SANJL 2005 Events

The 2005 SANJL season concluded in early October at the Annual Green Pond Regatta. A beautiful warm southwest breeze made for ideal sailing conditions. The race committee set long courses with plenty of upwind sailing. Oscillations across the rumbline meant that staying in phase was the key to success. Patience was the word for the day.

Competition was tight throughout the fleet for the daily awards. In the end, Mountain Lakes SA made it a clean sweep by taking home the top three places. Stephen Manson, Derek Jackson and Peter Stratton, finished one, two, three respectively in the championship division. In the challenger division, Tom Doris back from the shore, sailed a consistent regatta and finished first. He was followed by Ray Buchanan of HSC and George Sloan of Green Pond.

Unusual circumstances this year in the championship fleet made the series racing even closer than normal going into the last day. This year most of the championship fleet could not attend all four regattas. In effect, this made for a "no throw-out" event. Consistency was the name of the game. The series final standings were determined largely by a sailor's ability to "come back" in races when things weren't going well for them. Bad races were extremely damaging. Even a string of first place finishes could easily be wiped out by one bad race. And after all, this is lake sailing...

Stephen Manson never finished worse than 4th in any race and won the over-all Championship. He was followed closely by Derek Jackson, Bob Griswold and Mark Buruchian. In the challenger division, Byron Hicks sailed his way to first place. Sue Mallows was not far behind in second place. (Sue was also this year's recipient of "The Most Improved Sailor" award. Her gains prove once again that practice pays off as she and other SANJL sailors raced last winter and spring in their Lasers at Cedar Point.) Tom Doris and Frank Blesso were not far behind in 3rd and 4th places.

Green Pond Standings
Final Championship Standings

Will Landau of Mountain Lakes proved once again that perseverance pays off. The Junior Championship Series was essentially a two boat battle between Will and Caleb Zimmerman of HSC . Going into the last regatta, Caleb Zimmerman held narrow lead over Will. But unfortunately other sailing commitments prevented Caleb from attending. That opened the door for Will. Dispute stiff competition from Dan Glashausser, Will was able score 3 bullets and secure his first championship by a single point.

The largest division was the under 14 age group. National Midget Champion Teddy Wells fought off a strong challenge from fellow HSC sailor Lucy Bertocci. The series wasn't decided until the final race when Teddy scored a bullet to Lucy's second. Shannon Buruchian of Highland Lakes easily sailed her way to third place over-all. Not far back where Simon Bertocci, Henry Bolo, and Alec Manson in 4th, 5th, and 6th respectively.

The racing was at a very high caliber. Many sailing clubs now have active junior programs. Yet, despite the tight competition, the events were friendly and supportive. The Corinthian spirit prevailed. Regatta coaches taught rigging and tactics, parents and friends cheered, and experienced regatta organizers ran terrific events. Thank you to all who volunteered their time and resources to another successful junior series.

View pictures
Final Standings

SANJL@Spruce Run

Hunterdon Sailing Club hosted day three. A building southwesterly provided a variety of conditions. Sailors had to contend with light and patchy wind in the morning but were rewarded with consistent conditions in the afternoon.

The windward legs were very short and with a large fleet, the start was extremely important. The race committee set their starting lines heavily port favored. Not surprisingly, the black flag also made its appearance several times fueling plenty of pre-race tension. At the gun, boats that managed to find holes to sail through on port tack, at or near the pin quickly had insurmountable leads. This tactic was not for the weak of heart as it was already apparent that the over-all series was becoming a no throw-out affair. Although there were rare opportunities to come back in a race, most of the time a boat's fate was sealed at the start.

Stephen Manson snuck in a couple of port tack pin end starts and won the regatta. He was followed by Mark Buruchian and new comer Peter Stratton. In the Challenger division it was a clean sweep for HSC with Caleb Zimmerman finishing ahead of Sue Mallows and Edward Wells.
Standings