The CAL 25 Nationals were sailed in conjunction with CBYRA Race Week on September 4, 5, and 6 in the Chesapeake Bay off the Severn River. The best of the Bay, the Lakes, and Left Coast dueld it out for the top three spots. Day one was sailed under substantial winds, the kinds that can cause some damage and tst crew skills. However, pieces only fell off a few boats. The short high chop that develops in a breeze can be a real test of one’s driving skills. Consistent good breezes marked the next two days. It was great to get in 8 races for the three days. We were lucky in that the Bay is often known for light air. Congratulations to Brian Shenstone and Bob Orr on Draco – 1633, whose consistent excellent sailing and tactics brought home the National Championship trophy. The top 3 rounded out with Jimmy and Mike Praley from Annapolis, and Art and Scott Melenderes from Long Beach. Many thanks to the Draco team from Detroit, and to Art and Scott Melendres who represented Long Beach (with pretty much their whole family in tow).
| Sail Number | Yacht | Skipper | Race | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Race 5 | Race 6 | Race 7 | Race 8 | Points | Finish |
| 1633 | Draco | Brian Shenstone | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7/40% | 1 | 2 | 21 | 1 |
| 453 | Upchuck | Jimmy/Mike Praley | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 2 |
| 17850 | One Time | Art & Scott Melendres | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 3 |
| 1606 | Krigare | Erik & Marty Lostrom | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | OCS | 6 | 5 | 4 | 49 | 4 |
| 5854 | Makani | Jim Burdick | 6 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 52 | 5 |
| 1226 | White Cap | Tim Bloomfield | 4 | 5 | 6 | 14/20% | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 58 | 6 |
| 1242 | One Eyed Jack | Lee & Kyle Bollhorst | 7 | 8 | 5 | 9/10% | 12 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 59 | 7 |
| 896 | Zephyr | David Hoyt | RAF | 12 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 8/20% | 68 | 8 |
| 1651 | Indefatigable | Scott Sauvageot | 8 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 74 | 9 |
| 503 | ShOrT BuS | Chris Sullivan | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 11/20% | 80 | 10 |
| 1845 | Hasty | Will Farrell | DNS | 10 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 86 | 11 |
| 1297 | Quintet | Mike Miller | 10 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 8 | DNS | 90 | 12 |
| 1203 | Harlequin | Leo Surla | 12 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 15 | DNF | DNS | 102 | 13 |
| 1821 | Cal Tip'n | Kristi Merritt | 9 | DNS | 14 | 15 | 10 | 14 | 14 | DNS | 110 | 14 |
| 1813 | CL2 | Geoff Swanhart | DNC | DNC | DNC | 13 | 11 | 9 | 11 | DNS | 112 | 15 |
| 1657 | Chicken Little | Charlie Husar | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | DNC | 136 | 16 |
Upchuck (453) Sails the Pre-Race Swells
A Saturday Start in the 2010 Nationals
The conditions on Saturday of the Nationals resulted in a varied set of sail configurations. These photos are reproduced with the permission of Dave Dunigan. There are more really neat photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/davedunigan/sets/72157624754857499.
Many thanks to Marty Lostrom who put together the shore activities for the Nationals (and sailed very well to boot). The shore side of the Nationals is a lot of stuff and tough job. The highlight of the shore events was the Sunday dinner at the Severn Sailing Association (SSA). Marty made sure we had great food, great liquids, and a beautiful waterfront environment. Thanks go out to Jim and Joan Praley who donated their winnings from a silent auction to provide us with the SSA venue. Jim (who is brother and uncle of Mike and Jimmy Praley on Upchuck – 453) swears he did not know that Joan was bidding on the use of the SSA facility for a party. Things worked out great in the end.
Many thanks also to North Sails Annapolis who allowed us to use their loft in Eastport for sail measurement on the day before competition started. By the way, This was the first time that Annapolis had used the new National rules for sail measurement for the Nationals competition.
The Chesapeake Bay Fleet plans to put a good number of boats on the line for the Nationals in Detroit in 2011.