Team Race Nationals (July 16-19) – Team Racing consisted of 24 teams who competed in a Swiss League format, which set teams of four against each other on a short, tight course. The sailors completed 108 races over a course of three days. The format resulted in two divisions, with Gold being the top level and Silver the second. Going into the last race, LISOT Blue led Lauderdale YC 4 by 3 points. But the race, which counted 6 points was won by Lauderdale YC 4. As a result, first place in the Gold division went to the Lauderdale YC 4 Team, made up of Wade Waddell, Liza Toppa, Alie Toppa, Christopher Williford, and Duncan Williford. The LISOT Blue Team of Alexandra DelBello, Reiner Eenkema van Dijk, Drew Gallagher, Ty Ingram, and Harry Koeppel finished in 2nd place. In 3rd place were Andy Widmeier, Justine O’Connor, Ben Kern, Ian MacDiarmid, Nic Muller, and Wiley Rogers on Team M One. The LISOT Black Team, made up of Jared Gaynes, Matthew Kaplan, Will Logue, Jack Parkin, and Sean Walsh, came in 4th place.

In the Silver division, the LISOT Red Team of Matt Logue, Florian Eenkema van Dijk, Henry Fernberger, Travis Bobley, and Russell Clarida took 1st place Benton Cove Racing Team members Tyler Fleig, Noah Kelleher, Cameron Grubb, and Olivier Grubb finished in 2nd place. The Gnarly Red team, made up of KB Knapp, Peter Sterflinger, Ceci Wollmann, Chrissie Klinger, and Jack Budhill finished 3rd. The Loot Silver Team of Alec Chicoine, Joey Diamond, Mehvish Khan, Alyson Turner, and Amy-Katherine Turner came in 4th place.

Girls Nationals (July 20) – In this part of the event, 80 very talented girl sailors competed in three races on a 1.5-mile trapezoid course. Haddon Hughes of Houston Yacht Club came in 1st place, winning the girl champion title. She was followed by Eliot Caple of Naples Sailing Center in 2nd place and KB Knapp of Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club in 3rd. Martina Sly of Coral Reef Yacht Club finished in 4th place. After the day’s racing, the girls and the other competitors got to meet Anna Tunnicliffe, 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner, 2-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and 2009 World Sailor of the Year. She gave them some valuable sailing advice and signed autographs. She also posed for photos with the girls, who got to wear her gold medal. The young sailors really enjoyed meeting Anna and asking questions about how she achieved so much in their sport.

Open Fleet Nationals (July 21-24) – For the open fleet, Day 1 and Day 2 were scheduled for qualifying races that placed the sailors into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Pearl Fleets. This format allowed the top sailors to compete against those with similar abilities. Day 2 did not have enough wind to race, so the qualifying races only actually took place on Day 1. On Day 3, the four fleets each got in 2 races. They completed 3 races on the fourth and final day of the regatta. In Gold Fleet, Nic Muller of US Sailing Center of Martin Co. came in 1st place. Richard Schuurmans of Houston Yacht Club came in 2nd place and Harry Koeppel of Larchmont Yacht Club finished in 3rd place. In 4th place was Eliot Caple of Naples Sailing Center. Girls overall winners were Eliot Caple of Naples Sailing Center in 1st place, Haddon Hughes from Houston Yacht Club in 2nd and Alexandra DelBello of American Yacht Club

In Silver, Alie Toppa of Lauderdale Yacht Club finished in first. She was followed by Ford McCann of Texas Corinthian Yacht Club in 2nd, Audrey Giblin of Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club in 3rd, and Federico Jover of Uruguay in 4th. In Bronze, Jed Londrey of Fishing Bay Yacht Club won 1st place. Sophie Sole of Houston Yacht Club came in 3rd, Jensen Mctighe of Lauderdale Yacht Club came in 4th, and Matt Logue of Riverside Yacht Club finished in 4th. In Pearl Fleet, Gantt Shiflet of Davis Island Yacht Club finished in 1st place. Jillian Ticatch of Houston Yacht Club came in 2nd, Thad Hutcheson of Texas Corinthian Yacht Club came in 3rd, and Stephen Streater of Norfolk Yacht Club came in 4th.

View results, photos, video and more now on at the event website http://optinationals2010.org

About Fishing Bay Yacht Club
Fishing Bay Yacht Club is a private non-profit sailing club located in Deltaville Virginia, on scenic Fishing Bay in the mouth of the Piankatank River. FBYC promotes the art of sailing through Junior, One Design, and Offshore Racing and Cruising. FBYC could not present an event of this magnitude without the support of the USODA Partners (including Name Partner Layline) its Local Hosts Deltaville Maritime Museum, Deltaville Boatyard, Jackson Creek Condos, Harbor House Community, Norton Yachts, Chesapeake Yacht Sales, and Christchurch School, along with generous contributions from numerous sponsors listed on the event website at http://optinationals2010.org, a state of the art site replete with more information about the event. For more information on FBYC, please visit www.fbyc.net

Yesterday morning, the Green Fleet stayed on shore after the skippers’ meeting in order to get to know each other and so that Coach Tom Coleman could give them some instruction. He taught them about the five-minute start sequence and made sure they understood the course.

Around 12:30 yesterday, and after eating lunch, the sailors started launching their boats. Race Committee, headed by Mark Hayes, set up a triangle course and ran four races. Many sailors displayed strong racing skills. However, coaches were encouraged to help all competitors that were in the back half of the fleet.

This morning, the Green Fleet again stayed on shore after the 8:30 skipper’s meeting. Tom Coleman gave the kids a chance to ask questions about the previous day’s racing. He also asked those that did particularly well to share their strategies for the start and the windward leg so that others could improve. He and Mark Hayes both used the session to talk to the sailors about clearing the finish area and the final leg so that Race Committee could see everyone’s finish.

Racing began much earlier, with sailors launching their boats around 10:00. Today’s racing was designed to build on the sailors’ knowledge. Courses included the triangle course from yesterday as well as the windward – leeward and the modified Olympic. Green Fleet got in four races today, with a pause in the middle for lunch and swimming. The air was light, which made for good conditions for the youngest sailors and challenged the higher level skippers to get as much speed as possible out of their boats.

It has been a great regatta so far for the Green Fleet, and the sailors will hopefully get in a good number of races tomorrow as well. They seem to be having a lot of fun and learning a great deal.

For photos from yesterday, please click here. Today’s photos can be found here.

By Computer

If you want to check out the buoy from a computer, this website, the Opti Nationals home page, has a link labeled “Weather” which allows you to click on the CBIBS Stingray Point Buoy to see the latest measurements. You can also go to CBIBS’ homepage, www.buoybay.org.

By Mobile Browser

A number of you will probably be using mobile phones with internet access during race week. The phone-friendly website is www.buoybay.org/m/, and from there you should select “Stingray Point” in order to see the most recent data.

By Phone

An alternative method, and the one to use if you lack internet access, is to call the buoy from your phone by dialing 877-BUOY-BAY. The recording will tell you the options. Choose the Stingray Point buoy and you will hear another list of options. If you select “Observational messages” you will be taken to a menu that lets you choose between meteorological data, wave and current data, and water quality data. The meteorological data is what you will probably need, though you may want to know about the waves and the current as well. The third option is there because CBIBS is an important tool for scientists studying the Chesapeake Bay. If you use the mobile website, all of the measurements will be in one convenient list.

In addition to their use by sailors and scientists, the weather buoys serve an historic function. They are located along the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, which is the first water trail in the National Park Service’s National Trail System. Calling the buoy therefore enables you to find out about John Smith’s activities in the immediate vicinity back in 1608, and the website lets you compare current conditions with those of the past. Though you might want to learn about the area’s history during another, less busy week, we encourage our visiting sailors to contact the buoy throughout Nationals in order to find out what the wind is doing and help prepare themselves for successful racing.

Are you on facebook?  If so become a fan of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System

Mr. Roberts II

Mr. Roberts has been a well-known name among members of Fishing Bay Yacht Club for sixty years. These days, however, guests hoping to meet him will be directed towards FBYC’s offshore boat dock on Jackson Creek. And technically, they will be seeing Mr. Roberts II.

Mr. Roberts will be an important name to know during the USODA Layline Nationals this year since it is the primary signal boat. It has a tall bridge that is ideal for viewing the starting line, and has experienced other big regattas such as the 2005 USODA Atlantic Coast Championship, the 2007 Flying Scot North American Championship, the 2000 US Laser Masters and many others. Those of us at the club who routinely participate in the offshore race season are also accustomed to looking out for the signal flags that are raised from the tall poles at the stern.

Original Mr. Roberts at its dedication in 1980

What most guest sailors might not know is where the name came from, and why it is spoken with an unusual amount of fondness considering it refers to a boat. In fact, Mr. Roberts II acts as a memorial for Mr. William C.B. Roberts, who served as Club Manager from 1949 until his death in 1980. After FBYC moved from Urbanna to Deltaville, Mr. Roberts came along with his tractor to help build the boat ramp, and he continued to act as a devoted Club Manager for several years before he received any pay.

Prior to arriving at FBYC, Mr. Roberts was a member of the Coast Guard, and became a Gunnery Officer on a submarine chaser at the start of World War II. After losing much of his hearing, he retired from the Coast Guard and moved to Deltaville with his wife Eleanor. Buying his tractor allowed him to find work both at the yacht club and for others in the area. He was known for giving children tractor rides, and for doing all the maintenance work with his own hands. In addition to running the facilities, he fired the shotgun to announce the opening of each new season. He also had a love of proper flag etiquette, and ensured things were done according to the rules. His affection for the juniors often resulted in free sodas, even when they were caught trying to break into his soda machine. In 1978, FBYC awarded him with the Mathew Fontaine Maury Bowl for his “outstanding contribution to sailing.” It was obvious that FBYC would have been quite different without his loving care.

In 1980, the club bought a wooden 40-foot deadrise cabin cruiser to serve as race committee boat, and named it Mr. Roberts. In 1988 or ‘89, the aging boat was replaced by Mr. Roberts II, a 1981 39’ Dickerson with a fiberglass hull and a single screw engine. The new boat was much more suitable for open water. In 1991, FBYC overhauled the boat with dual gas engines and later replaced them with diesel engines in 1999. To this day, Mr. Roberts II preserves the memory of a beloved Club Manager and continues his work by making sailboat racing possible at Fishing Bay Yacht Club.

Mr. Roberts II starting a fleet of Lasers

Thanks to Jere Dennison, David Lee and Paul Howle for their contributions on this article.  Further reading about Mr. Roberts can be found in the club history.

Opened in 2003, the Deltaville Maritime Museum aims to preserve Deltaville’s heritage, especially regarding its role as the “Capital of Chesapeake Bay Boatbuilding”. In addition to providing information about boatbuilding and its historical importance in the area, the museum and its many volunteers have a tradition of hands-on involvement.

In 2006, the museum, the adjacent Holly Point Nature Park, and the Deltaville Community Association joined forces to build a working replica of the boat used by John Smith to explore the region. Volunteers from the museum were also essential in the restoration of the F.D. Crockett, a log-bottom buyboat built in 1924. The work took over four years, finishing in 2009, and the boat is kept at the museum’s dock. Volunteers used the space at Chesapeake Marine Railway to work through the winters, and that is where the engine, mast, and pilot house were reattached. If you are interested in historic boats, you might want to visit the museum’s library after checking out John Smith’s shallop and the Crockett.

Every summer, the museum serves as a fun place for the community to gather for family activities. The annual Family Boatbuilding Week and the Holly Point Art and Seafood Festival are popular events that contribute to the fun summer atmosphere of Deltaville. From May until September, a Farmer’s Market is held each month where one can find fresh produce as well as an array of products like jewelry and household decorations. The next market date falls on July 24, the fourth Saturday of the month, and it will be a good chance for visiting sailors to experience a Deltaville tradition.

Also to be enjoyed at the museum grounds are the various gardens and wildlife that attract visitors of all ages. Parents and grandparents will enjoy taking the kids to the Children’s Garden, and those looking for a relaxing experience will find peaceful and shady walking areas. Be sure to stop by “Bubba”, the fish-shaped meadow. During the Optimist Nationals, the families of the sailors will be able to park right by Bubba, and the gardens should provide a welcome respite after a long day on the water. The event tents will also be located in the fields near the museum.

Fishing Bay Yacht Club is grateful for the assistance of the Deltaville Maritime Museum in hosting this exciting event. The museum offers something for everyone, from the bird-watcher to the avid boatbuilder, and we encourage our visiting sailors to take a moment to explore its grounds.

Deltaville Maritime Museum photo by The Sarvers.  Used with permission.