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Small Boats, Big Fun

El Toro Juniors and Seniors finish the last race of the Stampede at the mouth of the RYC turning basin.

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© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

As the heat wave set in over the weekend, Richmond Yacht Club hosted three regattas at once, all for small to smallish boats. The Wylie Wabbit Nationals kicked off the weekend a day early on Friday, the Sportboat and Multihull Invitational was added in on Saturday, and the El Toro Stampede sailed in a separate racing area on Sunday only.

Perennial El Toro champ Art Lange won the Bull Throwers prize of a big bag of steer manure for his perennials.

latitude/Chris
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Sunday was the windiest day, with long periods of light breeze, lulling sailors into comfort zones that were abruptly shattered by capsize-inducing gusts.

Wesley Seifers won the Junior division of the Stampede, earning the big bag of chicken manure, and the 2018 El Toro Junior season.

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©2018 Latitude 38 Media, LLC
Elsa, Kyle, Chase, Wes and Sam were among the Junior El Toro sailors. Chase, last year’s season champ, sailed with a broken arm.

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© Latitude 38 Media, LLC
On behalf of the Wylie Wabbit fleet, Jim Malloy (left) presented Wabbit builder Kim Desenberg with a king-sized quilt made from Wabbit Wegatta T-shirts by Linda Hanafee.

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© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Deke Klatt’s Wabbit Johnson hopped in from Ventura to vanquish the locals and claim the National title.

The Wylie Wabbit skippers all received gift bags.

latitude/Chris
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Also on Friday-Sunday, San Francisco YC hosted the Express 27 Nationals. While his sister Sarah was wacing her Wabbit, Paul Deeds claimed the Express 27 title with Magic Bus. We’ll have more in Racing Sheet in the November issue of Latitude 38.

On lumpy water in a sea swell this weekend, San Diego YC hosted their inaugural Olympic Classes Regatta, plus the Snipe North Americans, which conclude today.

Snipe sailors are competing for their North Americans and Pan Am Games Country Qualifier on Coronado Roads over a three-day weekend.

© 2018 Cynthia Sinclair / San Diego Yacht Club

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