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BYC midwinters
Mintaka4 and Split Water (foreground) in the second weekend of the BYC Midwinters. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

Berkeley Midwinters

December 12, 2011

Berkeley Yacht Club Race Chair Bobbi Tosse reports on the weekend's Berkeley Midwinters, held on the Berkeley Circle.

December 10-11, 2011, was a super sailboat racing weekend! The water was flat and the winds were reasonably, consistently Goldilockish (not too light and not too heavy).

Hard 'n Fast
Tim Harden's Merit 25 Hard N Fast. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

Saturday, the 10th, 74 boats started on time and all finished. The 8-12 knot wind was from about 270 degrees and a double windward/leeward 8-mile course was chosen. The 18 Express 27s delighted (scared?) the race committee with a super start. No one was over early. The sun was out.  It was a lovely day.

Flexi Flyer
Two Olson 30s sailed on both days, Hoot (pictured) and Corsair. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

At the halfway mark of the Saturday series there are only a handful of contestants that appear to be getting set to run away with all the trophies.  Andrew Macfie’s Olson 30, Hoot, Falk Meissner’s Olson 25 Sharks on Bluegrass, and Richard vonEhrenkrook’s Cal 20 Can O' Whoopass all have only bullets in their divisions.  The remaining six divisions show some exciting podium possibilities for many of the contenders.

Cal 20 fleet
Five Cal 20s got their own division. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

On Sunday, the 11th, the temperature had dropped a bit, the wind had backed to come from around 220 degrees, and large black and gray clouds appeared to threaten us with rain. However, the sun would make occasional stabs through these clouds and light up the spinnakers in a most delightful way.

Family Hour
Family Hour – The Next Generation, the Bilafer family's Henderson 30. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

We were able again to start on time and all of the 27 entrants completed an 8-mile double windward/leeward race with the last boat finishing just a bit past 1405. It was another fine, fine day on the Bay.

Harry
Dick Aranoff's Newport 30 Harry. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

At the halfway mark of the Sunday series, it seems like anyone could run away with the loot. There are ties for first place in all but one of the divisions, and that division has very close results for the top places.

Results are online at www.berkeleyyc.org.

- Respectfully submitted,
Bobbi Tosse, BYC Race Person

Race Committee
Bobbi is second from the left on the RC boat. That's co-race chair Bob Gray with the binoculars. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

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