THE RACING SCYC and MPYC facilitated the 2020 Laser District 24 Championship; BYC made up for lost time with the S.I.P. Escape; the YRA Doublehanded Encinal Regatta sailed out to Point Bonita, and Alameda yacht clubs co-sponsored the Estuary Extravaganza the next day; the SSS sailed to Half Moon Bay; and the Barth Memorial Regatta sailed from San Mateo to Redwood City, arriving less than 30 seconds too late. Beer can results lead off Box Scores, and we wrap up with a trio of SoCal-centric Race Notes. right-hand shift, head left for more pressure, or hedge your bets in the middle? Apparently the winners figured it out, even if some of us found that whatever option we chose was the wrong one. In the Standard fleet, UCSC student Ali Fuat Yuvali dominated with a 2-1-1. Andrew Holdsworth came in second and Mike Bishop edged out Will Benedict by one point for third. In the Radial fleet, Toshi Takayanagi won with a straight 1-1-1. Sanjai Kholi got second, and junior Tor Svendsen came in third. SCYC also awarded Tor
TOSHINARI TAKAYANAGI
Laser District 24 Championship The year 2020: One regatta after another was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by more cancellations due to wildfire smoke. The Laser District 24 Championship, traditionally held at St. Francis Yacht Club, got postponed, then canceled — could we recover? Yes! District Secretary Stephen Aguilar found the answer: Monterey Bay. It has been easier to plan events in Santa Cruz and Monterey than on San Francisco Bay, and wildfire smoke was clearing. The D24 Championship would
Laser champs, left to right: Andrew Holdsworth and Ali Fuat Yuvali in Santa Cruz; Tor Svendsen and Toshi Takayanagi in Monterey.
be a two-day 'progressive' regatta, incorporating the combined results of the Santa Cruz YC Laser NorCals and the Monterey Peninsula YC annual Laser championships. The NorCals at SCYC (the oldest continuously running Laser regatta on the West Coast), were held on Saturday September 19. After a long summer of canceled events, nine Standard sailors and 13 Radial sailors (including a good turnout of juniors) were eager to get on the water. The race committee set up well offshore, anticipating only a moderate breeze, but as the time for the warning signal approached, the wind shifted from southwest to west and started gusting to what seemed like 20 knots. To ensure a more reasonable day of racing, the course was moved back in closer to shore, and three great races were run in about 15 knots of breeze (and a bit more at times). Racers faced the classic Santa Cruz conundrum: head right for the consistent Page 76 •
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the inaugural Rob Schuyler perpetual trophy for best performance in the NorCals by a junior (Schuyler was a great supporter of junior sailors at SCYC). The day wrapped up with a great socially distanced outdoor BBQ on the SCYC deck. The MPYC Laser Championship was held on Sunday, September 20. Seven Standard and 10 Radial sailors showed up for another beautiful day on the bay. MPYC set fairly short courses, used three-minute dinghy starts for efficiency, and ran all six planned races. The wind built from about 10 knots to 15 knots or so by the end of the day, giving everyone a chance at a bit of downwind surfing. Marine life is abundant in Monterey, and on at least one race sailors had to dodge a large ocean sunfish (mola mola) on the downwind leg. After a race or two, everyone seemed to figure out that heading left for a consistent left-hand shift was the way to go upwind.
In the Standard fleet, Andrew Holdsworth had a commanding performance with straight bullets. Lance Kim was also consistent with straight seconds, and Sanjai Kohli (switching over to the Standard fleet) came in third. In the Radial fleet, Toshi Takayanagi had an almost-perfect day of firsts, but was beaten in one race by Tor Svendsen, who earned a solid second place. Laird Henkel edged out Roger Herbst by one point for third. MPYC awarded their traditional trophies of bottles of wine (red for Standard, white for Radial), or sparkling lemonade for junior winners (Tor). A total of 28 racers showed up for at least one of the regattas, but fewer competed in both regattas in the same fleet. Andrew Holdsworth dominated to win the D24 Championship, and Lance Kim earned second (no other sailors sailed Standard in both regattas). In the Radial fleet, six sailors competed in both events. Toshi Takayanagi dominated to win the D24 Championship. Tor Svendsen earned a solid second, and Laird Henkel won a tie-break against Roger Herbst for third. Everyone participating offered their heartfelt thanks to organizer Stephen Aguilar and local PROs at the SCYC and MPYC. "Something should be mentioned about the two clubs on Monterey Bay getting together to see this event through," commented Aguilar. "And also the fact that the race committee came from various different clubs. The training that they received in Northern California really showed, because they work like a team." — laird henkel SCYC LASER NORCALS, 9/19, (3r, 0t) STANDARD — 1) Wave Goodbye, Ali Fuat Yuvali, 4 points; 2) Extreme Ways, Andrew Holdsworth, 7; 3) The Solution, Mike Bishop, 10. (9 boats) RADIAL — 1) Voyager 1, Toshi Takayanagi, 3 points; 2) Sanjai Kohli, 8; 3) Tor Svendsen, 10. (13 boats) Full results at www.regattanetwork.com MPYC LASER CHAMPS, 9/20 (6r, 1t) STANDARD — 1) Andrew Holdsworth, 5 points; 2) Lance Kim, 10; 3) Sanjai Kohli, 15. (7 boats) RADIAL — 1) Toshi Takayanagi, 5 points; 2) Tor Svendsen, 9; 3) Laird Henkel, 17. (10 boats) Full results at www.regattanetwork.com
