The NODS
The class newsletter published by the
National One-Design Racing Association (N.O.D.R.A.)
END-OF-YEAR 2006 – ISSUE 3 © 2006, National One-Design Racing Association, All Rights Reserved.
N.O.D.R.A. - It’s the Boat…. It’s the People… It’s the Fun !!! ®
DONATELLI DOMINATES NODRA EVENTS IN 2006
GUY DONATELLI CAPTURES 2006 CANADIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
(Adapted from a Canadian Newspaper Article written by Rod Sweet)
American Skipper, Guy Donatelli won the Canadian National One Design (NOD) sailing championships after 20-knot winds broke rigging and capsized boats in the
final day of racing at Aylesford Lake on Sunday July 23rd. The 2006 holder of both the World and Great Lakes Championship titles, Guy Donatelli of Akron, Ohio, upset reigning Canadian Champion Mike Sweet of Pereau, Kings County. The two-day regatta saw a record 17 boats from Canada and the U.S.A. take part. Crewing for Guy was Andrew Dettra form ALYC.
In a further upset to the established order at ALYC, Jeff Bishop, of Lunenburg County, placed second, which, along with American Dave Moledor's third ranking and Kings County's Peter Sanford's fourth, bumped down into fifth place Mike Sweet. Mike had won four of the last five Canadian NOD national titles prior to 2006.
After a becalmed lake delayed racing on Saturday, Sunday saw a steady 20-knot wind capsize three boats in the morning races, including that of American Jolly Booth, who placed third in the Worlds in 2001 and 2002.
The wind also snapped one mast (skippered by Patricia Bishop) and damaged Mike Sweet's rigging.
American skippers Donatelli, Booth, and Moledor dominated the first day of racing but the Canadians fought back during Sunday's high winds with Jeff
Bishop landing two seconds and a first, and Sanford improving on his first-day performance with two fourths and a third. On Sunday, staying upright was a feat in itself, with eight boats knocked out by the final race. "I just said this boat's never been over and we're not going over now," Donatelli said. A firefighter by profession, Donatelli won the Canadian NOD championships when he last competed at ALYC in 2002.
Mike Sweet said the level of competition was exhilarating and that the extreme variation in weather conditions taxed all the sailors' skills to the limit. A jubilant Jeff Bishop, who last placed in the Canadian top three back in 1986, announced his intention to compete in the Worlds in two years. Aylesford Lake hosts Canada's biggest fleet of the National One Design, a
17-foot, fractional-rigged sloop. The NOD has had a presence on the lake since it was designed in 1936, but the last five years has seen a boom in interest.
Jeff Bishop Presenting 1st Place to Guy Donatelli & Andrew Dettra
A FIRST TIMER’S STORY ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND FUN at ALYC
(Written by Val Booth-McHugh, “Who Got the Canadian Fix in ‘06”)
This year, Nova Scotia was the place to be. Like the blush of a first love, the 2006 Canadian Worlds Championship held all the components sailors seek and desire - the excitement and drama on the racecourse, the skill and finesse of the players, and the fun and frivolity only the sailing culture can clone. All this wrapped within the warmth and charm of one of the most gracious NODRA hosts, the Aylesford Lake Yacht Club.
Jeff and Darlene Bishop (NOD #795) played host to this year’s regatta and did a tremendous job orchestrating the entire weekend. Beginning with a Mussels and Beer Bash Friday night, the Americans were welcomed liked old sailors lost at sea – hugs and handshakes fueled by the enthusiasm of “I’ve heard so much about you.” Tim McHugh, the 16-year-old grandson of Jolly Booth was even impressed. Standing along side her when introductions were being made, he finally blurted out, “Wow, Grandma – you’re really a legend around here!” But it was a thrill on our side, as well, as we finally got to meet all the Bishops, the Sandfords and the Sweets we had read about. It was a sailor’s perfect “first date” - the beer was cold and friendships warm. Yes, it was pouring rain that night, but ahhh . . . love is blind.
Saturday morning broke to the weather most Down Easters are used to, but something we American’s see more often in paintings than real life. The fog and mist floated on top of the lake with only the tall pines peaking through. This soon burned off and gave way to a cloudy day, but it certainly made you want to pull out your sketchpad and charcoal pencil. The breakfast served at the Club certainly took away any melancholy brought on by the drizzle (the egg dish and fruit salad were to die for) and slowly but surely, the boats were put in the water. In addition, from various points around the lake, Nationals drifted out of the fog, towards the Yacht Club to make a total of 17 boats at the starting line. Note, “drifted.” While the fog did burn off, the sun and the wind decided to play hide and seek which played havoc on both the racecourse and the soggy tents.
The first race seemed to take forever, but the Americans came out on top. Skippers Guy Donatelli, Jolly Booth and Dave Moledor placed 1-2-3 and Canadians Peter Sandford, Mike Sweet and Jeff Bishop followed with a 4-5-7. Two races followed the lunch break with again the American skippers trading firsts, seconds and thirds amongst themselves. Mike Sweet and Jeff Bishop played spoiler now and again, popping in with a 4th and 3rd to keep things interesting. They were obviously primed and ready, like racehorses chomping at the bit to be set free and run. All they needed was a little more wind.
Sunday, their prayers were answered. A harder rain and blistering wind brought out only the most hardy of sailors and then one by one they fell victim to Mother Nature. It was epic Darwin with only survival of the fittest. Al Bollas skippering Steve McDow’s brand new NOD#827 looked out at the lake, looked down at the cockpit - sans hiking straps- and shook his head, “no.” Ian Brenenman, sailing the oldest National, wooden beauty #95, and Mike Stewart, NOD #781 also decided to call it quits. Fourteen brazen boats headed out, determined to make a go of it.
Quite a few boats in the Canadian fleet are wood; giving these sailors the advantage they lost under the previous day’s wind. Thus, Sunday’s races started out on a more equal footing, with the top three challengers versus the boat-heavy, wind-experienced Canadians. Once the starting gun went off, the next three races easy achieved the heightened level of excitement. In total “survival” mode, all skippers knew if they could simply stay afloat, they could place well. Fulfilling her “legendary” status and only one point out of first place, Jolly Booth and Carol Carton, became one of the first casualties. The Dettra Brothers, proud owners of the former- Illiana’s NOD#820, didn’t make it to the finish line, nor did Tom Goode and Sharon MacIntosh – albeit not without effort! Soaked and windy-weary, those three boats called it a day and a regatta, ready for a bailer, a dry towel and a beer. Who did survive? Guy Donatelli took a first but he had to fight for it every bit of the way. Jeff Bishop showed his “stuff” with a strong second and Dave Moledor, with good friend and crew, Mike Duff (OK, but we missed Sarah!) were a solid third. Then the Canadians came barreling through with Peter Sandford, Connie Bishop and Esther Cogswell finishing 4-5-6. In 7th place came the “Darling Doyle” boys, Nathan Reece and Tim Rideout. Classified as “big boat” sailors, these two took the National to heart – rigging and re-rigging NOD #812 as much as time would permit. Then they took her out and simply HAD FUN. While the author could easily devote an entire article on these two, let’s suffice it to say, she wished they would come to more NODRA regattas. Alas, not the only one charmed, take note of all who bought new Doyle sails during the weekend!
Fortunately, the starting line was placed closely to one of the inhabited islands, offering a sheltered respite for the remaining competitors. Now down to 11, the Committee offered to call it quits, but these die-hards wouldn’t hear it and the rain-soaked starting gun barely went off. Mother Nature took two more prisoners, Trish Bishop – who was SO close to making it, and the Darling Doyles. Not to disappoint, even their capsize was spectacular, practically somersaulting downwind, with sails wing-and-wing. Yes, the sails survived, albeit the boat was a bit beat-up. The Canadians came through with Jeff Bishop first, Peter Sanford third and Mike Sweet fourth. Americans Donatelli and Moledor spoiled their full house with a 2nd and 5th respectfully. Soon followed Conny Bishop, Esther Cogswell, David Selfridge and Marjorie Roy. They deserve a trophy for their determination and efforts at staying afloat.
Expecting a full retreat, the Committee was informed by the sailors that one more race would be held. The locals were starting to smell blood and they wanted every last drop. But Guy wouldn’t let them have it. Finishing in first place and wrapping up the regatta, he was battle-scarred, but well deserving of victory. And Andrew Dettra, Guy’s crew the entire regatta, deserves credit, too. It’s not easy to replace the “rhythm” an established skipper-crew team develops – especially one that’s a husband and wife combination – but Andrew stepped up to the plate and delivered. One notable fact the author noticed that could account for Guy’s winning, at least on Sunday, was the remarkable way he ALWAYS kept his boat FLAT. An exhausting, but obviously foolproof strategy. Jeff Bishop did Nova Scotia proud with both a second in last race and second for the regatta overall. Dave Moledor, consistently finishing 3rd, 4th or 5th the entire regatta, scored a solid third place. The Canadians swept the next six positions, which made for a joyous homecoming at the Aylesford Yacht Club.
An awards banquet was held later that night with an excellent potluck spread. Even if you didn’t race well, you could certainly make it up by eating well. In celebration of the spirit and sport of sailing, the Clubhouse was packed with an overflow of people spilling onto the deck. Thus the regatta ended the same way it began – a room packed with NOD sailors having fun. Only now, I’m honored and proud to call these sailors my friends, and no longer just “names” I’ve read about. From our standpoint, the hardest part of the whole regatta - including all the planning, passports, miles of travel, wind, and lack-there-of – was saying good-bye. For the Americans, it will be a few years before this affair is rekindled with our friends to the north. But as in all true love affairs, it will be well worth the wait!
WORLD’S CHAMPIONSHIP: TAWAS LIVES UP TO ITS BILLING FOR NODRA SAILORS
(Adapted from an Oscoda Press Article by Reporter John Morris, dated 8/9/06)
EAST TAWAS - For three days last week, Tawas Bay threw everything but the kitchen sink at the National One Design Racing Association (NODRA) sailors. “We had a mix of everything - rain, low winds, high winds and rollers,” said Guy Donatelli of Akron, Ohio, who, with his wife, Judi, won the NODRA World Championship for the third year in a row. “Tawas Bay didn’t make it easy.”
The Donatellis have now won six NODRA world championships, five of which have come on Tawas Bay. Guy Donatelli is now an eight-time world champion in the sport. The winners receive the Leelanau Cup, a trophy dating back to 1938. In fact, Akron sailors took four of the top five places during the 10-race NODRA World Championship, which began Thursday in a drizzling rain and ended Saturday under near ideal sailing conditions.
Rain on Day1, Thursday – but We Raced!
Second place went to Mark Roberts, NODRA’s commodore, and Margo Erme of Akron; third place went to Al Bollas and Bill Little of Akron; fourth place went to John Gramsas of Broomfield, Colo., and Joan Sniadecki of Portage, and fifth place went to Eric Roberts and his 11-year-old son, Lewis, both of Akron. The youngster also earned the Pendergast Trophy as being the highest scoring youth during the world championship.
Racing began at 11:30 a.m. Thursday with a series of four Olympic-course races completed. Races on Friday echoed Thursday’s schedule, leaving Saturday morning as the determining day of who reigned as NODRA World Champion. Overall, there were a total of 10 races. Courses for the races were between 2.5 and three miles in length. Sailors followed a triangular course around three marker buoys, while the race committee boat tracked their progress. The courses changed during the three days, depending on wind direction and velocity.
It’s the lure of Tawas Bay’s “big open water” that attracts the racers here, said Judy Donatelli. “It’s pretty consistent,” she said of the Tawas Bay winds. “It blows steady and you know what you get.”
The sloops reach speeds of 7-8 knots. The National One-Design is a 17-foot sloop designed by William Crosby in the 1930s. The two-person boat, modernized over the years, has held the appeal of sailors now three generations long. The boat has a tall mast for its size and has two sails - a main and a jib - and its most distinguishing feature is an inboard rudder.
While the racers say the boat is fun to sail - it turns on a dime - it’s the camaraderie that makes the sport pleasurable. “It’s a fun little boat to sail, it really is,” said Russ Staples of Milledgeville, Ga., one of the competitors and newest NODRA member. Joan Sniadecki added to this observation, “It is truly a family sport. What other sport gives grandparents the chance to compete with or against their grandchildren?”
A fleet of National One Design sailors was established in Tawas in 1953 and, while not currently active, it boasts of Tawas native Matt Haglund as a former NODRA world champion in 1965. Tawas Bay Yacht Club has hosted National One Design regattas, including several world championships, since 1962.
“It’s like a family reunion to see everyone again,” said Lew Roberts of Akron, a former longtime NODRA commodore who oversaw the races. “We have a lot of fun here. It’s great sailing water and there’s great people in Tawas and at the Tawas Bay Yacht Club.” “We have a lot of fun here,” Guy Donatelli said. “We always love Tawas.”
Creative World’s Championship Trophies from SSYC
OLD TIMER’S 2006 AT IYC
(Adapted from an email by Amy and Rich Ogrentz)
IYC was the venue of our 2006 Old Timer’s Regatta. Due to several scheduling issues, IYC was only able to host the event on 9/15-9/17/2006. Many NODRA faithful sailors could not work that date in their busy schedules. However, the enthusiasts who attended had a great weekend of sailing and the best of IYC food and hospitality. The Regatta started with Eugene (Uge) Damiani making his world-famous pizza on Friday night with most participants showing up. Beer, pizza and camaraderie flowed till midnight.
Saturday was great with winds off the BIG Lake in the 10-15 mph range. We sailed a modified-Olympic course. Herman Vargason rounded up a crew (Ariel Geise) and they did well sailing together. Guy Donatelli was a little off the first race with a fourth. Dave Moledor took the first and gave Guy a hard time the rest of the race. Dieter and Kirsten took second and stayed close to Guy and Dave every race. Rich and Patrick had fours behind the leaders. Lynn Geise came in sixth overall. Tim and Jeni Silver were seventh to fill out the regatta.
Steaks grilled just right with all the trimming were served on Saturday night, with plenty of seconds on more steaks grilled up. All in all, the regatta was grand and fun for all.
YOUR FLEET CAPTAIN NEEDS YOU !
The NODRA by-laws place large responsibility on all NODRA Fleet Captains to ensure the continued viability and functioning of NODRA at the local level. Please assist them in their efforts and keep them updated with your sailing plans, addresses, etc. The 2007 Season Fleet Captains have been assigned as follows:
SSYC - Eric Roberts, Captain
ELSC - Jolly Booth, Captain
HWSC - Herman Vargason, Captain,
ALYC - Connie Bishop/Steve McDow Captain
IYC – Tom Crawford, Captain