Organizer - Tom Rummage RD - Jacques Rioux Scoring - Kelly Hall

The 2024 Tax Refund Regatta was held on April 13 at Wendell Falls Community pond in Wendell NC. It was organized by the Triangle Model Yacht Club (AMYA #28), and served as the Victoria Class, Region 3 Championship. Eleven skippers were initially registered, but we got a 12'th participant showing up the morning of the regatta in the person of Walter House of Martinsburg WV, last year's winner. The weather forecast had been calling for a bright sunny day with winds from 12 mph to 25 mph, varying from north-west to west-north-west and that's exactly what was delivered.

The first 5 or 6 races were two laps on a windward/leeward course with an offset at the windward end. That course was laid out on a mostly east-west axis. From the very beginning of racing, last year's top two finishers, Walter House, and Gerry Cobley from Cary NC, took charge and split the bullets between themselves. After 6 races, Walter had 4 wins to Gerry's two, but he was only leading by a single point. Martin Bowers of Youngsville NC was only 2 more points behind in third place.

After those initial races, the course was moved to the western end of the pond on a mostly north-west/south-east axis. The lower end marks of the course acted as the start line with the left end one acting as the single leeward mark. The pair of windward marks were used as windward and offset marks and as finish line for the rather shorter course. In effect, the races on that course consisted of exactly two and a half laps.

That course made for a great vantage point for the skippers to control their boats. They could walk along the paved path parallel to the shore and follow along the course, only 10 or 20 yards away from their boat at any time. That proximity to the course made dealing with the wind conditions slightly more manageable, but still not easy. The wind welcomed the racers on the new course in a ferocious way. The start of the first race on that course was almost apocalyptic. During the last-minute countdown, violent gusts of wind were laying down the boats almost horizontally and it was all most competitors could do to keep a modicum of control and avoid running into each other or into the marks.

The racing on that course was at times chaotic but extremely competitive most of the time. The heavy and gusty wind conditions allowed each skipper to regain an advantage lost in a previous gust. There was a lot of overtaking and several quite close finishes. I like to think of heavy air as the great equalizer. It certainly did that job on that day. The heavy wind kept the racers on their toes all day long and made for a great show to watch and to be a part of.

Even though the middle of the pack was very competitive, there is no denying the superiority of Walter and Gerry on the day. They grabbed all the bullets until race #15 where Jason Troy of Rougemont NC got his only one. The only other winner was Martin Bowers who got a string of 3 wins in 5 races toward the very end of the regatta. In the end, Walter had 11 wins to 7 for Gerry. An educated reader might guess who the eventual winners were. First was Walter House with 32 points, second was Gerry Cobley with 34.8 points and third, Martin Bowers with 56 points. They each were awarded corresponding red chevrons as region 3 champions.

Many thanks must go to Tom Rummage for organizing the regatta and orchestrating the whole event. Special thanks are also due to Kelly Hall for taking care of the scoring. We must also acknowledge a number of other members of the Triangle Model Yachting Club who contributed either by their presence, or by helping in setting up the course early on, or picking up all racing paraphernalia at the end of the day while the final scores were tabulated. Finally, thanks must also go to our lunch provider, the Farmhouse Cafe next to the sailing pond. They provided a very tasty and filling lunch for all participants at the event.