THE RACING With reports this month on all ages in the Newport to Ensenada Race; a J/Stop in the City; a woman overboard in the Point Dume Race; blustery winds in the OYRA Duxship, the Singlehanded Farallones and the Flight of the Bulls; OYC's Sweet 16; the US Multihull Championship; and high school and college championships. Box Scores and Race Notes round out the section. N2E Generations Although trophies won in the annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race honor those who have bested their competitors by hours, minutes and seconds, it was the difference between years that garnered the most cheers at the 71st awards ceremonies on Sunday, April 29. For the second time in three years, 91-year -old skipper Richard McNish collected the City of Ensenada Trophy for Best Corrected Time, PHRF G, and the New York Yacht Club Trophy for Best Elapsed Time, Single Hull/Divided Rig. McNish has sailed Cheerio II, a 46-ft 1931 yawl, in N2E for almost 20 years. McNish said Cheerio II got a good start on Friday, April 27, and was making great time until 2:30 a.m. when the wind shut off. Until then, the YB Tracker had been predicting a sweep for the boat. For years, only "men of a certain age" (over 50) crewed on Cheerio II. Recently though, McNish started taking on a couple of younger, albeit experienced, sailors as crew. The collaborative group has worked really well. Conversely, the minimum age required to crew on Ohana is 3. It was only
OHANA
Three generations aboard the overall winner, 'Ohana', left to right: Grandpa Joe Markee, young Liam Hardesty, and Dad Bill Hardesty.
the second time the classic 1982 Swede 55 had sailed in N2E and the first with San Diego-based skipper Bill Hardesty's son along. On board with Bill were his wife Mandi, her father Joe Markee, Bill and Mandi's 3.5-year-old son Liam, and friends Frank Tybor, Scott Dalin and Evan Charles. Hardesty, US Sailing's 2011 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, a 2014 Rolex World Sailor of the Year nominee, and a 12-time world champion, turned a family cruiser into an award-winning long-distance racer on the second try, taking home the coveted President of the USA Trophy for Best Corrected Time, All PHRF, and the Gil Knudson Trophy for Best Corrected Time, PHRF D. Bill and Joe bought the boat together in 2013. "I wanted something that we could race," said Bill. "Joe wanted a boat that we could sail as a family. Our priority was easy to sail with minimum crew size. I was hoping we would get a 70-ft sled, but the crew size on a 70-footer was too much for our plans." The seven-person crew, six of whom took turns at the helm, and, for the most part, got involved in each position, sailed the boat to an overall corrected-time win behind only Mighty Merloe and Orion, the 60-ft and 70-ft trimarans that finished on Friday before dark. Aboard Ohana (which means family in Hawaiian), Friday evening the crew of Mom, Dad, Grandpa and a couple of friends watched the sunset and enjoyed a family-style dinner of pasta with a glass of wine. "The weather was good to us," said Hardesty. About halfway down the course it became apparent that they were doing well. "We were around some faster boats that we're not used to sailing with," said
Hardesty. "Early weather predictions indicated better wind offshore, so we stuck with the plan," said navigator Frank Tybor. They did not fly the kite early or move inshore too early, wary of getting stuck. "The boat does not have a large or fancy sail inventory, which reduces the discussion about which one to use," said Markee. They flew the code zero for seven to eight hours and the spinnaker at night, and, after 3 a.m. when the wind became fleeting, went through everything they had and finished with a jib. Although she's sturdy, heavy and outfitted to go cruising, and doesn't like to turn, Ohana's sweet spot was nurtured by the crew. "The narrow 9'7" beam on the Swede makes it a nice daysailer and a decent race boat in certain conditions. She heels over very easily, so it's exciting for people new to sailing. Not good for keeping beverages upright! She likes to reach. The conditions were perfect for us, and it all came together," said Hardesty. The family mostly races the local beer cans and the Hot Rum winter series at San Diego YC. "Each summer there has been discussion about local cruising, but it's never happened." Hardesty is still racing sailboats professionally, "mostly J/70s and various other classes. But I've been busy as Daddy while Mandi has been finishing her studies in acupuncture." After they crossed the N2E finish line at 6 a.m. on Saturday, the Ohana crew's phones started to buzz as texts from friends following the YB Tracking reached out to congratulate them. — laurie morrison & latitude/chris NOSA NEWPORT TO ENSENADA RACE, 4/29 MAXI — 1) Medicine Man, Andrews 63, Robert Lane; 2) Destroyer, TP52, Jim Bailey; 3) Pyewacket, Andrews 70, Roy Disney. (9 boats) PHRF-A — 1) Elyxir, SC52, Skip Ely; 2) Staghound, R/P 50, Alec Oberschmidt; 3) Good Call, J/65, Tom Barker. (11 boats) PHRF-B — 1) Horizon, SC50, Len Bose; 2) Fast Exit, Andrews 40, John Raymont; 3) Airwaves, Frers 50, Ray Roberts. (13 boats) PHRF-C — 1) Relentless, SunFast 32, Marty Vogel; 2) Fractions, 1D35, Ivan Batanov; 3) Uhambo, Fast 42, David Chase; 4) Captain
