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mixed fleet of 26 boats under 20 feet, from 100-pound sailing canoe to 2,200 pound catboats, took to the Neuse River Saturday to compete in the Greens Creek Challenge. Perfect weather graced the event’s 20th anniversay. Unlike past years, where the October race has been held in cold, rainy conditions, this year’s on-water conditions proved ideal – blue fall skies with 10 to 15 knots breeze.

Mixed fleet: shown crossing the starting line are 4 Sunfish, 1 Laser, 2 catboats and a Flying Scott

Tom Lathrop and Mick Roberts, aboard Lathrop’s “Lapwing”, cross tacks with a Laser just off the Oriental bridge

Push! Ben Bruno coaxes his Sunfish through a tack while Jim Edwards and chase crew keep an eye on Carolyn James aboard the Triton Yachts Optimist

Clown is Down: Alexis Edwards rights her Sunfish “Clown”. As the boat recovered, she scrambled into it quickly enough to stay dry.

Three challengers

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The Greens Creek Challenge combines open river racing with stretches that cross more sheltered water. While the race starts in the Neuse River, off the town anchorage, the course runs under the Oriental bridge into Greens and Smith Creeks. The starting lines serves as the finish line.

Starting line signs: aboard the Oriental Dinghy Club’s committee boat, Bill Arndt, Art Tierney and Roy Harvey signal a race is about to start. The blue flag with the white square is the code flag for the letter “P”. It is a preparatory flag.

The long view: racers surround the ODC committee boat. It is moored in the Neuse River just off the town anchorage and serves as one end of the race start and finish line.

Under the bridge they go: the Greens Creek Challenge runs under the Oriental bridge. This calls for careful helmsmanship – especially when sailing to windward.

Downwind run: the dark gray patches surrounding these sailboats hint at the breezy conditions

Hike and dump: gusty conditions up Greens Creek meant sailors in small, light boats like this Sunfish had to mind the mainsheet

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Of the over 2 dozen boats that raced, 8 types of boats were represented. A simple handicapping system, in keeping with the event’s inclusive spirit, ensured less experienced sailors, or those in smaller boats, could compete against competitors with larger boats or more experience. The regatta consisted of two races. Race organizer Paul Welles explains that “the fastest boats in the first race start last in the second race”.

Gary Ramsey helming a boat not normally associate with yacht racing – his 1970s era, leeboard-equipped, 15-foot Grumman canoe.

Skinny water chase: Steve Kenney and crew aboard the “Buoy Maker” chase Clair and Robbie Pedersen and Zach Bruno aboard “Kalik” across the shoal point that separates Greens Creek from Smith Creek.

Bail and sail: Ben Bruno helms his Sunfish while Jim Edwards, with the centerboard lifted for better downwind performance, empties their craft of water

Rounding the final mark: some sailors beat toward the final mark with tightly sheeted sails while others, having already rounded it, head toward the finish line with canvas eased

The scene from above: looking into the cockpit from above, all that was visible of George Benedict on his Marshall Cat 18 where his shoes.

Trevor Bornarth pushing his Optimist hard on the final downwind leg

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Race results were calculated at a post-race gathering held at Grace Evans’ home. Awards were presented for overall winner and class division for Optimist, Sunfish, Laser and catboat. All youth sailors were presented with a trophy courtesy of Triton Yachts.

Youth participants Zach Bruno, Kara Wheeler, Emma Wheeler, Caroline James, Nicole Edwards, Emme James, Alexis Edwards, Ben Bruno and Andrew Roberson

Better than before: winners in the catboat division were Zach Bruno and Angie and Robby Pedersen aboard “Kalik”. “Last year” says Robby, “we were second to last. The goal was to be better this year”.

Chuck Lee: In the early 1990s, Chuck Lee and Leslie Cameron circumnavigated the world in an offshore sailboat. Here, he shows the results of his latest outing.

At day’s end, the top prize went to Chuck Lee sailing his Laser. In 2009, Chuck placed second in the Greens Creek Challenge. This year he finished second in the first race and fifth in the second race to take home overall honors and two pounds of Garland Fulcher crab meat. Crab meat has been the race’s traditional top prize for the past two decades.

This year’s Greens Creek Challenge was organized by Paul Welles with assistance from the following:
Paul Jester – co-event chairman
Grace Evans
Dick Mannion
Oriental Dinghy Club
Race Committee: Bill Arndt, Art Tierney and Roy Harvey
Chase boats: Don Callahan, Jim and Stephanie Edwards and Charlie Overcash

Overall and class finishes are as follow:

Race Results

Sunfish
1. Larry Mass
2. Kara Wheeler
3. Kevin McNamara
4. Ben Bruno

Laser
1. Chuck Lee
2. George Sechrist
3. Jerry Dasson

Optimist
1. Caroline James
2. Trevor Bornarth
3. Katie Bornarth

Catboat
1. Robbie and Clair Pedersen
2. George Benedict
3. Steve Kenney
4. Ned Albee

Overall
1. Chuck Lee (Laser)
2. Jon Chesson (Flying Scott)
3. George Sechrist (Laser)
4. Rob and Clair Pedersen (Marshall cat)
5. Jerry Dasson (Laser)
6. Carolyn James (Optimist)
7 George Benedict (Marshall cat)
8 Larry Mass (Sunfish)
9 Tom Lathrop (Graham Burns)
10 David Fura (Sunfish)
11 Kara Wheeler (Sunfish)
12 Steve Kenney (cat boat)
13 Kevin McNamara (Sunfish)
14 Ben Bruno (Sunfish)
15/16 Tie: Ned Albee / Trevor Bornarth (Optimist)
17 Paul Bogardus (Sunfish)
18 Alexis Edwards (Sunfish)
19 Nicole Edwards (Sunfish)
20 Katie Bornarth (Optimist)
21 Zach Bruno (Sunfish)
22 Dick Mannion (Sunfish)
23 Emma Wheeler (Sunfish)
24/25 Tim Balfour (El Toro) / William Kenner
26 Gary Ramsey (Grumman canoe)

Posted Monday October 18, 2010 by Bernie Harberts