A Fleet upstart impresses

Last Wednesday ended the Charleston Ocean Racing Association's Summer Series I, which was the first six-week series of Wednesday evening races in Charleston Harbor.

The biggest and fastest sail boats race against each other in A Fleet. Winning Summer Series I was the J/120 EmOcean, sailed by Bill Hanckel and his son, Will. Second was Don Terwilliger's Beneteau 47.7 Dauntless, which is rated as the fastest overall boat in CORA with a PHRF rating of 27. Placing third in A Fleet was Don Quixote, the J/120 owned by Beezer Molten.

You can't help but notice Don Quixote on the water because of its distinctive white spinnaker with the silhouette of its namesake mounted on his trusty steed. You also can't help but notice that this boat and crew came a long way in a short time to be this competitive in CORA's tough A Fleet.

During the rest of the week, Molten runs his well-known outdoor retail chain, Half Moon Outfitters. But on Wednesday evenings in the summer, he takes to the water on Don Quixote and jousts some very stiff local competition. His crew's rise from the back of the fleet to a finish "in the silver" is yet another great local sailing success story.

Though he had been in sailing for a number of years prior to buying the J/120, including taking part in several Charleston to Bermuda Races, this is his first time seriously campaigning a thoroughbred race boat. Last summer, Don Quixote's first season wasn't going very well, then Bill and Will Hanckel and some of their experienced crew hopped over and sailed with them for a few races, helping the crew members step up their game.

"The Hanckels helping us early on was huge, and then being there so consistently to compete with keeps us all motivated," Molten said. "Dan Dickison, who has been with us from almost the start, is really the one who got us moving in the right direction and plays a utility role. He is good at all aspects of sailing."

Succeeding at racing in a 41-foot sailing machine takes more than a village. It takes dedicated crew who will show up every week, be willing to improve and be expecting to win. "Dexter Rumsey and Chisholm Wilson running bow and main, respectively, really jumped on a steep learning curve and got those two areas under control," Molten said. He says that on an ideal night, his regular crew consists of Dickison as tactician, Wilson trimming the main, jib trimmers Dan Batten and Glen Von Rosenberg, Marielle Charette in the pit, Polly Dickson at "sewer" (sailing term for getting things like the spinnaker up and down from below decks), Brett Woodward manning the mast, and Hugh Molten, Jimmy Dye and Rumsey all on bow. "While we are never lucky enough to have all the folks on a single given night, each of these folks has committed in a big way and it makes the whole deal workable," Beezer Molten said.

He also expressed his gratitude for the other crew who make it possible for locals to have fun competing on summer nights — the volunteers at CORA who run the races.

"We are truly lucky to have such a well-run organization supporting our sailing ambitions," he added. Molten concluded, "All of this said, we still have a long way to go. The challenges are always there."

A list of the final standings for Summer Series I is online at charlestonoceanracing.org.

Coming up

SATURDAY-SUNDAY: Charleston Yacht Club Open Regatta

WEDNESDAY: CORA Summer Series II, Race 2

JULY 26-27: Carolina Yacht Club Open Regatta

Reach Will Haynie at willh@thepickledish.com.