Golden Isles Sailing Club held its first annual Double-Handed Race on Saturday, January 18 with entry fees helping to raise money for the local Animal Relief Foundation.
Nine boats entered the race and competed for honors in three classes – Performance, Cruising A (over 30’) and Cruising B (30’ and under). Race organizer, Brett Grover, laid out a 7.2 mile course in St. Simon’s Sound that showcased all points of sailing. The Cruising Class B boats raced a slightly shortened course of 5.6 miles.
The race started at 1300 with 18-20 mph NW winds forcing the fleet immediately into a tacking duel on the 1 mile upwind leg. The strong ebb tide and 44° temperature made this the most challenging leg of the race, but conditions overall were excellent for a very fast race over the 7.2 mile course.
The fleet turned back to the start line for the second and only downwind leg of the race. With winds approaching 20mph and the boats now running over 8 mph SOG with the strong current, none of the skippers saw the need to fly spinnakers for this short fast leg. The third and fourth legs were 2-1/4 mile beam reach runs from “G1” to “R20” near the center of the sound, and back to the finish.
Roma, with Co-skippers Hugh & Joe aboard took second place in Cruising Class B. Entertainment during the race was provided by a local pelican who was conducting fly-bys of the boats and tried to land on the stern pulpit of Roma. Apparently, he didn’t understand that his little web feet were made for paddling and not for gripping a metal rod. One other boat reported that the pelican landed on their cabin top and hitched a ride for a mile or so until the race chairman threatened to disqualify the boat for having more than two crew members.
Awards and prizes donated by local merchants were presented afterwards at the newly renovated Captain’s Lounge at Brunswick Landing Marina. While some of the two-man crews admitted that the conditions were physically challenging for larger boats with such small crews, everyone had a great time and agreed to participate in next year’s race.
Known by our family and close friends as “Hugh & Suze” we live in Warrenton, Georgia, which is a four hour drive from St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. [...]We enjoy periodic visits to our Catalina 34, CAILEIGH ANNA, where we participate in club races and cruise the coastal area of Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Our "extended" crew for many years was our daughters although their participation barely deserves recognition for anything more than a courtesy. Cail, our oldest daughter, is actually a very good Hobie Cat sailor, but has never become comfortable with larger boats. Leigh hates sailing and that's the most positive comment I can make about her involvement in the sport. Anna has no fear when it comes to sailing, but she's not going to take the time to learn. Her life moves at a far faster pace than CAILEIGH ANNA. The “girls” are grown now with their families, but they do visit us on the boat at least yearly.
I have sailed extensively with my first boat being a Sunfish I built from a Popular Mechanic plan at the age of 14 for a shop project in high school. Next I joined the Georgia Tech Sail Club and raced wooden Y-Flyers on Lake Lanier, Georgia.
While stationed near Washington D.C. three army [...]
buddies and I leased a 30' Piver Trimaran and sailed the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay for nearly two years. Because of our work schedules much of our sailing was done at night.
It was on the Chesapeake that I learned important lessons about navigation and the hazards of sailing. To this day I still reflect on the experiences learned there. One of my goals is to return to the Chesapeake some day and rediscover some of those forgotten treasures that are the Chesapeake Bay.
After returning to Georgia I purchased a Venture Newport 24' and a Hobie 16' and sailed on a Clarke Hill Lake for many years. I was never happy with the Newport because it was too light for stiff winds, at least compared to my experiences on the Chesapeake. It was a great looking boat, and even today I still have a soft spot for this model. I learned my lesson and sold the Venture Newport after a couple seasons of sailing. In hindsight it would have been a suitable boat for "trailer-sailing" and making trips to the coast and the Keys.
The Hobie 16' was a scream and I've had many great experiences with her from fresh to salt water sailing. For several years I used her with youth groups and gave many young people the first and maybe only sailing experience of their life.
I purchased ROMA, a 1974 29' Seafarer, in 2000 from a former sailing buddy. I was looking for a solid boat in the 30' range with light blue-water or coastal cruising credentials, and wheel steering. ROMA is a left-over relic from the era when boat designers were discovering how to manufacture boats using fiberglass.
She has a great pedigree being designed by McCurdy/Rhodes and very traditional lines. ROMA sails extremely well and the swing keel configuration works well for shoal draft sailing. The Coastal Georgia waters are notoriously shallow sand or mud bottom. There's not a question of "if" you're going to run aground, but only when.
In May 2012 I became a contributing writer for Southwinds Magazine with responsibility for covering sailing news along the Georgia coast. This has given me the opportunity to combine my passion for sailing with my interest in promoting the Georgia coast. My first assignment was covering the Tall Ship Festival in Savannah. In addition to the article one of my photos was selected as the cover shot for the June issue of the magazine.
https://issuu.com/southwinds/docs/southwindsjune2012/01
I purchased CAILEIGH ANNA a Catalina 34 in the fall of 2013 and spend the next nine months bring her back to life including an engine replacement. ROMA was sold in the spring of 2014 and is now enjoying life on the Gulf at Mobile Bay, Alabama.
I've also crewed on other boats including BLU, a 48' Racing Beneteau sailing from Charleston to Jacksonville, two America's Cup Challenge Yachts - Australia 29 and Canada II and the square rigger PEACEMAKER – a 150’/400 ton Barquentine, sailing from Brunswick to Savannah. I often crew on SABRINA, a Hinckley Bermuda 40, owned by good friends who also crew with me during club races.
I've never missed an opportunity to gain sailing experience and I’ve never failed to learn something new every time I set sail.