Piedmont Model Yacht Club

2007 26th Annual Century Cup Report

Elon University, NC

By: Cameron Hunt - RD

26th Annual Century Cup Regatta held by The Piedmont Model Yacht Club at Elon, NC on June 16-17, 2007 were blessed with good weather and enough wind to race 26 heats. The 2 fleet promotion relegation heat system was used. Each captain sailed in 2 seeding heats and at least 11 fleet heats. Their best finish in the seeding heats was carried forward and one addition throw out for the fleet heats was allowed.

Eight captains registered bullets and eight scored second places. The top five captains at the end of Saturday’s sailing maintained their leads on Sunday with fourth and fifth places changing from Saturday to Sunday. Finishing just out of the plaques was Skip Allen in sixth place. There were anxious moments when Carl Olbrich, in his 75th year, fell into the B fleet for the first time but was able to survive and lock up first place by one point, winning a regatta for the first time.

Lunch was the pizza from a local establishment and fruit distributed by Linda Angel (Frank’s boss). Rick “Rainman” West our esteemed EC 12 Class Secretary was in attendance but the rain had come earlier in the week as a low passed by filling the lake. We had light and variable wind from the SW for most of the heats. The changing winds of Elon gave all points of sail as the boats traveled down the course. The tradition of “It always rains on Rick” was not fulfilled again this year.

We were honored to have one of the PMYC’s founding fathers in attendance. Don Gilliam, who has been having some serious health problems the last few years felt good enough to stop by an spend a few minutes with us. Everyone was delighted to see him up and about.

Thanks to all the skippers and wives for making this a fun event. Also a big thank you to Frank Angel for all his preliminary work, expertise, and acting as mark observer; to Linda Angel for being an excellent caterer and being in charge of lunch and putting up with “Uncle” Frank. Thanks also to Paul Bowen and Bob Mersereau for being mark observers and starter. And to Chris Kakavas for removing the marks from the pond, thereby saving a trip to the hospital for Frank or me.

All in all, the fleet was very close with only a very few points separating most of the finishing positions as the scores below reflect.

Finish	Captain	Score	State
1.	Carl Olbrich	39	NC
2.	Reichard Kahle	40	SC
3.	Gerry Cobley	44	NC
4.	Jack Wubbe	50	FL
5.	Rick West	51	CA
6.	Skip Allen	62	GA
7.	Winston Mathews	76	FL
8.	Scott Vernon	77	GA
9.	Doug Hale	91	NC
10.	Tom Phillips	97	FL
11.	Dennis McInerney	106	SC
12.	Bob Szczepanski	111	NC
13.	Chris Kakavas	113**	NC
14.	John Amoroso	131	NC
15.	Jack Ward	132	FL
16.	Dan Scudder	135*	NC

* Did not sail Sunday
** Did not sail Saturday

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