Open 5.70 Fleet Gets High

July 21, 2012

Open 5.70 fleet in the High Sierra Regatta

It has become a tradition for the NorCal Open 5.70 fleet to meet the SoCal fleet for the High Sierra Regatta organized by the Fresno YC on Huntington Lake. What an amazing place to race on the water and to spend time with the fleet onshore. This year 17 Open 5.70s joined the fun, 11 from the Bay Area and 6 from Southern California on the weekend of July 14-15. This venue is very laid back and many people make a long weekend out of it, arriving early and leaving late so as to enjoy the lake and everything it has to offer – even the opportunity to sail with family members.

Seventeen Open 5.70 participated in the High Sierra Regatta © 2012 Audrey Finot

On the water, the conditions were perfect for very good racing. Huntington Lake is always a challenge and provides wind that differs greatly from the usual Bay and ocean sailing the fleet experiences at other regattas on the calendar. The wind speed varied – at one end of the lake the wind was light, but at the other end it reached into the upper teens. However, since the lake is at altitude and the air is thinner, the wind is much less intense and very manageable for all the crews in the fleet.

Paul Dorsey and Nik Vale on Diabolic racing for first place. © 2012 Audrey Finot

The final overall results were as tight as they could be with three boats tied for first with nine points! Paul Dorsey and Nik Vale on Diabolic got the grand prize (1-2-6). Great to see the red boat back on the racing circle. Anne-Laure and Dan Lieberman finished second on Part-Timer (1-4-4). Tom Baffico with his son Forest and regular crew Synthia Petroka on The Maker took third place (4-3-2).

First, second and third places – all tied with nine points. © 2012 Marc Finot

Fourth and fifth place boats were also tied with 15 points. Marc, Antoine and Lucas Finot with Rathnait Long on Frolic finished fourth (5-2-8) followed by The Rooster with Joe Wells, Bruce Ladd and Mike Jue (7-5-3).

Marc and Antoine Finot with Rathnait Long on Frolic in front of Part-Timer. © 2012 Audrey Finot

Joe Wells, Bruce Ladd and Mike Jue on The Rooster finished fifth. ©2012 Jeremy Leonard/Surf City Racing

Onshore, the action was as exciting as on the water. The fleet had reserved all 11 campsites at the College Campground and made it the Open 5.70 headquarters for the weekend.

Cathy Moyer sailing on Boudicca, our chief organizer and Director of Volunteers for Outdoor California. © 2012 Marc Finot

All the members of the fleet contributed to the meals which included gumbo, roast quail, lamb, barbecued ribs, breakfast pancakes, etc. There were even a couple of birthdays to celebrate.

Preparation of the famous blueberry pancakes from Tom Baffico. © 2012 Marc Finot

A big thank you to the Fresno Yacht Club for organizing this nice regatta. I am sure we will be back next year with an even bigger fleet. Results can be found at www.fresnoyachtclub.org. You can see more photos at http://surfcityracing.smugmug.com/Boats/High-Sierra-2012.

Morning calm before the breeze wakes up. © 2012 Marc Finot

The fleets are now looking forward to meeting again for the North American Championship organized by Golden Gate YC in September – a return to salty water, waves, and colder temperatures on the San Francisco Cityfront.

- Marc Finot, NorCal Open 5.70 fleet captain

You can mark your 2013 calendar now for next year's High Sierra Regatta: July 6-7, Centerboard Boats; and July 13-14, Keel Boats and Thistles.