How the Detroit Cal-25 Fleet played on the first weekend of June
1st US758 Never Alone
Paul & Ross Nuechterlein
Ken Swetka / Ron Sherry / Tom Dawson
Eleven Cal-25s raced in the Bayview One Design (BOD) regatta on lake St. Clair. Five races were completed over two days. This Bayview Yacht Club annual event has been held on the weekend after Memorial Day for about thirty consecutive years. The Cal-25 class has always been one of the largest fleets in this regatta and attracts additional excellent sailors in the area to fill out the crews for events of this caliber. It is a three-day event but some of the classes elect to skip the Friday races, which is what the Cals have done for the last two years.
In the last few years, the Detroit Cal-25 fleet has experienced an influx of 20–30-year-old sailors joining the fun as crews and now (hurray!) as new owners. Good competition is good competition, whatever the timeliness of the design. They have seen how our Cal25 class exemplifies the more fun per dollar concept. They see the low cost of entry, the room for friends, the engine to get to and from the race course or day sailing area, a space to hide from the elements if necessary and the room for a sizable cooler with plenty of food and beverages. The future of the class here in Detroit surely has the arrow pointed in the right direction.
This is written from the perspective aboard Whitefang. We placed third overall with a crew of five to six, from 20 something to 70 years old; from veteran sailors to those with two years’ experience and to one that had just learned to sail and had never seen a race. Personally, I have enjoyed bringing new and sailors into the racing game the last four years and should have started doing so long ago. Do it, you’ll be glad you did.
Conditions on day one were 80 degrees and about 7 knots of wind from the NE that gradually petered out about 2:00PM. Champ Glover, the PRO wisely called it a day after three races. Never Alone started clear, sailed with startingly good VMG upwind and quickly chose the favored gybe to take 1, 1, 2 and lead by two points going into day two. Patriot, also with superior upwind VMG, at least from our perspective, managed to win race two and end the day in second with Whitefang a point behind in third. The next three boats were within three points of each other at 14, 15 and 16 points. Sunday should indeed be moving day!
Sunday started cool, with wind strength approaching the limit for a big headsail before the 10:00AM start and then gradually lightened during the late morning. Some boats wisely switched from a flatter to fuller head sail for the second and final race of the day. The Never Alone crew, according to Evin, my foredeck guy, were all alone all day in first place. Wink! The know the boat well, have lots of time together in it and all are superb sailors in any boat they sail. The wind was still NE but seemed to be less consistent and shiftier than Saturday. My poor start resulted in a fifth-place finish for us in the first race. In the second race, Whitefang got a last-minute right shift near the last weather mark that lifted us into second place, making it easy to cover the talentedly crewed Thor that had been ahead of us and closing on us in total points. We chose to gybe away from the favored gybe and cover them on the last downwind leg to the finish and gave up two positions doing so but mathematically it was the right thing to do. Graciously, the owner/driver of Thor loaned me a mainsail for the regatta as mine was at a local loft for modifications. He used his brand new one only to finish behind his old one. A bit awkward but thank you Keith!
The Cal-25 crews from Crescent Sail Yacht Club and Bayview Yacht Club enjoyed a wonderful late Sunday afternoon in a cooling NE breeze on Bayview’s lawn, right on the Detroit River and helped to keep the bar tenders busy. After the awards were presented to all the classes, some of the Cal-25 sailors met at a favorite haunt, on the way back home, called Marshall’s bar; an old place with wavy, uneven floors, poor lighting, beer brands I haven’t seen since the 70’s and the perfect venue for further shenanigans.
We look forward to the rest of our season and next year’s BOD regatta. It’s possible that loaner boats may be available so please consider joining the Detroit Cal-25 fleet for a fun weekend. In the meantime, out next Saturday race is a point-to-point triangle, on June 14th. In addition to six or more Saturdays from May through September, the Crescent Sail Yacht Club Cal-25s race on Thursday evenings and double handed on Monday evenings and the Bayview Cals, further down the Lake St Clair and into the Detroit River race Tuesday evenings on a fixed course and every Thursday in front of Bayview Yacht Club.
We race, we have more fun per dollar and the fleet is growing again.
Whitefang, over and out for now, Think Cal-25
— John Harper
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