• "1996 Mayor’s Cup"

• "An open letter to the J-24 Class"

1996 Mayor’s Cup and Valcour Race Success Despite Adversity

by Rob McDowell

xcellent race management and creative problem solving saved the 1996 Plattsburgh Mayor’s Cup and changed the Valcour Race in a welcome way. A powerful northwest wind on Saturday caused the postponement of the Mayor’s Cup for safety reasons, a decision endorsed by all sane racers. However, the Valcour Race, also an LCRC race, was scheduled to sail on Sunday, 5 miles south of Plattsburgh off Valcour. The resulting compromise was to sail the Mayor’s Cup triangle first on Sunday, and change the Valcour Race to a windward-leeward course also in Cumberland Bay and start in the afternoon after the Mayor’s Cup. Both races went off about as well as possible, with a strong but not untenable northwest wind and beautiful sunny skies.

The positive results of the postponement and combining of the races on Sunday are many and far reaching. First it proved that Dr. Kjell Dahlen, the AM Rotary Club, and other volunteers are indeed capable of managing a difficult race situation with grace and good sense. This race has evolved from a "quirky-free for all" on a weird course, to a much tighter, more contemporary sailboat race. In the translation, it has lost none of it’s charm as a people's race rather than a stiff corinthian affair. This is due to the ability of the AM Rotary Club to put together a massive effort to organize and manage the race, with the willing help of the community as a whole. For the first year there was a palpable feeling of independence and lack of politics about the event. The changing Plattsburgh waterfront, especially the new Plattsburgh Boat Basin, and the Naked Turtle as a focal point, was refreshing. I guess the days of having to furtively sneak by the marina security guards, and sidle downtown to party are over.

The Valcour Sailing Club represented by Commodore Don Duley also showed excellent judgment and flexibility in moving the Valcour Race to Cumberland Bay and allowing a major format change from a long leg medium distance race to a shorter windward-leeward race. This helped highlight the fact that Cumberland Bay is one of the finest locations on Lake Champlain for sailboat racing. True courses with legs of a decent length and no weird wind influencing geography allow for far better racing than is possible from a Valcour venue. The breakwater, improved waterfront access, and the services and diversions of the City of Plattsburgh, elevate the event to a potentially exciting level. For the first time in 27 years the Valcour Race was in the public view. There were reports that people were lining the docks and viewing the race through binoculars, and Captain Frank Pabst’s Juniper offered a great race watching opportunity. Let’s hope that this year's forced linkage of the two races can be forged into next year's plans, and Plattsburgh can grow into the sailboat racing venue that it has the potential to be.

An open letter to the J-24 Class

by Mark Gardner

person much smarter than I once said. “Solutions are easy when you accurately define the problem”. It is easy to see why sailboat racing continues to shrink. There are many variables that enter into the equation, of primary importance is keeping sailboat racing fun. Not just for those hardcore racers of which I am often included but for the new kids on the block. We need to create the atmosphere that attracts more people to our sport.

I was disappointed with the turnout for the Chiott Marine Mayor’s Challenge and the Royal Savage races. During the winter the J-24 fleet expressed interest in joining the festivities after a absence of several years. With a fleet that numbers near 15, only three boats participated in the Mayor’s Challenge and only one boat showed up for the Royal Savage. This is after considerable negotiations between the fleet and the Lake Champlain Racing Conference, conceding shorter courses and reduced time between starts.

During the early 1980’s the J-24 class sailed out of the Malletts Bay Boat Club, where as many as 15 - 20 boats would race on weekends. The boats were inexpensive to purchase and own, permitting families, friends and acquaintances to race along side the “big boys”, making the sailing fun and competitive. The class was an intricate part of the sailing scene, both in one-design racing and in the Lake Champlain Racing Conference. The local fleet captain was actively involved in promoting J-24 racing. Fleet meetings were held, pot luck dinners, slide shows, and guest speakers were invited along with boat owners and crews. While waiting for the wind to fill in, the fleet would start an impromptu water fight, sort of like jousting, but with a bucket of water. A few bumped rails were the only causalities. Such impromptu games helped keep the racing fun. They played hard and they raced hard.

From what I am able to gather the J-24 class could not find crew members for the race. Several of the better crew sailed on larger boats, leaving the J-24 class high and dry. It would be very easy to blame the big boats for stealing the crew, but not entirely true. The bulk of the J-24 fleet moved from the Malletts Bay Boat Club to the Lake Champlain Sailing Center. A better sailing venue and the ability to dry sail the boats were the primary reasons given for the move. Does this create more racing opportunities for these folks?

Although I do not pretend to know a great deal about the strategies of warfare, I do understand the principal of divide and conquer. It is one of the tactics I use in sailboat racing. When the class moved to Burlington they isolated themselves from the rest of the sailing community. As in Napoleon’s Waterloo the class is doomed without the support of the entire sailing community. “If all you have is old customers, then they are either dying or moving on”. The J-24 class owes it to itself as well as the rest of the racing community to put the fun back into their racing, include new sailors and above all, participate!

the Harbormaster