L to R - Bruce Koch, Alan Taylor, Stephanie Taylor, Tom Bews
(Article written for “The Beat”, a NC Sailing Publication)
Sailors flocked to Florida in February for the biggest regatta of the year! Leg one of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series did not disappoint with 270 boats, 3 days of racing, 4 sailing circles and lively parties featuring Mount Gay Rum. Due to Hurricane Ian last Fall, Wetas were racing their rescheduled 2022 North American Championship at this event.
Half the Weta Fleet from Carolina Sailing Club swarmed to St. Petersburg to kick off their 2023 sailing season in the warm temperatures of central Florida. The line up included Bruce Koch from Virginia and the Taylor duo of Stephanie and Alan along with their good friend, Toms Bews all hailing from Greensboro. While Bruce and Alan were both sailing singlehanded, Stephanie teamed up with St. Petersburg para-sailor, Jen French as the only registered doubled handed Weta. Since there were no other boats to race against, the “Weta Girls” decided their plan was to be out on the water and “sail for the love of the sport.” After chatting on their long sail out to the race course, the girls decided to set a goal, beat 1 singlehanded boat with a stretch goal of beating 3 singlehanded boats.
Elva Rouse Park, on the shore of Tampa Bay, was filled with dinghy sailboats from end to end. The football sized field served as the rigging area for 23 Weta Trimarans, which was the largest dinghy class in the regatta, A-Class cats (foiling and traditional), and Waspz. Add to the crowd the Melges 15 and Contender fleets. There was always a backup at the hose off stations after sailing.
Day 1 brought light air in the morning as sailors were making their way out to the course. Ninety plus minutes later, multihulls finally made it out to the “Course B” Signal Boat to check in. The first two races were somewhat painful with winds around 5-6 knots dropping lower than that at times. By early afternoon, the sea breeze started to kick in with white caps providing 10-12 knots. Here we go…. FUN, “Booty on the ama” Weta sailing. In addition, the wind direction kicked up the sea state and provided a 2-3 foot chop. By race 4, winds modulated a bit. Alan Taylor ended the day in 4th place with the top 6 being in striking range. Bruce Koch from VA, our new 2023 Class President was a respectable 11th overall, being new to the boat after racing the Flying Scot for over 15 years.
Day 2 brought the “big chill” to the air with winds in the mid 20’s offshore. RC postponed for an hour to let the breeze settle in a bit. Sailors went from shorts and tech shirts to their wetsuits and spray tops. What a difference from one day to the next! 3 more races were sailed in a very comfortable 12-18 knot breeze. With these wind conditions, Wetas thoroughly enjoyed planing upwind and surfing the big waves downwind. Bring on the Weta Smile!
Day 3, winds were light and dropping to nothing so all fourteen Classes had racing cancelled to end the Regatta.
As the sun set over Tampa Bay, Alan finished with the “A” Fleet in a respectable 6th place. Bruce Koch finished in 10th. The Weta Girls, Jen and Stephanie beat 2 singlehanded boats and had a blast on the water. Tom Bews, completely new to the Weta got some experience on the water prior to the regatta and decided he needed at least a few hours in the boat before racing, especially at this level.
After shaking off the rust in Florida, we’re all looking forward to being back on our North Carolina home water, Kerr Lake for our Carolina Sailing Club season opener on April 15th!
Great summary. I'll never forget that Friday float out to the course. It was kind of fun trying to squeeze every 1/10th kt out of the 2 kt wind and I was relieved when they announced the delayed start. When they announced race 4 on the first day, I was a little down because I was wiped out and ready to head in, but I was so glad I stayed to enough the stiff breeze and surfing downwind. Also glad they squeezed it in since we lost Sunday due to no wind. 7 races is a good outing. Well done by all.
Here's my take - the summary is great weather, great racing, huge party, but I do miss having a beer in front of the FWYC at Wetafest! For the last 10 years or so, Richard Stephens and I have tried to get down to Florida at least once every winter for some Weta racing. This year, like last year, we trucked the boats down to St Petersburg for the racing on Tampa Bay. We were also able to convince ex-Ithaca and now Boston sailor Toni Sacco to join us and sail the third boat we brought down in the trailer. We got to the park Thursday, set the boats up, and went for a tune up sail. Ever since a windy day full of tight three sail reaches on Sodus Bay last year, my screecher has been looking a bit lumpy. I spent a lot of time Thursday playing with the halyard tension trying to find a compromise between sail shape and luff stability; this was time well spent as I felt my downwind speed was good all weekend. Racing Friday started after a looong slow sail out to the course and a postponement until the breeze built. For four races in a building breeze we chased the very consistent Pete Merrifield around the course. Watching in between races, it occurred to me that the race committee has a tough job with the mix of fleets: A-cats, Wazps, single and double-handed Wetas. The length of a race can change a lot for these boats with just a small change in wind strength or sea state! Friday night's front left frustrating short chop on the bay. John Harrop figured out the best way up to the top mark and probably led about half of the top mark roundings that day. I had a bit of trouble keeping up upwind, but I was able to catch boats under screecher - Pete, John, Toni, and I had some fantastic battles on the downwind legs with multiple passes and lead changes. Sunday the breeze started light, with a forecast to drop until the afternoon. After consulting the the fleet representatives, the RC abandoned racing on our circle for the day. The time not racing was pretty well used by hanging out in the sunny bay-side park and catching up with folks. The St. Pete Yacht Club puts on a fantastic party for this event - a band, kegs & Mount Gay rum, a beautiful patio overlooking the marina complete with outdoor second story pool - but it's a busy party; Sunday in the park added some of the more intimate socializing typical of Wetafest in Fort Walton. Lastly, I'll say the park logistics worked out better than expected given there were 60+ boats launching down a single ramp to the beach! Thanks to those who helped manage dollies when we were launching! -Keith Rice