Joey Payeur
“Just a dream and the wind to carry me, soon I will be free.”
When Christopher Cross wrote the words for his 1980 smash hit “Sailing,” he probably was envisioning more placid conditions than those faced by the Rendezvous Yacht Club so far this year.
Club spokesman Colin Hewitt said those who seek peace of mind by gliding through the water have not been able to enjoy their marine excursions as much as previous summers.
“We have been struggling, along with everyone else, with the late ice-out and the flood situation,” he remarked.
“There are only a few boats in the water for that reason.”
Hewitt said the club continues to have a great relationship with La Place Rendez-Vous.
“The difficulties with the docks this year has precluded from basing our events out [back] of Rendez-Vous,” he noted.
“But we continue to race in Sand Bay as best we can.
“We wish everyone on the lake well and hope they are able to protect their homes, businesses, boats, and docks,” Hewitt added.
Only two of the first five scheduled Wednesday night races have taken place.
The late ice-out caused the first week action to be cancelled back on May 28 while heavy rains sidelined the racers June 11.
This past week, the boats were left anchored due to excessive flooding and what the club’s Facebook page listed as “other issues beyond our control” that caused the committee boat that supervises the races to be kept on shore.
Results for Saturday’s scheduled race around Sandpoint Island were not available by press time.
The season, which is split into the spring and fall series (May 28-July 16 and July 23-Sept. 3, respectively), finally got underway June 4 with only three boats in the field.
Hewitt and Sue Karsnia’s “Ariba” started the year off right with a win ahead of runners-up Jack and Mary Bartlett (“Mad Hatter”) and third-place finisher Tim Mack (“Second Wind”).
“It was an Olympic triangle course that lasted six legs,” described Hewitt, with light and variable east and south winds propelling the sailors.
“‘Mad Hatter’ started very well by heading north,” he noted.
“However, ‘Ariba’ got a very fortunate wind shift and finished strong to get the win.”
Then on June 18, the initial trio of boats was joined by Quinn and Dianne McCarthy’s “Born To Run.”
But the spirit of Springsteen wasn’t enough to save the duo from a fourth-place result, with Hewitt and Karsnia making it two-straight wins.
Mack was second while the Bartletts were third.
“There were strong east winds, with most boasts only carrying small sails,” Hewitt recalled.
“It was a very close race, with ‘Second Wind’ and ‘Ariba’ changing places a couple of times,” he added.
“The wind lightened later in the race and ‘Ariba’ was able to edge out the heavier ‘Aloha’ for the win.”
In the first Saturday race of the year, the Leo Noonan Memorial Cup, only two boats took to the water, with Hewitt and Karsnia outlasting Kevin Peterson and Beth Caldwell (“Morning Dove”).
“It was a long-distance race from Point of Pines around 8 Mile Island,” recounted Hewitt, who conquered heavy southeast winds in the race.
“‘Morning Dove’ had a very good upwind leg in the strong winds,” he noted.
“‘Ariba’ was able to pull ahead on the downwind leg, finishing just 12 seconds ahead of ‘Morning Dove’ on corrected time.”
The Wednesday night spring series is scheduled to resume tonight at 6 p.m. (weather permitting).
Saturday racing then returns July 12 with the Mermaid Rock Regatta, departing from the Thunderbird Lodge east of International Falls.
