John Riddell files this report from Lake Pleasant, Arizona, on a Viper road trip:

Known more for its phenomenally beautiful golf courses than for roll-tacking and jibing, Phoenix, Arizona, is not widely known as a sailing venue. Despite this, however, it is home to the rebirth of the Viper 640 in the western U.S., and on the weekend of January 16-17 served as the field of battle for 10 Vipers fighting for the first points of the 2010 season and the first ever ownership of the highpoints kite, ‘le maillot jaune’ (the now famous yellow kite) during Arizona Yacht Club’s 50th annual Birthday Regatta. 

On Lake Pleasant the winds are variably light and ever changing. Though not the conditions for which Brian Bennet designed the Viper, the lake does remind folks that in order to win, one must remember how to sail fast in all conditions. Ranging from 10 down to 2 knots, the wind at the lake provided the Viper fleet with enough force to get off five races and start the 2010 season with tight racing. Of the 10 boats racing, the top five finished within 10 points of one another, with a tie breaker for second place.

Following in the shadow of the Inaugural Anarchy Regatta in San Diego last fall, at the end of the first day it looked as though Glenn Van Heel (#34 Snake Eyes), finishing 1 & 2 in two races, was going to continue winning and pull off another almost clean sweep of the bullets for the weekend and take ‘le maillot jaune’ back to SoCal. Tony Chapman and Greg Jackson, two locals, were within striking distance, but Van Heel was definitely in form.

The second day started off with a beautiful breezy, chilly Arizona morning, and though the entire fleet sailed well, it was Phillip Davis from Texas (#33 Blur – aptly named because I am sure Timbo Carter’s vision never quite came back into full focus after showing his tolerance level for Mount Gay rum the night before around the campfire…) who ended up taking the regatta and ‘le maillot jaune’ with three bullets on the day. 

(Special thanks to Skip and Harry from Elliot/Pattison Sails for providing the kite to the fleet.) Davis was consistently fast through the full range of conditions over the entire weekend and is thus deserving of flying ‘le maillot jaune’, but make no mistake about it, there are plenty of folks already talking about taking it back from him in San Diego in March.

In conjunction with Arizona Yacht Club’s Birthday Regatta, the Leukemia Cup Regatta series kicked off its 2010 season. The West Coast Viper fleet was proud to have put 10 boats on the line to help kick off this extremely worthwhile series and would like to extend a very special thanks to Gary Jobson for making the trip to the desert and entertaining us with his incredible slideshow and inspiring sailing stories. The fleet hopes to see you again next year.

The fleet would also like to extend a special thanks to the Arizona Yacht Club. Every year, without fail, this is one of the ‘don’t miss’ regattas of the year. Granted, the wind, as mentioned above, will always be challenging and makes marketing this event out of state a little difficult, but the experience is well worth it. The club prides itself on its ability to entertain and take care of its guests over a three-day period out at the lake, providing music, fun, friendship and food which simply can’t be beat. The annual campfire in the ‘Viper Pit’ is not to be missed… (campfire = lies, lies and more lies).

- John Riddell

For results and more, www.arizonayachtclub.org and www.viper640.org. Many thanks to John Riddell and Chrisann Tortora for the text and photos, and to San Francisco Viper sailor Drew Harper for connecting us.