2010 Sperry-Top Sider NOOD Regatta Hosted By StFYC
June 26 & 27, 2010
By: Goerge Cathey (USA 116) Crewing on USA 122
Posted: July 7, 2010
The Folkboat fleet raced on the City Front in the 2010 NOOD regatta, part of a highly diverse group of one-designs that included 40' IRCs and F-18 beach cats. On Saturday morning the fog was rolling in over the Presidio, but the rest of the bay was sunny and warm. The conditions started with southwest winds around 10 kts and max flood was close to our start. The challenge in the first two races was how to handle the gusty conditions which were highly variable in both pressure and direction. Tacking in sync with the shifts and adjusting sail trim seemed the keys to success. Patrick Morgan and I were crewing for Eric Kaiser. He encouraged us to be constantly vigilant and advise him on the changing conditions. The strong southerly component reduced the number of tacks on the windward legs - short tacks toward shore and then long tacks to the west. Calling the layline was a real challenge on the last long tack - how were the wind and current going to change? After two races, the wind freshened to 20 kts and the ebb just began to fill in. Add in the constant ferry traffic and the bay presented many boat-stopping wave trains, if the crew weren't watching for them. In the final race of the day, it seemed like heading out on the windward leg was the way to go, but Bill DuMoulin (112) got third by staying inside, almost catching Tom Reed, Jr. (111) and beating Peter Jeal (113) and Chris Herrmann (108). At the end of Saturday, Eric Kaiser (122) had won all three races.
Sunday started out just as beautiful as the day before, but the wind was largely out of the west with strong current relief near the shore. Bill, Tom, Peter and Chris began almost tied for second overall with only two points separating them. With these conditions and the strong competition, the day's racing was very tight, with many boats exchanging places tack after tack. Many tourists along the shore were amazed by the dueling boats sailing so close to shore. Eric Kaiser won the fleet's top prize with a sweep of five bullets. He was a contender for best overall performance in the NOOD and could have won a trip to the Caribbean, but was just edged out by a J-105 skipper. Peter Jeal beat Tom Reed, Jr. in the battle for second and third.