Reichhelm Wins 11th Atlantic National Championship
George Reichhelm, sailing “Shucks” out of Cedar Point Yacht Club (Westport, CT), won the Atlantic Class 80th National Championship for his 11th time (since 1971) held August 20-22 at Kollegewidgwok Yacht Club in Blue Hill, Maine. The 34-boat fleet was the largest since 1981, and marked the first time the championship was hosted by the Maine Fleet. The Class of 30-foot keelboats, designed in the 1920s, completed a five-race series over three days on Blue Hill Bay, with five different clubs represented in the top five trophy winners.
The regatta opened at noon on Wednesday in a brisk northwest breeze on a 7.9-mile, six-leg course. Norm Peck III, the 1981 class champion, sailing “Nonesuch” of Niantic Bay Yacht Club (Niantic, CT), led the fleet down the last run, but when he aimed for the wrong finish mark, Chris Wittstock’s “Carin III” of CPYC slipped by to claim the win. Peck III recovered for second, ahead of “Try Again” skippered by Ian Evans of the host club.
With the turn of the tide, the fleet endured two general recalls, then got away cleanly under the I-flag for a second contest on the same course. Evans took the lead on the second lap to pull away for a 31-second victory. Reichhelm edged Peck III by five seconds for second, and they led the fleet into the harbor for a lobster banquet hosted by Kollegewidgwok YC. Evans’ 3-1 put him atop the leaderboard, followed by Peck III with five points and Reichhelm with eight.
Thursday saw the lingering but dying northwester prevail for the afternoon. On the 6.6-mile six-leg course, defending champion Norm Peck Jr. reveled in the lighter air and took the bullet. Reichhelm earned another second, followed by Henry Brauer in “Scamp” from the Northeast Harbor fleet, and “Cassidy”, driven by 2005 winner Adam Walsh. Walsh is a former member of NBYC and current member of CPYC but finessed the rivalry by representing New York Yacht Club this year. Another race was attempted, but postponed seconds before the start, and ultimately cancelled as the spotty breeze rotated and faded. The fifth scored by Evans left him on top of the standings with nine points, leading Reichhelm with 10 and Brauer and Walsh tied with 14 with three races completed.
Most frustrated was three-time champ John Foster’s “Thistle” team from CPYC, as their traveler had exploded before the start of the first race on Wednesday, and they spent Thursday morning chasing UPS trucks around eastern Maine. “Thistle” arrived in time to race just as the wind went away on Thursday, but claimed to be “still undefeated”.
Mid-day Friday saw the 136 sailors sitting forlornly at the clubhouse, gazing out over the placid bay, their hopes for two races (and a throwout) slipping away. Race Officer Eric Robbins of Tampa, FL sent the teams out to their moored boats at 1300, and out to the race course 30 minutes later to meet the building seabreeze. The eager skippers crowded first the pin, then the boat, causing two recalls and bringing out the I-flag again. The third attempt was successful, and the fleet headed southwest on a five-leg, 6.6-mile course.
Coming back from mid-fleet, the race winner was: Foster! His “Thistle” crossed Walsh just before the finish for a four-second margin, ahead of Brauer. Evans faded to eighth, while Reichhelm missed a shift to slog in 18th. At this point, if there was no fifth race, Walsh would win the regatta by a single point over both Evans and Brauer. If they could get in one more, five boats were still in contention. Foster was out of contention, but “still undefeated”.
The southwesterly held, and the fleet got away on the second attempt, but with four boats over early, not hearing the recall hails. The lead changed hands several times on the five-leg course, but at the end, Reichhelm and Evans approached the finish from opposite sides. “Shucks” shot over the line at the pin end, squeezing ahead of “Try Again” by one second, about 18 inches. Walsh crossed third, but his OCS score moved Brauer into third for the race and the series.
With his narrow victory in the fifth contest, Reichhelm lay tied with Evans, both with 11 points and one win each. Since Reichhelm had scored two seconds to Evan’s one, he won the title for the 11th time, and first since 2002. Back ashore, the “Shucks” team of Reichhelm, his son Todd, Jim Marron and Dave Solway took the traditional drink of champagne from the ornate silver trophy bowl, and received congratulations from Evans, who sailed with Sam Evans, Frances Barbour, and Bill Melbostad. Brauer’s team with Will Welles, Molly Brauer, and Elizabeth Brauer captured third, followed by Walsh, Peck III, and Peck Jr.
Oh, and Foster should have retired undefeated. He was OCS in the last race!
Eric Robbins, Principal Race Officer