2007 Wes Golemon Memorial Race Results
(written by Dave Randel)
Fourteen boats took advantage of great sailing conditions Saturday in Anacapa Yacht Club's 34-mile Wes Golemon Memorial Race, which honors the memory of a departed AYC Commodore, longtime racer, and avid supporter of competitive sailing. This race culminated AYC's 2007 Island series by sending competitors around Anacapa Island the opposite way from the Anacapa to Port race, taking the island instead to starboard. This normally makes for a challenging upwind leg in shifty winds on the back side of Anacapa, and this year's event proved to be no exception.
A light but steady breeze powered the fleet on a reach from the Mandalay start around the Wes mark and then across to the East End of Anacapa Island, but it evaporated away once behind the island. An intensely tactical contest around the back side of the island ensued, with all the boats struggling to find a favorable breeze. with the boats hugging the shoreline toward the West End finding the best of it. Once around the island, the boats found a freshening wind, making for a fast reach to Platform Gail and an exhilarating run to the Channel Islands Harbor finish. All boats finished well before sundown.
Wes Golemon’s son Ben was aboard Deception, Alex Blankfield’s Santa Cruz 50, and he saw firsthand the effect of the squirrelly winds behind the island. “They killed for awhile until they arrived behind the island; then everyone caught up,” reported Helene Golemon, Wes’ widow and race organizer. “Even though they were first to finish, unfortunately everyone corrected out! There were excellent racers out there as they all came in within a short time of one another.”
Avery Stewart’s Olson 30 Bikini Machine took top honors on corrected time in the nine-boat Spinnaker class, just edging out Angry Hillbillies, Paul Moore’s J/24, by a mere 77 seconds. In the non-spinnaker class, Brent Swanson’s Islander 29 Velero took first, and Bill Gibbs’ 54-foot catamaran won the multihull class.
“A fun race was had by all”, said Helene. “Just the way Wes would have wanted it”.
Results (corrected times):
Spinnaker A
1—Bikini Machine, 5:08:20; 2—Angry Hillbillies, 5:09:37; 3—Perfect Balance, 5:11:13; 4—Funatic, 5:14:08; 5—Coyote, 5:15:50; 6—Quiet Thing II, 5:16:09; 7—Leona Kai, 5:20:12; 8—XS, 5:22:50; 9—Deception, 5:30:12.
Non-spinnaker
1—Velero, 5:10:19; 2—Harmony, 5:32:13; 3—Glin de Mar, 5:40:31; 4—Zuma Jay, 5:53:36.
Multihull
1—Afterburner, 7:21:53.
Upcoming Events:
Saturday-Monday, September 1-3, Santa Barbara City Race/Tequila Derby. This popular Labor Day weekend event, hosted by Anacapa Yacht Club, is two races in one, with a full day of rest & beach parties, beautiful surroundings and impromptu social events in between. The “Santa Barbara City Race” is actually a two-race series, comprising a race from Channel Islands/Ventura to Santa Barbara on Saturday and a return race on Monday. The “Tequila Derby” involves only the return race. AYC’s renowned Santa Barbara Dock Party will take place on Saturday night following the race. The skippers meeting will take place on Saturday, September 1 at 8:30 a.m. at AYC. Contact AYC Rear Commodore Doug Dodge at (805) 732-5250 for more information.