This year's Verve Cup was a spectacular event, great weather, super parties, and the racing was incredibly tight. The entire fleet jockeyed for position with tight crossings, crowds at every mark, and a number of classic duels up & downwind. Every boat brought their best, the constant changes in the finish orders for each race only hint at how tight the racing was. Every boat was competitive. A great time was had by all!
In the end Vytis took first, but is was a nail bitter to the end. Special thanks must go out to the crew of Vytis for their demonstration of superior sportsmanship throwing the Pig a backup spinnaker after we tour ours doing what seemed like an easy windward drop in the first race (be sure to take a look at your prefeeder on the headstay!). They were rethinking that decision as we chased them down in race four.
The Asylum took second place in what was their first regatta for the season after having to undergo some big repairs to the hull that was damaged on the delivery back from Key West this past winter. Job well done. Losing the tie breaker, that is how close the racing was, and taking third was Sealark. The owner Clark was out of town, so the crew took the boat out and did a super job, the steadiest performance of all the boats (as always).
There were some great downwind duels with the boats well under control, but really close. Positions changing with every puff as the boats surged forward. Other than the terrible fouls committed by B36.'s at the widward mark on the last day (we all saw it), it was a incredibly clean regatta. Ok we won't tell Clark about the guys jamming it in there on port and hitting the mark (they did their turn and so did Vytis).
A special mention has to go out to Peter and the crew of Phantom, this was their first major W/L regatta and they were in it in every race. They are the boat to watch out for. Also have to add Valhalla was incredible going upwind. They seemed to have jets at times.The finishes don't tell the story of just how close the entire fleet was. There where many times when the boats where shoulder to shoulder, there was no telling who was ahead.
This regatta proved just how good the J105 is and how great One Design racing can be. Be sure to check out the CYC Facebook page , there are some nice pictures there.
Also have to congratulate Teddy on Southbound, he was in charge of the Verve Cup this year and it was a great event. The party on the "veranda" was special. Thank you to CYC and all the sponsors for putting on a great regatta and to you for all your hard work. A great time was had by all. You definitely qualify to hand out this year's Fleet 5 awards this fall.
Time to put away the boat for the winter. Don't do what this unfortunate soul did, but do join your fellow J105 skippers for a wonderful evening. No awards or speeches, just a good time. Spouses and significant others are welcomed, earn some points for all those days you spent sailing. Our hosts Clark Pellett (Sealark) & Jon Weglarz (The Asylum) have been kind enough to arrange the event at the Chicago Yacht Club, on Monroe St.
