USACA

Gulfport FL June 6-8, 2010

This was an Invitational event in honor of our oldest salt, Gordon Isco. Gordon has seen many regattas in the Midwest and Florida, and competed in innumerable events including Hobie 18 and 20s Nationals and Worlds. After retiring from his welding business to the Sunny South, Gordon served U.S. Sailing for many years as the Multihull representative. He opted for an A-class future 10 years ago. Last year Gordon decided to make an age statement, or perhaps a non-age statement, and invited A-cat racers for his 75th Birthday race event at his home club, the small but very active Gulfport Yacht Club. At his suggestion, the entry fee for the Diamond Regatta was a one bottle of aged Rum, or a bottle of fine wine. Invitations collected 14 Florida sailors including Bob Curry from many miles away in the Panhandle, plus Mike Krantz from Georgia and Mike Gramont

This event, like bigger ones at Gulfport, was sailed out of the large, grassy City Park nearby, where lunches and drinks appeared, thanks be to Beth, John and LJ and many other excellent GYC members. Saturday was sunny and hot with a light to medium sea breeze, while the Gulf oil slick was yet still far away, and Sunday it was hot and lighter but never dead.

Gordon was is his usual excellent form, several times mentioning he is still running on wires and batteries, as he has operated pretty much normally without a pancreas for many years, regulating his injected insulin levels with backup of his calibrated secret weapon, jelly beans. At a trim 136 pounds and just 2% body-fat, he admits less interest in high wind events, but will clean your clock downwind in light air, and continues to do so.

Our long-time all-boat racer Jeff Linton was consistently at or near the front on Saturday, while Rush Bird found his speed on Sunday with good finishes to squeak into 3rd after a slow Saturday. However Bret Moss was most consistent throwing out a 5 to win. After a couple of legs of each race on Saturday this group would be way off at the other end of the bay. John Schiefer found his usual Marstrom pathway downwind low and slow but faster than many. This was a low and slow weekend, so several other oldsters did well despite the weed and bumpy power-boat-wakes on Sunday. As Woody put it, "There was no point to doing the Wild Thing- it just wasn't possible." Curiously there were a large number of breakdowns and DNFs, unusual for this fleet when the weather is good. The DNFs increased after the 2rd race Sunday, since there was a full complement of 9 races before 2 PM. It got me tired too.

A fabulous Diamond Invitational banquet catered by the Gulfport YC volunteers at the nearby Boca Siega YC featured superb beef tenderloin, with big tasty Gulf shrimp, crisp salads, sweet corn, decorated chocolate fudge cake, and all of the free Cuba Libres you could hold. I want to come again next year. Did I mention that the first 5 places were awarded a big jug of rum?

Dave Carlson