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Click here for: 2004-2006 Regatta Reports | 1999-2003 Regatta Reports Interlake Sails
Report by Greg Fisher This past weekend the Interlake Hoover Stakes regatta was held in Columbus, Ohio in some of the "variable" conditions that central Ohio is known for in the summer months. Still there was a nice turn out including much of the class's usual top talent...two past National Champs were just a couple of the notables. When it was all said and done, a tight race took place between two total family teams and past National Champ Steve Aspery with wife Lisa and son David took the win over my brother Matt sailing with his daughter Amanda and son Stuart. 2 points separated the teams after the last day where the Aspery family clicked off two bullets. On another very positive note for North Sails all these family boats were North boats as well...and then some! North Sails were 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10 overall!!
With the Nationals in Lorain, Ohio this July and National Champs Steve Aspery, Scott Savage, my brother Matt and myself all sailing (the builder has been kind enough to offer me a boat to use) we're looking forward to hopefully some fine results! The Interlake Nationals is historically a big event with upwards of 45-55 boats. We hope to see you there! For more information on out fast Interlake sails and tuning contact our Interlake experts. To order Interlake sails online, click here.
Interlake Sails
Report by Scott Savage
Scott Savage leading the regatta
For more information on out fast Interlake sails and tuning contact our Interlake experts.
Interlake Sails
Report by Greg Fisher
Steve Aspery of Hoover Sailing Club with son Dave and Jamie Jones won the Midwinter Championship over close rival Brad Balmert from Lorain Yacht Club. Regatta conditions covered the entire wind range. North Sailors once again showed their all around speed by winning all 7 races on several different customers boats. Next up in the Travelers Series is the Chiefs Regatta in Columbus Ohio. For more information on out fast Interlake sails and tuning contact our Interlake experts.
Interlake Sails Fall Blowout was held on October 13th at North Cape Yacht Club. The morning started with cold temperatures (40 deg.) and the prediction for strong winds. Most Interlakers were loading up with three for the weather forecast. The first race saw the Thistles, Lightnings and then the Interlakes start. The wind was 8-10 out of the west. The course was a triangle, windward and leeward. The breeze was shifty and trying to build. It was a close race all the way around the racecourse. Going around the final mark there were four boats altogether going to the finish. At the finish, it was Brad Balmert followed by Fritz Everson and Jim Ward. The second race saw the breeze come on. The puffs were in the 25-knot range. Spinnakers were doused during the race due to strong winds and the fact that several Lightnings were capsized. There were many problems, including a broken jib track (Jim Ward) and a ripped-out jib grommet (Tom Marriott). At the finish, it was Brad Balmert followed by Bob Bradley. The third race was called off for the day. Final results were Brad Balmert First Place, Bob Bradley Second Place and Fritz Everson Third Place. For questions regarding our Interlake sails and tuning contact Greg or our sales rep Scott Savage.
Interlake Sails
Report by Greg Fisher
On July 8/9 12 Interlakes sailed the Lorain Sailing Club One Design Regatta and again North Sails dominated the event with 1,2,3,4 overall! Brad Balmert with John Riddle as crew won with all firsts, followed by Bryan Parker, Jim Ward and Steve Aspery. For questions regarding our Interlake sails and tuning contact Greg or our sales rep Scott Savage.
Interlake Sails
Report by Greg Fisher We, at North One Design, are really excited to be able to report that North Sails were 1,2,3 at the Chief's Regatta held at Leatherlips Yacht Club in Columbus, Ohio. Last weekend. 32 boats sailed in a wide variety of conditions...which is quite typical for the river sailing at Leatherlips. North sails rep, Scott savage with crew Jamie Jones won over Jeff Clark in second and George Fisher in third. All three sailed standard North mains, jibs and our FR2 spinnaker. Below is a write up on the regatta by AJ Savage. " East winds made for tricky sailing at this years Chief's Regatta for the Interlake class. Hoover Sailing Club's Jeff Clark, with crew Tim Cullenen, battled with Scott Savage and Jamie Jones for the regatta win as they ended Saturday racing in a tie. Sunday resulted in an overall win for Scott and Jamie when they took a 3rd place and held Jeff and Tim to a 4th. Third place overall in the event went to George Fisher and Jeff Jones, who after a 12th place in the first race, demonstrated a dominating 1st and 2nd in the following races. Hank Boissonealt and Wes Blazer sailed consistently fast to to capture 4th place while Tim Boucher with Mark Hess and Andrew Bartz had a come-back 1st place on Sunday, enough to secure 5th place overall." For questions regarding our Interlake sails and tuning contact Greg or our sales rep Scott Savage.
Interlake Sails
Report by Greg Fisher October has been a good month for North Interlake customers! At the Poltergeist Regatta in Indianapolis, Ind, Oct 7/8, North Sails were At the Buckeye Lake Snowball Regatta 2 past National Champs- Steve Aspery and Scott Savage teamed up to win overall in similarly tricky conditions near Columbus, Ohio. North sails were 1,2,3 overall! At Clark Lake Fall Tim Dowling Regatta, Michigan a couple weekends before Steve Aspery won in a new regatta on the Interlake circuit! North Sails also powered the first ( Tom Ehman) at the Hot to Trot Regatta at Pinckney, Mi 9/16-17 and first at the Potomac River Leukemia Cup ( Martin Howell with Dave McCaskell and Christine Zellerson). Congrats to all!!
Report by Greg Fisher 50 boats sailed the 2006 July 27th -29th at Hoover YC in Columbus Ohio. There were all conditions experienced with surprising breeze for the first 2 days. A breeze of 10-15mph in the middle of Ohio in late July is almost unheard of!! When the smoke cleared North Sails performed well with scores of 2,3,4,5,7,10,11,12,13,15 overall and 1st in the Women's and 1st in the Juniors! Congrats to Carolyn Tanner and Matt Clark for their victories! I crewed for my Dad (who turns 80 this fall) George Fisher, and we were second overall with our sales rep Scott Savage (and last year's winner) close behind. Paul Abdullah, with Skip Dieball crewing, won the regatta. Steve and Lisa Aspery, Jamie and Kristin Jones and Scott and Lynn Savage and all the members of HYC put on an exceptional event. It was great sailing with a loaded social calendar that kept everyone entertained at all times! For questions regarding our Interlake sails and tuning contact Greg or our sales rep Scott Savage.
Report by Greg Fisher North Interlake sails dominated the Hoover Summer regatta this past weekend finishing 1,2,3,5 overall! 26 boats sailed in this uncharacteristically breezy regatta in Columbus Ohio. Jeff Clark won the event followed by North rep Scott Savage. Brad Balmert with North Sails was third and Steve Aspery was 5th. With the Nationals being sailed at the same club in about 6 weeks there is a great deal of enthusiasm! For more information on Interlake sails, please contact our Interlake Experts! To order Interlake sails online, click here.
Report by Scott Savage
Race 2 saw some big changes in velocity, both up and down. Several folks checked the early spring water temperature the hard way. With the up and down pressure shifting gears and boat handling took center stage. Due to some good fortune and a lot of hard work Rick and I were able to hold off Bob Bradley and George Fisher and ring up another win. Sunday brought more seasonable temperatures and a wind shift to the southeast. This made to course significantly shorter and further compressed the fleet. After several lead changes we followed North Sails powered Brad Balmert across the line again followed by George Fisher. We were fortunate to win this great event, George Fishers consistent pressure up front got him a solid second. North sails also powered Brad Balmert in 4th and Jeff Clark with Team “R” rounding out the top 5. Thank you to all those who made this season kick off regatta such a success. For more information on Interlake sails, please contact our Interlake Experts!
Note received from Scott Savage, 1st place. Davis Island Yacht Club, Tampa Fl. March 3rd -5th 13 boats were treated to Chamber of Commerce weather and a wide variety of wind conditions. 8 races were completed over three days and included all types of breeze, waves and chop. North customer Jeff Clark got off to a great start showing the speed and consistency that would ultimately put him and Team R into a first place tie. Brad Balmert had great speed in all the conditions over the regatta and wound up a close third just a couple of points out of first. My brother Rick and I were found ourselves on the right side of the tie break with Jeff. We found that we had a great combination of speed and angle over a wide variety of conditions allowing us to compete on all legs of the course. North sails were onboard 4 of the top 5 boats. For more information on Interlake sails, please contact our Interlake Experts!
Interview by Greg Fisher
SS - We found that keeping the boat moving in the lulls was the most critical thing for us. You needed to be able to get to the new pressure before you could worry too much about boatspeed and angle. Was there a turning point in the regatta for you? SS - Indeed. We got tangled up at the start of the first race and found ourselves looking at the entire fleet from the wrong point of view. We knew we had to climb out quickly. We recovered pretty well, but put ourselves in a position of needing outstanding scores to have a chance in a series without a discard. It has been said you had impressive speed throughout the regatta. What was most important? SS - Our boatspeed was great. The AP Main and standard jib are very adjustable in the these types of conditions. We found that we had speed and angle when we needed it the most. We sailed with the FR2 chute constructed the lightweight Norlite 50 cloth. It flew beautifully in as little as 2 knts of breeze. The full shoulders on the FR2 really help it project and that allowed us to extend on the downwinds. What is your basic tuning setup and what is most important to you? SS - We sail the boat to the tuning guide most of the time. For this regatta we set up with a little less rig tension but the same rake as normal. This set up allowed us to power up the jib easier and still have the pointing once the boat was up to speed. The most important thing was to not over trim right out of tacks and gybes. Resisting the temptation to get the boat pointing early is a constant problem in light stuff. In shifty, tough conditions like at Indy, there's a lot of gear changing...can you describe what things you look to adjust first? What is most critical? SS - We rely on consistant and constant sail triming of both the main and jib together. Our first priority is always basic trim followed by subtle tweeking of the jib cloth, centerline trimming of the main. Being smooth in the boat also pays off in big ways when it gets light.
SS - We spend alot of time sailing open water events that are part of the Interlake Travelers series. Growing up I got to sail with some great "bumpy" water sailors. They taught me alot about getting the boat moving and keeping it driving, fighting the urge to point all the time. The powering up and then pointing cycle is not that much different then sailing in light air on a smaller/smoother body of water were maintaining boatspeed is king. The Interlake Class is an impressive one design class in that it is showing growth in many areas at many regattas. Tell us a little about it and why it is so strong. SS - The Interlake is a great all around performer. The affordability of the boat and its relatively simple rig make it more of a "tactical" boat than a tuner's boat. I think this simplicity is attractive to alot of folks. It also seems that the Interlake is a real strong class for families. In fact, don't you normally race with your wife Lynn or one of your brothers? SS - I normally sail with Lynn or one of my brothers. The fact that the boat is competitive as a 2 or 3 person boat makes it appeal to families. My kids are starting to race with me as well and I may have to fight for tiller time soon. How about the boat? Most Interlakes seem to be very similar in rigs and hull shape- seems the class maintains a strong one design focus? Our strong class association assures that a sailors skill and preparation is what makes up a regatta winning formula. A boat with good sails and a fair hull is competitive at all levels of Interlake racing. What's next on your horizon, Scott? Where are the Interlake Nationals next year and are you fired up? SS - My fleet at Leatherlips is co-hosting the Nationals at Hoover Sailing Club in Columbus, Ohio. Am I fired up? Are you kidding, it's the next best thing to sailing at my home club.
Thank you Scott! Need help getting your Interlake to sail faster? Contact our Interlake Experts!
Report by Skip Dieball The 2005 Jolly Roger Cattail Regatta was again a one-day only event. The wind gods once again smiled down on the greater Toledo area as the participants were treated to a 10-12 knot breeze out of the East-Northeast.
* partial North inventory For more information on Interlake sails, please contact our Interlake Experts!
Report by Martin Howell Race 1 started with wind in the 15-20 range, but quickly came up to 35-40. Several boats in other classes went over, and the Coast Guard "encouraged" the RC to cancel racing for the day. After the race, we took the main down and rolled it around the boom and put the main/boom under the deck. We sailed in on jib only, which was surprisingly effective. The lee helm was a bizarre sensation in an Interlake, but we got to the docks without incident. Day 2 was again windy, but not as extreme. Going into the last race it was a tie between us and Bob/Lisa Fleck. With the wind building, the RC made it a one-lap windward-leeward. We managed to get on top of the Fleck's just after the start and never let them get away. We must have done 20 tacks on that very short weather leg, but it worked and we were able to win the race and the regatta. Fun weekend. The sails were excellent and fast as always.... Top 3:
* partial North inventory For more information on Interlake sails, please contact our Interlake Experts!
Report by Skip Dieball I just received the scores from this year’s Chief’s regatta (the official start to the springtime Interlake sailing schedule). I spent Saturday morning greeting all the folks as they arrived and helped a number of people get ready for the racing. Although the forecast was very, very bleak (cold and breezy), 27 boats showed which was quite impressive. Probably more for Scott Savage’s killer happy hour party! When the dust settled, our Circuit Rep Scott Savage won the 3-race event. North Customer Bob Bradley sailed an impressive regatta to finish 2nd and ’05 Midwinter Champ Hank Boissoneault rounded out the top 3.
*partial inventory For more information on Interlake sails, please contact our Interlake Experts!
Report by Skip Dieball
The ’05 Interlake Midwinters were held on March 19/20 in Alexandria, Virginia out of the Washington Sailing Marina adjacent to Reagan National Airport. Sailing on the Potomac is very interesting and there’s rarely a dull moment. The breeze is volatile and with the passing commercial aircraft, there’re a lot of artificial puffs! Very exciting! Fleet 39 out of Alexandria did a phenomenal job running this year’s event. It was truly a volunteer effort and everyone in the fleet chipped in. They enjoy sailing and the company of other Interlake sailors and the folks that traveled definitely appreciated the effort. The weekend started with a 2-boat video session which was then used later that evening at the opening party. We all gathered at Martin and Ashley Howell’s and I gave commentary to the 45 minute session. It was nice because the video was taken in a variety of conditions and the group was able to see and chat about gear changes and balance. I definitely enjoyed the evening! Saturday brought light winds initially out of the NNE then swinging to the SE later in the day. At the end of the day, Hank Boissoneault with crew Jim Crawford were tied with myself and crew Dan Synowiec. We each had 9 points in 5 races. ’04 Midwinter Champ, Scott Savage with brother Rick crewing, was in 3rd not far behind.
Saturday evening many went out into Alexandria’s “Old Town” district of bars and restaurants. This town is very vibrant with activity. Sunday’s racing was just as tight as Saturday’s. Dan and I won the first race with Hank 2nd and Scott 3rd. We battled with both boats pretty hard on the last beat. We tried passing Hank back to 3rd, which would have sealed the regatta for us, but he fought through our series of tacks and edged out Scott at the finish. The last race found the same 3 boats battling the whole way around the course. We were in 3rd most of the race, however we were hopeful to find some sliver of a shift to get through. It didn’t happen. In fact, Hank and Jim sailed another great last beat to jump Scott at the finish on the last shift of the day. Many of the class regulars couldn’t make the trip, and they sure missed out on some great racing! In fact many of us talked about the sunburn we got on Saturday!!! Hank Boissoneault took delivery of his brand new North Sails on Friday before the event. They were perfect out of the box and Hank said, “The boat felt great, I was able to relax and make sound decisions.” In fact, Hank, Scott and I all got our ’05 sails on Friday and we all felt like we had great speed! For more information on Interlake sails, please contact the Interlake Experts! Report by Skip Dieball This past Sun, Mon, Tues North Cape Yacht Club (LaSalle, Michigan) hosted 41 boats for the Interlake Nationals. The field was strong with 7 past National Champions mixing it up in 12-25 knots of breeze on Western Lake Erie. The Race organizers and committees did an exceptional job both on land and on the water. Temperatures and winds were unseasonable and caught everyone off guard. I had planned to sail the regatta 2-up with my friend Paul Abdullah, but decided a day before the event to pick up a 10-year old Opti sailor, Tom Irwin. This put us at approx 450lbs, which was ideal for the forecast and Tom was great to sail with. Our decision paid off as Paul, Tom and I won every race. It was a very gratifying victory as the fleet was extremely strong. Thursday before the event I took delivery of a brand new Customflex boat and our AP Main, AP Jib and Crosscut Spinnaker. Every detail was perfect and the boat/sails were very fast out of the box. Championship Fleet
The Challenger division was won by Past President Alan Freeland from Columbus. Alan has been traveling to many regattas and attributed his success to his time on the water and time spent with his friends from Columbus. Second place was Jack Coleman from Portage Lake and Dan Graf, from Indian Lake, was third. Challenger Fleet
For more information on Interlake sails, please contact the Interlake Experts!
Report by Skip Dieball This past weekend, I personally raced the 2004 Cattail as it was held at the club I spent my Jr. years sailing (Jolly Roger Sailing Club). The Cattail is a 1-day event and has been plagued in recent years with bad weather. This year the forecast was for an epic day and it came through. Jolly Roger Sailing Club is about as “grass-roots” as you can get. Totally volunteer and 100% sailing. It is a very cool club to come back to because they take exceptional pride in their events and their club. I was treated incredibly well and it was a treat to come back and see everyone. We had 81 boats in 8 classes:Thistle, Interlake, Catalina 22, Laser, Multi-hull,420, CFJ and Optimists. I raced the Interlake which is always the largest fleet in this event. Many traveled there this year including a few past National Champs. The sailing was tight and fun with breeze out of the NE (sea breeze) at 10-12 and 2-3’ waves. I borrowed the builder’s (Customflex) brand new boat and used our AP Main , AP Jib and CC Spin. This is different as I have usually chosen to sail one of my family’s boats, which are a bit older and rigged much different. The boat/set up was perfect, the sails were great and my crew (Ernie Dieball) and I had a 1,1,2 out of 20 boats. Here are the results of the top 5:
For more information on Interlake sails, please contact the Interlake Experts!
Report by Skip Dieball
May 1,2 - Columbus, OH TOP 10:
* Main and Jib
Report by Skip Dieball
The first annual Interlake Midwinters were held this past weekend in Alexandria, Virginia. This unique venue offered up some challenging sailing, in very spring-like weather (70s & periods of Rain/Sun). The sailing site is adjacent to Washington/Reagan National Airport, so the airline traffic is deafening! Our circuit rep, Scott Savage won all but two races to clinch the Midwinter Championship. Sailing with brand new AP Main & Jib and a CrossCut spinnaker, Scott made some big moves throughout the fleet and showed amazing speed. Top 10:
* North partial inventory For more information on Interlake sails, please contact the Interlake
Experts!
For more information on Interlake sails, contact the North Interlake experts.
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