Coronado 15 North Americans

August 15, 2011

Half Moon Bay Yacht Club hosted the Coronado 15 Association's North American Championship this past Friday- Sunday. We caught up with them on Saturday, chatting during a lunch break with Charlie Quest, Captain of the HMB fleet and Rear Commodore of the Association, and Vincent Paternoster, the Marina del Rey-based Commodore.

Q: How was the racing yesterday?

A: Yesterday was very light, bouncing right and left. This morning was very, very light. Makes for interesting racing. "Depending on where you finish," chimed in another racer. With shorter races, it's all in the start.

The racers ride the ferry from a floating dock to the clubhouse for a lunch break. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

The boats raced in Pillar Point Harbor, a stone's throw from the yacht club, situated in Princeton in the northern crescent of Half Moon Bay.

During the lunch break, this fog cleared completely. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

Q: Where did the out-of-town boats come from?

A: One from L.A. [that would be Vincent from MDR] and three from Sacramento.

Q: Do you travel with your own boats?

Yes, they're great for trailering.

"We trailer from L.A. to Florida and up to British Columbia," said Vincent. "There were a lot in the Long Beach area. We have six now in Marina del Rey.

Vincent Paternoster and Vadim Mantelzak, enjoying some hiking on Saturday afternoon. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

"You can find still find a boat - 200 of the third generation boats were made. They're more expensive. You can get a second generation boat that's tuned, race-ready, with good sails for about $1,500. You could spend that much for skis. The fun factor is rather high, and there's no lift ticket to buy.

"The third generation boats have bulkheads, so they're more solid in chop. If you add bulkheads to a second generation boat, they're competitive. Trapezes are an option, which you need in more than ten knots of wind to be competitive."

Leading the results as of Saturday were David Rumbough and Claire Fishman of Sacramento. The sailors got to use their trapezes Saturday afternoon. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

Charlie gave us the recent history of the fleet at Half Moon Bay YC. "We wanted to form a one design fleet. We weighed our choices, and after a couple of false starts, picked the Coronado 15 in 1999. The Association regulations keep the cost low - it's not a developmental design." Like other early fiberglass one designs, the C-15s were overbuilt, so they're rugged and durable. You can still order new ones from Catalina Yachts - UCSC bought six.

Charlie Quest and Arline Gilmore. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

This is the third time the North Americans have been held in Half Moon Bay. Other locales have included Alamitos Bay (Long Beach); Marina del Rey; Ft. Walton Beach, FL; Memphis, TN; Seattle, WA; Newport, OR; Vancouver, BC; and - the favorite and next year's destination - Huntington Lake. Nine C-15s made it this year to HMB, the lowest showing, after an initial sign-up of 16 boats. Injuries, family vacations and work opportunities took their toll. "You can still build a fleet because the economics of the boat are so good. But with so much competition for discretionary time, it takes a dedicated leader to get on the phone to the fleet," said Charlie.

Kiersten Vance and Kendall Ermshar. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

Saturday afternoon the fog cleared away leaving bright sunshine and a fresh breeze behind. The group finished up their lunch on the clubhouse deck and headed back out for three more races.

Lucy and Hunter Gillies. ©2011 norcalsailing.com

For more on the Coronado 15 Association, see www.coronado15.org. For more on Half Moon Bay YC, see www.hmbyc.org.