2030: Everyone has dispersed and some final photos have been posted. Let's all congratulate the winners:
 1. John Casey and John Williams, 5 pts
 2. John and Katy Lovell, 10 pts
 3. John and Tiffany Tomko, 15pts
The Hoyt-Jolley Sportsmanship Award went to Matt McDonald and Paul Hess received the Golden Cat Key. Have a safe journey home, one and all! Kevin Rejda was a hero all week as beach captain. He has already signed on for next year at Gulfport Yacht Club, FL.
    Ten new F16 Blades were provided for the championship by Vectorworks Sail. Jake Kohl's scoring program set the rotation schedule and boat assignments for the 20 teams who rotated among the 10 boats.

1650: Trophies have been awarded and folks are beginning to leave. John Fox assembled a really fine regatta team and Melbourne Yacht Club did a great job as hosts for this year's championship. PRO Tom Farquhar and crew did yeoman duty on the race committee. Judges Dave & Barbara Shaffer and Harry Walker were terrific dispensing beach justice. Jake Kohl was a busy but apparently calm leader for the show. I am grateful to Ollie Jason for lending his PC card this week and now he is ready to leave. More photos when an internet connection is available again. For now, goodbye from Ballard Park!

1430: Hot dogs for lunch and now the sailors are loading boats across the field.

1330: It's official! No races were started today due to insufficient wind. The 2007 Alter Cup is in the record books as complete with twelve (six pairs) races sailed and winners as posted yesterday. The RC and teams are on their way back in, and competitors are gathering to help pack up the boats and for the awards at 1600. Results from heat 7B yesterday are discarded per SIs because heat 7A could not be sailed today.

1215: Still waiting! Wind is swinging 50 degrees at 4 knots to nothing. Variable is putting it mildly.

1145: Boats are just floating around while the RC waits for enough breeze to start. Wind is fluky and very light. There is hope it will fill in soon.

0950: The RC signal boat just motored past the rigging area en route to an 1100 start -- if the wind settles in. Teams are milling around the pavilion and boats awaiting a signal to launch. The day is sunny with wind velocity about 7mph. It may be a trying day for teams as well as the RC. Everyone is hoping for at least one more race so that race 7 can be counted. Perhaps the wind gods will smile on the sailors and allow both heats in race 8 to be completed. ... Teams are off the beach at 1033.

1700: Pierce/Spina take the 7B win followed by Cope/Pastoor and Korz/Korz. Gillespie/Page came home with no main. Hill fell off his boat and needed assistance to get back on. Racing is over for the day and everyone will soon be off to Eau Galle Yacht Club for a banquet.

1550: Race 6A is over and the top boats are Casey/Williams, Lovell/Lovell, Tomko/Tomko with Marshack/Siau in 4th. Cope/Pastoor came in early; spreader poked the jib but easily fixed with sail tape. Quick turnaround with boats going out at 1610.

1450: Boats are ashore with winners Nelson/Krantz, Jason/Jason and Schiefer/Herendeen. Pierce/Spina were 4th and stay in B. Winds are building and everyone is keeping an eye out for lightning. Boats are on their way out again at 1500

1315: New winner in A fleet: Lawrence/Wright followed by Marshack/Siau, Lovell/Lovell. Casey/Williams in 4th. Lawrence and Siau are youth sailors who have fared well at the youth multihull championships! Boats are on their way out at 1330.

1212: Boats are all on the water ready for race 5A.

1145: Race 5B is complete and boats are coming in slowly. Winds are lighter today. Top 3 are Cope/Pastoor, Tomko/Tomko and McDonald/McDonald. Gillespie/Page came in early because his spinnaker halyard knot came untied. 

0920: Competitor's meeting this morning to remind all teams to meet boats when they come in to expedite the turnaround. Rig downhaul before outhaul. Stay away from crab pots. RC boat is already on the water for an 1100 start.

1715: Heat 4B is over and here they come. Across the line first were Casey/Williams, Lovell/Lovell and Pierce/Spina. Tomko capsized just before the finish after leading the entire race.

1550: Boats are streaming in and the new crews are ready. Top 3 were Marshack/Siau, Newberry/Livingston and Karr/Harnden. Blades have been a good choice of boat for this event because all team weights can do well. A few repairs kept the teams in for a while.

1500: Boats are back on the course for heat 4B.

Race 3A: Jasons came in early because the tramp came untied and Ollie fell into it. Teams are not allowed to tie knots in the equipment. Leaders of 3A are familiar names: Casey/Williams, Tomko/Tomko and Lovell/Lovell. Two redresses were granted: Jason for average of earlier finishes for the trampoline coming untied and one point to Tomko who was leading significantly when the jib track came loose. Cats are still grabbing the lobster pots that are all over the place. Wind 15knots.

1307:  Boats are coming in. Christensen/Fortuna, Hill/Conklin and Lawrence/Wright were the top 3 boats. No boat problems. Just lobster pots are still catching the boats in the starting area. No protests and no one filed for redress.

1140: Heat 1A is over and the boats are coming in. Top 3 finishers are Casey/Williams, Lovell/Lovell and Tomko/Tomko. Lovell reported the wind was steadier and a little less velocity. Jasons got hung up on a lobster pot at the start and there start was seriously delayed.

1730: Broken mast! Words no one wants to hear! The Hess/Hess team mounted a mark, capsized and the mast folded in two. Top 3 finishers in race 2B: Marshack/Siau, Cope/Pastoor and Schiefer/Herendeen. No more racing today. Racing begins at 1030 on Thursday.

1545: It's Pierce/Spina over Lovell/Pinney-Lovell right at the wire with Nelson/Krantz in 3rd. There were a couple of capsizes but no boat problems this race. Fleets are divided again; the bottom 5 finishers of each heat sail together in race 2A and the top 5 finishers of each heat sail together in race 2B. Boats are off the beach again at 1617.

1425:  Boats are coming in and the A fleet is raring to go. The race was exciting with wind in the upper teens/lower twenties. Top 3 finishers in race 1B were: Casey/Williams, Tomko/Tomko and Jason/Jason. Cope/Pastoor snagged a mark and after help they had to withdraw. After a fast turnaround, the boats are on their way back out at 1440.

1335:  Before the start of race 1B, a tiller connection sheared off on one boat and that boat was not able to compete.  Because they were unable to start the race and the failure was not related to sailor action, there would have been no way to give that boat redress so the race was abandoned. Meanwhile, after the start, a second boat, due to improper rigging of spinnaker gear, broke the pole. The beach captain determined there was a rigging that could impact all of the boats so all boats were immediately returned to shore and instructed to not fly spinnakers. Race 1B was abandoned about 1225 under direction of the jury. Spi gear on all boats was re-rigged and the teams are sent back out to re-race race 1B. Casey/Williams were leading when the race was abandoned.

All races are windward-leeward races without gates or offset marks. The B heat races first in each pair of races, then the A heat.

Sunny skies and a 10-12kt breeze gave the teams an opportunity to get familiar with the boats and work out any bugs during practice races today. The entire group is hanging loose waiting for a big cookout at Ballard Park this evening.