home

T

he Leukemia Cup Regatta keeps growing. This year, its fourth based out of River Dunes, about 40 boats registered to race under a new layout. Almost three hundred attended the Saturday night dinner and party on shore. And throughout the weekend, an ever-bright toddler was the star guest.

The crew of Ron Medlin’s “Bash” rounds the mark in Saturday’s racing. It won the second race that day and took the top honors in the Spinnaker A division. Lack of wind scrubbed the races planned for Sunday.

Overall, the weekend raised $140,532 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of NC through racing registrations, a silent auction and donations.

Looking like a hot air balloon, the spinnaker of Rocket J heads down wind. Early in the race its main sail had ripped.

A few familiar faces returned to the winners circle in the fundraising competition. The top fundraisers were, Rich Belavieau of River Dunes who raised $10,297; Bill Scott of the boat, Marvana Dawn who brought in $12,100 and Ken and Carol Small who raised $13,000.

Top fundraisers for this year’s Leukemia Cup Regatta from left Ken and Carol Small, 1st place, Heather Sanger of the NCLLS, Bill Scott, 2nd place, Rich Bealvieau, 3rd place, Ed Mitchell of River Dunes.

One big motivation for the Smalls, in particular, was Egan Delaney. The 22 month old girl from Reston, Virginia is their son’s niece and when she was just 8 weeks old, Egan was diagnosed with leukemia and then spent months living in a hospital.

Egan Delaney, smiles despite being interrupted in her chocolate cake eating during the Shoreside party on Saturday night.

This weekend, recovered and the guest patient of honor, Egan was a presence — devouring chocolate cake, dancing under the tent — at the Shoreside party Saturday night and at the awards luncheon on Sunday.

Egan and her extended family and friends at the Shoreside party..

Out on the water, winners in their classes were:
Ron Medlin’s “Bash” in Spinnaker A,
Tinka Talbert’s “Squirrels on the Highway” in Spinnaker B,
Dyk Luben’s “Bodacious” in Jib & Main A
Art Tierney’s “Quixotic” in Jib & Main B.

In Pursuit for cruising class boats, John Jackson’s “Aquila” won first place.

Full results of racing are here.

Aquila of New Bern returns to River Dunes after its first place finish among cruising style boats in the Pursuit course. On board were, from left, Mike Foster. Mike Daly, Earl Beard and captain, at the fore, John Jackson. Three of the four have had cancer,

Pursuit was a new feature this year, part of bigger overhaul with the racing. Oriental Dinghy Club, which organizes the races, set up not one but two courses. One was for the serious racing enthusiasts — with two spinnaker classes and two classes of jib-and-main. Separately, though, there was a course set up for the non-racer in mind, the cruising boats.

Jeff and Pat Kenyon’s “Calitri” finished second in the Pursuit division. 15 boats, mainly cruising styles, raced in that division.

ODC’s Bill Michne was the official for that new course, and says the idea was to attract more boats and sailors who might otherwise feel intimidated by the thought of racing against the more serious racers. The tactic worked. They were expecting 5-6 boats in that category; 17 boats signed up for that course. Set up as a Pursuit, that meant staggered starts – slowest boats heading out first, fastest last. At least in theory, there’d then be boats playing catch-up on the last leg, near the finish line.

On the horizon, the Shannon, Miramar, had sail upon sail flying as it came down wind on the Pursuit course.

Hopes For More Boats Next Year

At Sunday’s awards ceremony, Ken Small reiterated the hope that even more cruising class boats – boats not tricked out for racing per se — would sign up for next June’s Leukemia Cup. Small said that he saw “the cruising class as the future of bringing more and more boats to the Leukemia Cup.”

The canine on the crew of Ole Betsy is named Schooner. They competed in the Pursuit race for cruising class, a new feature this year.

“As you all know,” Small told the crowd, “there are God knows how many boats tied up at marinas and docks around here that wouldn’t have a clue about sailboat racing but would like to go for a nice little sail around the marks, and come to a beautiful place like this and most importantly raise money for the Leukemia Society.”

Booming message on Aquila, winner of the Pursuit Cruising Class race, which took place for the firest time at at the Leukemia Cup Regatta this year.

[page]

The three man crew on Henry Frazer’s Etchells, “Oriental Express” is first toward the mark in the Spinnaker A class race.

Then they pass it and turn…and round that mark. Henry Frazer and crew won the fiirst race on Saturday and came in second in the second. With Sunday’s races scrubbed, Oriental Express took second place in Spinnaker A for the regatta

Boats crossing paths… Ron Medlin’s Bash had rounded the mark and was prepping its spinnaker as Randy Boyles Rocket J maneuvered toward the mark….

Can two boats be in the same place at once? It only seems that way as “Rocket J” presses to the mark, while contending with a torn main sail. Bash, meanwhile, heads downwind on the heels of Henry Frazer’s Oriental Express under spinnaker.

Taking the long view of Longview, from the bow. Edward Weber’s Long View competed in the Jib and Main A.

[page]

The Edge.

Bryan Brown and crew on Nevermoore turning the first mark in the first Spinnaker A class race on Saturday. In background, is the multicolored spinnaker of Rocket J which was already heading down wind.

Beth Michne’s Nova Carina, which had a half dozen women crew members on Saturday. They competed in the Jib and Main A division.

Ken and Carol Small’s boat, Miranda, which was the committee boat for the 4 racing classes on Saturday.

Ole Betsy, a Stonehorse, and her captain, Dan Ledbetter, on the Pursuit course.

Bob Miller, with his crew – Manfred Rott – in the cruising class Pursuit race on Saturday.

[page]

Squirrels on the Run rounds the first mark. The San Juan would win the Spinnaker B division.

Bodacious tacks on the course. Dyk Luben’s boat came in first — winning both races — in Saturday’s Jib and Main A class. It was one of two dark hulled boats named Bodacious on the waters Saturday.

Joe Valinoti’s “Il Gatto” after rounding the mark and catching the downward run in the Jib and Main B race.

Just a few of the sails that Miramar, a Shannon, was flying.

Millie Lero and Charlie Johnson, who a year ago was crew on the committee boat, take Island Maiden on her first race. The Island Packet placed 6th in the Pursuit race.

[page]

A mix of old and new sail design on the Pursuit course. In foreground, George Dufek’s “Tribat”. In background, the Stonehorse, Ole Betsy.

Art Tierney’s “Quixotic” on its way to first place in the Jib and Main B Class.

George Dufek’s Tribat would take third place in the Pursuit course race.

Some of the crew on board “Water Phantom.”

Margaret Alexander’s entry “Deuces Wild” with fellow crew LuAnn Parins and Mark Weinheimer.

Pre-race sailing – Rocket J (named after Squirrrrrul) and behind it, the crew of Deuces Wild.

Jim Flaherty’s Shamrock.

[page]

A thought about the goal of the Leukemia Cup fundraising as well as the race course. Don’t Delay is Ken Laser’s Bristol 29.9

Some boats do take on the look of their namesakes. The elegant lines of Ronald Scotti’s Heron on the Pursuit course on Saturday.

Gary Mastrodonato’s Morris Yacht, Dragonfly, which competed in the Jib and Main A.

The crew of Dragonfly looks to its sails

Old Glory, with Joe Mattea and crew, maneuvering before the race began.

In the Pursuit race, the starts were staggered according to handicap and so for a while, one saw only one or two boats at a time, heading in to the wind. Then, suddenly, the cruising boats in the Pursuit race were coming downwind in a fleet at – relatively – great speed.

[page]

A number of boats kept sails up as they made their way up Broad Creek and back to River Dunes.

The Edge and Water Phantom.

Most of the crew of Ron Medlin’s boat, Bash with their award for first place in the Spinnaker A division.

Tinka Talbert and Clare Brock of Squirrels on the Highway which came in first in Spinnaker B class.

Steve and Geri LaBreck, Elise and Art Tierney and Bill Kirsch, crew on the TIerneys’ Quixotic which won in Jib & Main A.

[page]

Singers with the band, The Black and Blue Experience.

In the early evening, dancers started in. The youngest on the floor, at right, was Egan Delaney.

Under the Silent Auction tent, one of the offering was a tepia photo of Oriental’s Bridge. (The silhouettes did not come with the photograph.).

A painting of furled top sails, by Oriental painter, Sue Henry, who herself fought a blood cancer.

A member of the band sports a blue sequined vest. In foreground, one of the many Dark -and-Stormy’s quaffed on Saturday evening.

[page]

Dan Ledbetter of Apex, who keeps his boat Ole Betsy on Smith Creek, at the Shoreside party Saturday night. His dog, Schooner, was part of his crew.

Randy Boyles of Advance, NC and captain of the Rocket J, the boat named after Bullwinkle’s side-kick, Rocket J. Squirrel. Boyles says he sought — and got permission to use the image from the widow of the cartoon’s creator, Jay Ward. Whattsamatta U? On Saturday, Boyles was contending with a blown out main on his boat, here at a slip at River Dunes after the race.

Egan Delaney surveys the dance floor while her mother, Jody, speaks from the stage about the fears — and ultimately, hopes — that came with Egan’s cancer diagnosis when she was 8 weeks old.

Posted Wednesday June 11, 2014 by Melinda Penkava