2010 Highlander Mayor's Cup

We always enjoy a regatta at Eagle Creek, and the 2010 Mayor's Cup was no exception! The 42 sailboats competing included fleets of everything from Hobie cats to C-scows, as well as J-24's and cruising boats- and a very competitive Highlander Fleet. What this group of Highlanders lacked in size- 9 boats- they more than made up for in depth, as there were several past National Champions as well as current contenders in the fleet.  Performing well in this fleet was going to be tough!

Late Friday afternoon an impromptu "tune-up regatta" broke out. Indy local Dr Bob McCoun set up a nice windward-leeward course, and four Highlander teams got to enjoy some very close racing. In addition to our Team MOJO,  Bryan German, Tyler Andrews, and Jason Hubbard all had teams on the water.  Tanya and I had elected to sail the Mayor's Cup Regatta as a "two-man" team, and we were looking forward to it.  However, the beating these three teams gave us on Friday night had us wondering whether that was a prudent plan. While a Highlander is great fun to sail "two-up", as most of you know it can become quite a handful for a two person team when the breeze picks-up. During our  team-discussion after Fridays practice, we determined that those other three teams had simply confirmed for us what we already instinctively knew....Performing well in this fleet was indeed going to be tough!

Saturday's race #1 started off in a shifty but relatively-steady 5-7 mph winds.  Just as

we developed a small lead, the lake went flat.  Unfortunately this made the remainder of the race a game of "connect the dots", rewarding the teams who were the best at stringing together the little currents of wind scattered about Eagle Ocean.  Despite the best efforts of the dedicated Race Committee- comprised of Eagle Creekers Kenny Chapman, Bob & Annie McCoun, and friends- the total lack of wind ensured that there would be no more racing today.  Therefore the fleet headed in for an early start on the party.  

One of the special things about Eagle Creek Sailing Club that we appreciate is that even if Mother Nature doesn't provide good sailing conditions, you still can count on the locals to throw a great party! . It didn't take long for the great comraderie and awesome food to erase memories of the less than spectacular sailing of the day.  Heck, by the time the band started playing, not even the two-man teams were worried about the forecasted breezy and stormy conditions for Sunday morning. True to form, the Eagle Creek Crew had a spectacular party.

Fortunately for everybody, Sunday's weather wasn't quite as bleak as predicted, as Sunday morning provided better sailing conditions with winds in the 7-10 mph range.  The close-crossings and continual-traffic enjoyed throughout  race #2 confirmed how challenging this Highlander Fleet really was.  Largely due to  Tanya's exceptional work on the front of the boat, we were able to squeak out another win in this race.  As much as I wanted to help, there was only so much I could do to assist from my seat in the back of the boat.  With a three person team, job-duties can pretty-easily be broken-down into roughly thirds, with each person carrying their own load.  However, with a two person team it's the forward crew that ends up shouldering more like 70% of the responsibilities.  In the already fast-paced action in the front of the boat there is certainly a lot happening very quickly on a normal day, and having just two people on board exacerbates this exponentially.  To say Tanya was busy would be an extreme understatement! It was her performance on the front of the boat that made this regatta special for Team Mojo.

As the wind continued to shift, the RC changed from W-L to an Olympic style course for Race #3.  The racing was very tight for the first lap as the fleet didn't even begin to spread out at all until the last two legs.  We were fortunate to finish third place in the final race as this seat gave us a birds-eye view of some very close racing between Tyler Andrew's Team and Team Spengeman.  In the end it was Ed Spengeman and crew that crossed the line to take the gun, with Tyler's team in hot pursuit.  Once the scores were added up, our consistent finishes provided Team-Mojo with the regatta victory.  It was a real honor for Tanya and I to be able to finish well in the small but very competitive Highlander fleet that comprised the Mayor's Cup 2010.  The closer the racing the more fun this sport is for everyone involved, so there definitely should have been plenty of fun had by all in this remarkably closely contested regatta.  Thanks to everyone who made this event a huge success.  Hope to see you on the water next time!