 to 18 knots were common place. The
tricky conditions just made the competition tighter and tighter. Going into the final race
the championship was still between four teams. The positions in the last race changed over
and over as the fleet of Inter 20 Catamaran Sailboats fought current and changing winds.
Hopes and dreams were built up and dashed over and over as there were dramatic changes at
every mark. It was the young, strong, fearless Matt Struble and his crew Mike Kletke of
Michigan that would finally snatch the title, but not before breaking a tie for the
championship with Nigel Pitt and Alex Shafer. Both teams have been Inter 20 National
Champions and their expertise was needed as a guide through varying winds. Only half a
point back were Californians Brandon Wallace and his crew James Gumpel. The top five teams
were all within three points of one another so it was excellent competition in trying
conditions. The sailors hit the beach worn out more mentally than
physically.
The Pensacola Yacht Club, Key
Sailing and the local catamaran fleet did a great job hosting the event for the top
competitors from all over the country. It was a great week of camaraderie, competition and
fun. Good sailing, great venue, fun parties, fast cats, and excellent competition made
this Alter Cup the special event that it was. This event was the first time some of the
sailors from the West as well as other parts of the country had been on small cats with
spinnakers. It was really a thrill to experience that sort of speed thrown into the chess
game we call sailboat racing. But this new dimension of spinnaker round the buoys racing
took experts and made them tourist. For the most part if you were new to spinnakers you
were down the list. One thing I am sure of, no one would trade this week's experience of
driving downwind at 20 knots, wild eyed with a big smile. Win or lose everyone won in that
respect.
by Roger Jenkins,
Area J skipper |
