1/2/24 Update:
The date for the 2024 MC/Finn Regatta is:
July 6-7, 2024
The 2023 Annual MC/Finn Horserace is in the books.
The MC/Finn Horserace was run on Sept. 23-24, 2023. Day One opened with cloudy skies. The wind was light, three to seven knots from the Northeast. PRO Bill and Yvonne Barringer directed the race committee of Joanne and Terry Fraser, Suzanna Randall, and Greg Cuda, to set an I1 course. We had five MC's in the first division and four Finn’s in the second division. After a clear start, the wind held nicely and we all finished in good order. Race committee set an I2 for the second race. The wind began to fade before we could finish the two laps. All boats eventually inched to the finish line. Everyone agreed that it was unusual for a northeast wind to fade away, but that was the end of racing Saturday. Keith Kraner and Burke Wasserman were tied for the MC lead. Among the Finns, Steven Smeulders was in the lead with Peter Van Rossem and Luke Buxton tied for second place.
After dinner, we shared memories of Will Hendershot who passed away in 2021. Will was an avid MC Scow sailor and a boundless source of knowledge for MC sailors. He channelled his deep knowledge and love of sailing by taking up sail making as a hobby after his retirement from McGill University, where he was a Professor of Soil Chemistry. Will made very competitive sails and Two Mountain Sails became a successful business in a few short years. No one has won the MC Horserace more than once, except Will who won this race three times. Will must have had very fond memories of sailing at Saratoga Lake.
For Day Two of racing there was better wind, 6 to 9 knots out of the Northeast. Alan Miller and Lenny Lerner replaced Susanna and Greg on the race committee. We got an early start by getting out on the water by 9:00 a.m. to take advantage of the good conditions. It was a pretty steady wind without a lot of big shifts and made for good racing. We completed four races before noon, two I1 and two I2 courses. The competition was notably tighter. However, Keith Kraner was dominant, posting 5 bullets to win first prize in the MC class. Burke Wasserman came in second overall and Tony Massa came in third. In the Finn class Steven Smeulders took first overall, also with 5 bullets. Peter Van Rossem took second, and Luke Buxton came in third.
Many thanks to the race committee and competitors for making another great regatta weekend. And special thanks to Yvonne who did double duty by being PRO and preparing a delicious lasagna for dinner Saturday night. Everyone enjoyed it very much!