ROZELLE RUSTLES UP THE WIN IN A STORMY TRAVERSE CITY REGATTA
Traverse City, Michigan - What a great regatta, in a great place to sail, run by a great yacht club. That is what most competitors thought about the GTYC Melges 24 Invitational. The were just one kink, the weather, and we all know that this one is out of the hands of the sailors and race committee.
Racers woke up on Saturday morning to nice weather, but the promise of a grim forecast just a few hours later. A large storm was predicted to bring severe weather over the racing area. The race committee managed to get two races in an saturday in the light southerly breeze that persisted before the storm. Race one was lead all the way around by the team on The Djinn. Race two started off a bit pin favored, which resulted in a bit of a pile up, and the first protest hearing at this regatta in years. The start and race win was taken by TC local Thomas Roop, in the boat that should get a trophy for the most interesting name: Trump’s Hairdresser, eh.
Racing was postponed around noon and the boats were put away as a the storms rolled in, and everyone milled about the club waiting to see if there would be more racing on the day. The bar provided a great view of the storms rolling over the bay. Eventually enough time passed, and enough libations were had, that competitors decided not to return to the water. Saturday night the local Grand Traverse Yacht Club fleet put on a great dinner for those in attendance.
Sunday morning, everyone awoke to an even more grim, but windy forecast. It was raining as everyone at breakfast and people were showing up to the boats with their foul weather gear already on. The hearty Melges 24 class was more than willing to get a little wet for the promise of big breeze planning conditions. That was exactly what they got, along with more chop and waves than the West Bay usually sees. More good practice for Miami.
The RC did a great job setting marks and getting the racing going in between the odd rain squalls that passed through parts of the course. Race three was taken by Mike Dow and the Flying Toaster team, who came out swinging on their home turf. Race four had some pretty aggressive starting with the boat heavily favored. Lots of action near the boat cased a general recall. After a quick reset, the boats were off to a good start. Team Rustler, led by Fred Rozelle decided it was time to show its stuff. Rustler went on to win the final two races, and with a consistent top of the pack finish of the last few days, won the regatta with a margin of seven points.
Once again Traverse City provided a great playground for sportboat racing, proving once again why this annual regatta has such a great draw. Congratulations should go to all of the boats participating, and a special thanks go out to the local fleet members for hosting the race, as well as thanks to all of the teams, friends, and families that traveled to this event to make it a success.
The Midwest Fleets will now move on to the Labor Day weekend Red Fox Regatta on Lake Charlevoix, just a few hours north, then on to the North Channel Race on Lake St. Clair. Both are interesting short distance races. If you haven’t sailed your Melges 24 in one of these races, you are missing out on some great fun and a new type of racing challenge. For those traveling to worlds and nationals, bring your boat east early, and have some fun. After the fun races, teams will be moving on to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to return to the home of Melges for the US National Championship in October.
Top Five Results
1.USA 510 Rustler - Fred Rozelle
2.CAN 121 Trump’s Hairdresser, eh - Thomas Roop
3.USA 613 Flying Toaster - Mike Dow
4.USA 175 The Djinn - Ken Gray
5.USA 176 Diminished Fifth - James Beebe
View Full Results