Quannapowitt Yacht Club

On October 18th 2008, The Quannapowitt Yacht Club (Fleet 187) had the pleasure of hosting its first annual “Chaos Cup” regatta in the Flying Scot.  Traditionally the regatta was hosted in the International 110 but due to a lack of interest in the International 110 fleet at QYC we decided to re-brand the regatta and sail in the Flying Scot.  The regatta was usually hosted on Columbus Day weekend but this year due to scheduling conflicts we pushed it out a week.

My primary goal was to keep the regatta simple.  This was our first Flying Scot regatta so we really just wanted to make sure that everything went off without any problems.  We minimized risks by keeping the meals simple, doughnuts for breakfast, cold cuts for lunch, and pizza for dinner.  It is easy to forget how time consuming and nerve racking hosting a regatta can be.  However, we hosted the regatta so late in the year that I figured that we would not be overwhelmed by attendees so that took off some of the weight.

All week long before the regatta, as with every regatta, the weather was a major concern.  The wind was predicted to be great. The sun was going to shine.  The temperatures were barley going to break into the 50’s.  It looked like a perfect “Chaos Cup” day.

Prior to the regatta I contacted several club members to help out in the parking lot to keep the launching as smooth as possible.  Like every club we are fortunate to have a group of people willing to help out with any tasks that arise.  The members from QYC helped people launch their boats at the hoist and down at the beach.  They also answered any questions people may have had.  It was a cold morning so their help was really appreciated.

Diane Kampf and I had been in contact before the regatta to drum up business.  As usual she delivered a crew from Sharon bringing 5 boats from Massapaug.  John Cooke also came up from Cedar Point Yacht Club in Connecticut.  In all we had eight boats willing to duke it out in the cold.

The morning of the regatta the skies were clear, the leaves were beautiful, and it was ridiculously cold.  Ice had actually formed on the cover of my boat the night before.

The winds that day turned out to be very fluky from the Northeast.  That direction is not really the best to maximize the use of the lake but our Race Committee Chair, Brian Wilson, did an excellent job of setting up strait starting lines and moving marks as needed with the help of the team.  Each race was about 20 minutes long so we were able to pack in 3 races before lunch.

By lunch time I was really starting to feel the cold.  The first race started with temperatures in the 30’s!  I raided the First Aid kit and popped a couple ibuprofens to fight off a headache.  After lunch everyone was willing to go back out for the three remaining races in the afternoon.  We managed to finish up with the racing by 2:30.  People were getting tired from being outside in the cold.  I know that my feet were freezing!

While everyone was cleaning up I went and picked up Pizza for the group.  I think everyone was so cold and tired I could have served up anything and people would have been happy as long as they had food.  The pizza was simple and I think everyone enjoyed it.

Prior to the regatta much discussion circled around the QYC fleet about prizes that we would hand out.  We talked about the usual trays, cheese cutters, potato peelers, apparel, and gift cards.  Finally after much discussion we reached the best solution.  As a memento of our appreciation and a reminder of the city of Wakefield, Massachusetts I gave everyone in the top three spots a genuine Guillow Model Airplane which are made in Wakefield.  Coincidentally all three planes were a little thicker by cash that I stuffed inside each one.

Most everyone had left the club by five o’clock to defrost and catch the Red Sox Game that night.  We got several compliments and really appreciate the support of all those who attended.  The QYC Scot fleet is small but I think that hosting the regatta really impressed people at the club who had never seen a Scot fleet in action.  I think our club will see some growth in the coming years.

Next year will bring Chaos again.  We had a great time and look forward to hosting the Chaos Cup.  Maybe the lure of Guillow Model Airplanes next year will bring in more boats.

	Skipper Name	Crew Name	Guillow Model
First:	Greg Kampf	Diane Kampf	Sky Streak
Second:	Roger Sharpe	Laura Sharpe	Jet Stream
Third	Edward Wojtaszek	Susan Hankins	WWII Bi Plane

For more information and pictures please check out the following web sites

Jeff Benagh's Photos

QYC's Chaos Cup Site

Guillow Model Air Planes