Fleet 73 and the Buffalo Yacht Club played excellent hosts to the 2008 Eastern Great Lakes Championship, or better known as the “Raw Bar” Regatta. Fifty competitors from as far away as Texas, Ohio, New York, Maryland and Canada made the trip to the All-American city for the July 19-20 event. Conditions were extremely challenging on Saturday as Mother Nature handed out breeze sporadically on the race course, like that of the New York State lottery. It was anyone’s guess as to where the next shift would be coming from. The breeze peaked around 10 knots from the WSW with varied chop. At the end of the day, it was Kevin Doyle and his team on “Mo’ Money” at the top of the leader board.
Saturday evening’s festivities were what traveling to regattas is all about—excellent food, beverages, camaraderie and social ambiance. The Raw Bar was plentiful as everyone made several trips back for the generous-sized shrimp (if there is such a term?), and the dinner afterwards was spectacular.
Sunday…what a day! The morning looked quite grim, however, when PRO Joe Gelsomino returned from the race committee’s little excursion to the lake he was accompanied by a southwesterly that later built to 20+ knots. Surfing and major planing conditions made for some spectacular viewing for the spectators that ventured out into the 3-6 foot waves that Lake Erie is known for.
Grinning from ear to ear, whoop’n and hollering downwind, Kevin Doyle was on fire in the big breeze. Congratulations to Kevin on his fine victory in a 50-boat fleet.
The Buffalo Yacht Club will be 150 years old in 2010 and to commensurate their anniversary, they will be hosting the J/22 North American Championship. The exact dates are being determined, but stay tuned and make sure to save some time to race this event. If it’s anything like the 2008 Raw Bar Regatta, you won’t be disappointed!
Top 5
- Kevin Doyle
- Jim Barnash
- Todd Hiller
- Chris Doyle
- Gunner Richardson
