30/31st May, 2009. Cascade Locks, Oregon ("The Gorge")
Over two days of stellar conditions, Kevin Hall (sponsored by Southern Spars) bested a fleet of 12 to win the Oregon State Championships. Kevin won the regatta with consistent tactical sailing, good boat handling, and good all-around speed. The final result was closely contested; Dalton Bergan, sailing a new Mach 2 Moth, was second, with a string of four firsts in the final four races. Charlie McKee was four points further back with the other four first place finishes, followed by Morgan Larson, Adam Lowry, and Andy Mack. (Of these top 6, former 49er crews were 1, 3, 5, a clear victory over the former 49er helms at 2, 4 and 6).
Held at the precise venue of the upcoming CST Composties Moth Worlds , the regatta was a chance to refine the race courses and logistical details, as well as a chance to explore viable wind speeds for competition. The racing was highly tactical with moderately puffy, shifty conditions, and lots of opportunities for passing by tacking and jibing in good spots. With 13 races in two days and winds ranging from 8-24 knots, everyone was reminded that Cascade Locks is one of the premier sailing venues in North America, if not the world. Flat water promoted high speeds, while 90-degree temperatures and spectacular scenery rounded out the overall experience.
Some amusing details: with the Spring runoff bringing current speeds ranging from 2-knots on the race course, to over 6-knots below the nearby "Bridge of the Gods", Dalton and Zack Maxam took it upon themselves to go foiling in light conditions during a pre-regatta practice session. Rapidly swept down-river, 6 knots of current was enough to foil, even with almost no wind, but it was impossible to make any progress downwind (to safety) against the current. With the Bonneville Dam turbines in-sight (providing lots of energy to a power-starved country), a dramatic rescue saved the day and the boats, if not the lives of the sailors. During racing the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler, a sightseeing relic based in Cascade Locks, decided that Moth racing was excellent spectating. By the time boats were rounding the windward mark headed for the offset in Race 10, the wind-shadow from the hull combined with the turbulence from the wheel, just upwind from the layline, caused more carnage than even normal for a 90-degree reach in high wind in a Moth. The spectators cheered, while the sailors soaked.
Next up, the US Nationals, followed immediately by the CST Composties Moth Worlds in August. The venue should bring unparalleled conditions in terms of wind, water and scenery, and the sailors will bring the rest, leaving nothing on the beach. The results:
1 Kevin Hall 18 2 Dalton Bergan 22 3 Charlie McKee 26 4 Morgan Larson 37 5 Adam Lowry 49 6 Andy Mack 64 7 Ian Andrewes 78 8 Zack Maxam 82 9 Matt Pistay 90 10 Sean Couvreaux 97 11 Bates McKee 102 12 Lindsay Bergan 102
