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L to R: Ken Marshack, 2nd; Ian Marshack, 1st, and Mike Hensel, 3rd
They say “like father,
like son.” Those words rang true again at the 2007 running of the Area L
Qualifier for the Alter Cup. The event was held at normally breezy Skamokawa,
WA, the weekend of August 25-26.
However, a cooler-than-usual summer in the
Pacific Northwest
resulted in a calmer-than-usual venue.
Even so, certified US
SAILING Club Race Officer, Jerry Valeske, assisted by US SAILING Sailor of
the Week, Laura Sullivan, got 4 races in on Saturday followed by another 5
on Sunday. Saturday saw the three fastest boats – the 2 A-cats driven by
Eric Marshack and his father, Ken, duking it out for line honors with the
Tornado crewed by Roeland and Florian Kaspenberg. The Tornado usually won
line honors easily, but not enough to correct out over the A-cats.
In hot pursuit, but
usually a ways back on the course were the Hobie FX-1 driven by Mike Hensel,
the 2 Hobie 17s skippered by Kelly Havig and Bill Groesz, and the Hobie 16
crewed by Peter Nelson and his son, Will. The FX-1 couldn’t seem to find the
groove upwind, but showed big speed off the breeze with its kite. The 17s
relished the big air, but with only one race in the Beaufort 4 range,
languished in the softer stuff.
By Saturday night,
perennial favorite Ken Marshack on his A-cat was sitting on top of the
leader board with 4 pts. in a tie with Peter & Will Nelson’s Hobie 16. Three
points back was Eric Marshack’s A-cat in a comfortable third. Fourth place
was a toss up with the Kaspenberg’s Tornado, Hensel’s FX-1 and Havig’s 17
all one point apart.
After a Saturday night
feast and a good night’s rest, Sunday became a war of attrition. Both of the
17s packed it up early, citing family obligations. The Kaspenberg’s Tornado
made 2 starts before having to retire for similar reasons. When Sunday’s
third race concluded in light and fluky conditions, Hensel’s FX-1 had seen
enough, leaving only the two A-cats and the Hobie 16 to sail the final two
races. But the wind filled nicely, and the three boats were treated to a
great finish to a fun weekend.
In the end, it was the
father-son duo taking the top two spots – with younger Eric Marshack taking
the gold medal in a come-from-behind victory, and Ken earning the silver.
But before the bronze medal could be awarded, a protest had to be heard. Ken
Marshack protested Peter & Will Nelson on the Hobie 16 for a weight
violation even though it did not impact his score. The jury determined that
the father-son team was not carrying enough weight, and disqualified their
finishes for Sunday. That left Mike Hensel on the FX-1 in position to
receive the bronze medal.
Even though Skamokawa
failed to deliver its famed, strong, westerly breeze – with one race even
sailed on an easterly – the competitors drove away with 9 races under their
belt in single and double-trap conditions. The competition on the water was
clearly a notch (or two!) above the typical regatta, with each class of boat
being well represented by competent, competitive crewing.
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