Adventures mark race offshore

Last weekend's Sheriff's Cup Race, offshore from Charleston to Rockville on Saturday with a return race on Sunday, was an opportunity for some Charleston Ocean Racing Association boats to sail a point-to-point offshore regatta for the first time this season, for others to break in a new boat, and for others to race for the first time. Well-known local sailor Dick McGillivray did well with his new J/130 named Gone, which follows in sequence his previous boats named Go and Go II. McGillivray was third in A Fleet.

In D Fleet, the non-spinnaker class that serves as a developmental and entry class for many cruising boats, Charleston native Bud Hay raced his 37-foot Beneteau Oceanis named Sea Urchin for the first time. "It was a long day," Hay said of Saturday's 33-mile trip down. "We know how to sail. We do not race well yet. It's a whole different ballgame." One of his crew members got miserably seasick, so at the 2NE buoy at the mouth of the North Edisto River, he cranked up the engine and motored to the Bohicket Marina where the fleet stayed overnight. Hay said there were some lessons learned. "We did not have enough weight hiking, which hurt us going to weather."

He sailed with a crew of five, but thinks eight to nine would work better.

"We learned a lot about tweaking the rigging and making the transition from cruising to racing. Now we've got the fever," he said.

CORA rear commodore Brian Hill said, "On Sunday morning ... due to a complete lack of wind, C Fleet had to be restarted since so many boats helplessly crossed the start line early due to the strong outgoing spring tide. Tohidu was one of several boats that went across backwards! However, after the restart, the fleet drifted downriver and soon found some nice wind, which provided for some excellent ocean sailing conditions back to Charleston."

Past CORA commodore Dave Kowert, who skippered his 35-foot Beneteau named Andiamo, shared his observations. "Naut on Call (a Beneteau 381) made a strategic decision to head way offshore early and it paid huge dividends as the wind shifted later on Sunday afternoon. She caught the shift and some favorable current in the jetties to propel her to her first C Fleet win."

Andiamo and Dave Rodarte's 36-foot Buena Vita were locked in a dogfight from the jetties all the way back to the Carolina Yacht, with no more than three feet separating the boats, moving at eight knots almost all the way.

James Island in nationals

James Island Charter High School is at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., for the high school nationals. Sailors competing for coach Ryan Hamm's team are seniors Kurt Hertel, Peter Rupp, Colin Rupp, Lauren Hamm, Justin Carper, and Drew Lisicki, with lone underclassman Jack Cabell. Racing starts Saturday and runs through 3 p.m. Sunday.

Results

CORA Sheriff's Cup, Charleston to Rockville & return, May 3-4. A Fleet: 1. Emocean, J/120, Bill Hanckel; 2. Arrow, J/35, Willy Schwenzfeier; 3. Gone, J130, Dick McGillivray; (No B Fleet competitors); C Fleet: 1. Andiamo, Beneteau 35s5, Dave Kowert; 2. Buena Vida, Sabre 36, Dave Rodarte; 3. Naut on Call, Beneteau 381, Eddie Evans; D Fleet: 1. Foo Dog, O' Day 39, Mike Messinger

Reach Will Haynie at willh@thepickldish.com.