Mercury Class Members!
Our 2017 Mercury Class Racing season is winding down; let us reflect on some of the highs and lows……It has been non-stop exciting sailing, starting with Perry Cup #3 in January.
February brought Perry Cup # 4 that entertained us with whales circling the fleet, and Mid-Winters at CBYC was a dark and stormy weekend. March was the start of the Nor-Cal series and again with a lot of success, and the So-Cal series was born. May was Cinco De Mayo and July brought the Hart Nunes regatta. Both had too much wind! Huntington Lake had almost too much water and 26 boats on the starting line! The National Championships in August in Monterey, with 26 boats on the line and probably the most competitive series we have had in several years! Pat Bradley, with Brenden Bradley crewing, won again (for the 10th time!), then decides it is time to retire from sailing Mercury’s. You could not have scripted a more perfect ending to a long career of one design racing! In September Labor Day regatta had no wind (Dick Clark and his gang got off 1 race), the weather was amazing, and then there was the Joe Logan at STFYC! PCC hosted by the Los Angeles Yacht Club was a challenge with shifty and light breeze, as was Homecoming in October. This returned to the Sausalito Yacht Club. The original home of this regatta and the club was celebrating their 75th anniversary. It was fitting to bring the class back to this setting. On to November, with The Monterey Invitational / Perry Cup #1 that had another good turnout, with 16 boats and a beautiful weekend. Finally, the Fall Series at CBYC, again light and shifty breeze both days with only 1 day of racing……… and that wraps up the 2017 Travel Trophy, which was won by Doug Baird!
A big “Thank You” goes out to all the race committees, their support staff, mark boat crews, local fleets, yacht clubs, and the many volunteers that work very hard to put on these regattas for the Mercury Class. Without them, most of this year’s races and regatta’s would not happen.
Looking ahead, Perry Cup #2 is Dec. 2nd, to finish out 2017……Perry Cup #3 is Jan. 6th 2018, followed by #4 taking place on Feb. 3rd 2018. Don’t forget the class annual meeting will be held at the Paso Robles Inn on January 20, 2018, all Mercury Class members are invited to attend. The class is growing! We welcome several new sailors who have joined the ranks this year. Chris Davis bought 529, Lyn Hines took over 565, Mitch Schroeder purchased 538, Jason Winkel now has 539, Dave Bacci recently bought 548, and Blaine MccLish has 535……..and coming back to Mercurys, John Ravizza in 537 and John Mowry has dusted off 563.
All in all, another great year for the Mercury Class!
Pam and I want to wish all of you a Happy and Wonderful Holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you on the water next year!
Remember, your boat wants to go sailing, and it wants YOU to go along for the ride!
Park,
Mercury 572