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Leukemia Cup Regatta 2011
Over $90,000 Raised
June 7, 2011

A
silver lining showed itself in the clouds that scuttled across River Dunes and the Neuse River on Sunday morning. The gray skies brought rain, but also wind, something that had been in short supply for the weekend of the Leukemia Cup Regatta. Sail racers embraced it for a few hours.

Gerry Crowley’s Rhodes Reliant 41, “RiRa” took second place in the Cruising A Division of the Leukemia Cup Regatta on Sunday. Moments after crossing the finish line, Cheryl Crowley, in white shirt, celebrated. At the helm during the race was John Bloom, who two winters ago underwent a stem cell transplant to treat multiple myeloma, one of the blood cancers that was the focus of the fundraising weekend.

The sailboat race set for Saturday afternoon had been delayed two hours as organizers waited for better wind and was then abandoned shortly after it started because even more still air settled in. So, for sailors wanting to get in a sailboat race, the bit of rain Sunday morning was brushed off, the cloudy skies ignored and boats were pushed toward marks and finish lines.

At left, Henry Frazer’s Oriental Express, an Etchells 30, approaches the mark that David Furna’s Viper, “White Snake” had just turned. Oriental Express finished first in both elapsed and corrected times in the Leukemia Cup’s Spinnaker A division.

The Leukemia Cup drew dozens of boats to River Dunes, filling the marina at Grace Harbor for the weekend. The NC Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Executive Director, Tiffany Armstrong says the response “far exceeded expectations.* For a first year event she says, they’d been hoping for 40 boats to register. Instead, 53 did and the weekend grossed $90,000 in funds raised. It’s money that goes toward the Society’s work in finding a cure for blood cancers and for helping improve quality of life for the patients and their families.

In the slips at River Dunes Saturday morning, some of the boats that would venture out to race in the Leukemia Cup Regatta .

In addition to the racing and raising of money, the Leukemia Cup weekend also aimed to raise awareness about leukemia and related cancers, such as myeloma and Hodgkins disease. Before a dinner on Friday night, Pamlico County resident Eugene Seward spoke about his decade-long fight with multiple myeloma. He had a stem cell replacement operation 10 years ago, he said, and since a recurrence in the past year, is again receiving treatment at Duke. On Friday , he had raced back to Pamlico County Friday to be able to speak at the event.

Eugene Seward who lives just down Broad Creek from River Dunes. He underwent a stem cell replacement operation for multiple myeloma ten years ago and is receiving treatment again. He said one of the things he misses is being able to mow his lawn, something he can’t do with a compromised immune system.

Multiple myeloma was also something well known to at least one of the sailors taking part in the regatta. A few years ago, John Bloom underwent a stem cell replacement at UNC in Chapel Hill. On Sunday, he was at the wheel of Jerry Crowley’s sailboat, “Rira” which came in second in its class.

Results of an off the water race, in which the objective was to raise the most money for leukemia research. Bill Scott, at left raised the most, followed by David White, at right and Ken Small, middle.

Burlington resident — and frequent Oriental visitor — Bill Scott took the top prize for pledges of money in fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. David White came in second in that competition, and Ken Small third.

Sherry Homme (and crew and husband, George) on her Ranger 22, “Tenacity” which came in second in the Cruising B division.

Out on the water, the top boats in the six divisions were Henry Frazer’s “Oriental Express” in Spinnaker A, Margaret Alexander’s “Orion” in Spinnaker B, Dyk Luben’s “Bodacious” in Jib & Main, John Jackson on “Aquila” in Cruising A, Roy & Sheila Harvey’s “Aeolus” for Cruising B and Bill Scott on “Marvana Dawn” in the (as he noted) uncontested Multihull division. To download the complete results of the sailing on Sunday, click here.

Jean and David White. They took second place for amount of money raised. In addition to being behind the big glasses, Jean was also a key organizer of the Leukemia Cup event. (That’s Tillman, looking to port.)

The Leukemia Cup that took place this weekend may well be called the first annual. On Tuesday, Tiffany Armstrong of the Leukemia Society told TownDock.net that plans are underway to “do this again” this same time next year at River Dunes. A date, she says, will be set “pretty soon.”

More photos of boats racing, as well as the results of Sunday’s Leukemia Cup racing on the following pages.

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The crew of “Orion”, winners of the Spinnaker B class. Joining Margaret Alexander to crew on the San Juan 21 were Margaret Moorman and Lu Ann Parins.
John Jackson, captain of “Aquila” at Sunday afternoon’s awards ceremony, after winning the Cruising A Division. Presenting the award was Tiffany Armstrong, Executive DIrector of NC’s Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The “Oriental Express” crew. Henry Frazer holds the award given to his Etchells 30 team for winning the Spinnaker A division. From left to right, Mike Craig, Henry Frazer, Jerry Fulp and his grandson Zach Via who sailed instead of Jerry on Sunday.
The “Aeolus” crew, Sheila Harvey, Lois Moye, Roy Harvey which took the Cruising B Division.
Sheila and Roy Harvey’s boat, “Aeolus”. The Allied Seabreeze 35 won the Cruising B division in Sunday’s race.
A Bodacious win for Dyk Luben whose J34C, “Bodacious”, topped the Jib & Main division.
“Bodacious” underway.
Crew member Dan Allen hangs his feet over the starboard rail as Bob Luhr’s Compac 23, “Gettin’ There” rounds one of the markers. It was one of 32 boats that took part in the Leukemia Cup Regatta on Sunday.

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Maybe not at windmills, but “Quixotic” was tilting nonetheless. Art Tierney’s Bristol 35 buries a little rail — and sail — bearing down on a mark in Sunday’s race.
Not for the timid… The sailboats “Kailani” and “Kaulike” arrive at the mark at about the same time, from two different approaches. . . .
No T-boning ensued. “Kailani” and “Kaulike” rounding the mark.
An Irwin 30, “Kaulike” out of Jacksonville took third place in the Cruising A division. Brian Soliz says it was the crew’s first race.
JC Cappelmann, Director of Operations at River Dunes Grace Harbor Marina, announced the winners under the big tent Sunday afternoon.
“Aquila,” an Islander 30, after one of the marks in Sunday’s Leukemia Cup race. John Jackson’s boat was first across the finish line and when all the calibrations had been made with PRHF ratings, was tops in the Cruising A class of boats.
Carol and Ken Small were honored for raising the 3rd highest amount for leukemia research. Ken, on behalf of the Oriental Dinghy Club, was also a race organizer.

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Neal and Beth Schwarz’ “Blues Harp” at the mark.
Beth and Neal Schwartz, the crew of “Blues Harp” which took fourth place in the Cruising B Division.
Ronald Scotti’s Clearwater, “Heron” rounds the mark.
Gerry Crowley, captain of RiRa, a Rhodes Reliant 41, which took second place in the Cruising A class.
“Marvana Dawn”, a Gemini catamaran, in the race. It won the multi-hull division on the water, largely, her owner Bill Scott noted, because other multihulls didn’t race. Scott raised the highest amount of money for the Leukemia fundraiser .
Bill Scott took top honors raising the most money for the Leukemia Society’s fundraiser. For having passed the threshold of raising $8,400 he will get to sail with famed racer Gary Jobson in New York. (That boat is likely to be faster than “Marvana Dawn,” the catamaran he sailed in the Leukemia Cup.)
Tinka Talbert’s San Juan 21, “Wii” in Sunday’s race.
A crew member from “The Edge,” a C&C 35, accepts the second place award for the Jib & Main division.
Margaret Alexander’s San Juan 21 “Orion” heading toward a marker in Sunday’s race. Margaret and crew – Lu Ann Parins and Margaret Moorman – won the Spinnaker B division.

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Still more tight quarters. The bow of “Blues Harp”, a Pacific Seacraft 34 and the stern of “Ryoko” a Pacific Seacraft 31 and a third boat not far behind.
Ben Chapin and Pete Ritchie sailed an S2 – 7.9 “USA” and came in third in the Jib & Main category.
Ed Doughty and crew on “Super Bueno” a Santa Cruz 27.
Feet over the side on “Long Run”, Kevin Bryan’s Tartan 34.
The crew of the Viper 640, “White Snake” deploys its spinnaker for a down wind run

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Second place in the Cruising B division went to Sherri Homme, onboard her Ranger 22, “Tenacity.”
The crew of “Ryoko,” Steve Labreck’s Pacific Seacraft 31 which took third place in the Cruising B division.
Art Tierney accepts the plaque for fourth place for the Jib & Main division from Tiffany Armstrong of the Leukemia Society.
“Enchantress” a Tartan 34 at the mark.
Crew as counterweight on board Charlie Nelson’s C&C36, “Water Phantom.”
Cutting through the gray on the Neuse, “The Edge” — a Cal 35 — and “Bodacious” — a J34C. The competitors in the Jib and Main Division had the closest corrected time finish of the day, with “Bodacious” coming in 29 seconds ahead of “The Edge” to take first place.
Once more in to the fray. And rain. The sailboat, “Quixotic” and crew take off from the River Dunes marina and to Sunday’s race.
Rain on the bimini Sunday morning as boats left the Broad Creek channel and headed toward the race course on the river. The rain came a bit before the race and then held off for a while. By race’s end, rain was again falling. It did have the benefit of bringing some good sailing wind with it, something lacking on Saturday.

The Leukemia Cup will repeat in 2012 – the date will be on TownDock.net as soon as it is announced.

Posted Tuesday June 7, 2011 by Melinda Penkava


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