The SpinSheet Rites of Spring Regatta 1998: A Chesapeake Classic
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of SpinSheet this year, we’re sharing stories from the archives. This regatta recap comes from our July 1998 issue:
If You Build It, They Will Come
Imagine sitting around with your sailing buddies and talking about the perfect sailing event…
- “Gotta be in boats everyone has access to. Cheap and plentiful boats for easy participation.”
- “A ton of races… just keep them going… bang, bang, bang.”
- “Get a bunch of sponsors onboard and give out stuff for prizes.”
- “Include T-shirts, drinks, food, and everything in the entry price. I don’t want to be carrying my wallet around getting nickeled and dimed at every turn.”
- “Pick a killer venue… plenty of room for rigging, trailers, and parking… social activities nearby.”
- “Lots of water and other fluids available on the racecourse.”
We were in this fortunate position and had a conversation just like this early last year. The result was the SpinSheet Rites of Spring Regatta for Lasers and BYTEs. The 1997 regatta saw 34 boats compete off Annapolis. It was a winner. The 1998 event was sailed May 30 and included more boats, the aforementioned qualities, and much more.
SpinSheet’s second annual Rites of Spring Regatta saw 39 boats and sailors participate in the event, which was open to all sailors. More than a quarter of the sailors were juniors, and nearly a third were female. Sailors came from all points around the region, including five from Deltaville/Richmond; two from Hampton; and one each from Washington, DC, Ocean City, MD, and Delaware.
The Laser turnout was considered excellent for a local event, thanks in part to the West River Saling Club’s moving their Crystal Bowl Laser Regatta to May 31 to accommodate the event. The BYTE turnout was far and away the largest ever on the Bay and one of the largest-ever BYTE events in the United States.
The on-the-water portion of the event was managed by PRO Alden Bugly and a team of volunteers. Bugly and the race committee banged off multiple races at a blistering pace while the wind was up and the racing area relatively uncrowded. A humid southeasterly breeze topping out at 10 knots but never dipping below six made for good competition. The rapid pace of races enabled the organizers and competitors to return to the stable with a fair and complete regatta under their belts when the wind started dying and the powerboat-generated washing machine cranked up mid-afternoon. The races were all short and sweet windward/leeward affairs, and no protests were filed.
Top Three Results
BYTEs (19 boats)
1. Parker Garrett
2. Caroline Garrett
3. Mary Iliff
Lasers (20 boats)
1. Alden Shattuck
2. Chris Legg
3. Mike Schmidt
