COLUMBIA GORGE ONE DESIGN REGATTA 2020 PULLING OFF A CLASSIC IN THE AGE OF PANDEMIC The Columbia Gorge One Design (CGOD) regatta—hosted by the Columbia Gorge Racing Association (CGRA)—is a summer classic for dinghy racers in the Pacific Northwest. Like the salmon runs of Columbia River lore, sailors anticipate their annual return to the Gorge for CGOD and its guaranteed wind, warm weather, and sailing camaraderie. In a year of pandemic uncertainty, the regatta was written into calendars in pencil instead of pen, with the knowledge that public health parameters would ultimately dictate whether the event could be held. “We cancelled most of our scheduled events in April because of the uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 situation, but held off [canceling] CGOD and the RS Aero regatta in hopes that we would be able to safely pull off a couple of scaled-down events for local sailors,” says Bill Symes, Vice President of CGRA. “We did not accept payment until the week before the regatta in case we were forced to cancel and issue refunds. Although I was always optimistic that we could do it, we were prepared to pull the plug right up to the last day.”
Tarars bound through wind and waves in the Cascade Locks starting area.
CGRA monitored day-to-day developments at federal, state, and county levels and stayed in close communication with the Port of Cascade Locks. Registration for the event was limited to 15 Tasars and 40 Lasers, and all official regatta functions were online-only to limit in-person interactions. No skippers meeting was held, and a parking area traditionally available for sailors was reallocated for socially distanced rigging. There were four fleets—Laser Standard (6 boats), Laser Radial (20 boats), Laser 4.7 (9 boats), and the Tasar fleet (15 boats). This was the largest Tasar fleet at an organized event in 48º NORTH
recent memory. In the lead-up to the next world championships hosted by the Seattle Yacht Club, the Tasar class is undergoing a resurgence. The weekend was a showcase of Gorge variety—a light to moderate westerly on Saturday, and a breezy easterly on Sunday. Jay and Lisa Renehan appeared at home on the waters of the mighty Columbia, sailing well out of the gates on the first day. Their smooth liquidation of first place finishes on day one paid dividends. In Sunday’s strong easterly winds the race committee ran CGRA’s famous Z-courses, a slalom of sorts with three consecutive reaching legs. Sailors have to perform two highspeed jibes on this course. This can be a challenge in the Lasers in gusts of over 20 knots. With the Tasar results on the second day being more mixed, the regatta lead the Renehans had established in the lighter conditions was the key to overall victory. Nipping at their heels were our team (Molly Jackson and me) and Lindsey and Dalton Bergan—tied on points and finishing second and third place, respectively. In the 20 boat Laser Radial fleet, Talia Toland put on a dominant performance, scoring a total of 8 points in 7 races. Seattle newcomer, Andrew Holdsworth, came in second overall after a strong day on Sunday. Erik Anderson rounded out the top three in the final results. The smallest fleet of the weekend, the Laser full rig class also had exciting racing, with only one point separating the top three boats. Extremely close in points, first place went to Niclas Bornling of the Willamette Sailing Association. Andrew Haliburton (CGRA) and Blake Bentzen tying on points, and taking the other two podium spots. The Laser 4.7 fleet had nine boats. The top three finishers appeared to be on a road trip from southern California: Calvin Schmid representing San Diego YC had 8 points; Nicholas Mueller from Alamitos Bay YC, sailed to 9 points; and Alice Schmid from San Diego YC scored 10 points closed out the top of the leaderboard. Off the water, sailors came back to the realities of the pandemic. Social distancing between friends that feel like family was bittersweet. Face coverings made recognizing competitors in the boat park more of a challenge. Restraining oneself from the once customary hand shakes, high-fives, and hugs is a foreign world. Having a beer with friends required more forethought. Yet in spite of the compromises, nothing seemed more natural and normal than racing sailboats in the Columbia River Gorge. Thank you to the CGRA and their volunteers for providing an escape from the stresses of life and a fabulous weekend on the water. By Mike Karas Photo by Sean Trew Results at 48north.com
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