Region 2 Championship on 8/26/2023

2023 DF65 Region 2 Championship Regatta
By Steve Wasilko

Region 2's DF65 Championship Regatta started with nine sailors braving 90-degree heat to try and master the light winds (1 to 10 MPH), which picked up as the day progressed. The event took place at Lake Whittier, Frederick, Maryland and it proved to be an excellent venue, as the setting was perfect. Sail Wars and Brother's Pizza co-sponsored this event in which entrants received two T-shirts, nicely filled gift bags, trophies, great food and beverages. This was another spectacular event hosted by the Northern Maryland Model Yacht Club. Sail Wars volunteer Connie filmed the racing, Steve Wasilko served as Race Director and Paul kept the scores accurately. They also organized an efficient tech line to check everyone's boats which included; ensuring proper keel length and weighing the batteries. Once sign-in was completed a Skipper's meeting was held and the racing commenced.

The race day would consist of 12 races with one throw-out. The competition was fierce, as there were many races where the fleet battled from start to finish. Bart led the group by winning 6 of the 12 races and never finishing less than 3rd. Kyle Russell finished second and had two wins. Michael Campbell drove from New Jersey and won three races. He had a winch problem in race nine that had to be used as his throw-out. Mike did end up taking third in the Regatta as his first-place finishes gave him the tie breaker over Rob Dutton. It was a really exciting event and we were so lucky that it will be featured on Sail Wars! There were so many moves during the races and it really impacted the final standings! The 12 races seemed to fly by, as everyone enjoyed themselves.

This was one of those well organized and planned out Regattas, where there was a lot of comradery and good sportsmanship amongst everyone. The Sail Wars YouTube crew was filming and interviewing the racers, so look for some great videos covering this event. Chris Carpenter won the prestigious Sail Wars Sportsmanship award.

A special thank you to all of volunteers that made this event so successful! A perfect venue, fantastic pizza and subs, exciting sailing action, and a well-run event. From the great comments, I heard afterwards...his is a must attend event for next year! Well done, Skippers!

Summary of the 2023 DF65 R2CR, Red Chevrons
Date: August 26th
Location: Frederick, Md
Host Club: Northern Maryland Model Yacht Club #415
Race Director: Steve Wasilko
Entries: 10
Winds: 1-10 mph
Races Completed: 12
Scoring: Low Point; with 1 throw-out
Race Committee: Steve Wasilko, Race Director; Paul Busman, Head Score Keeper; Connie Drummond Registration/Set-up Crew/Videographer.

Place Skipper Sail# Points
1 Bart Drummond 777 18 (6, 1sts)
2 Kyle Russell 93 37 (2, 1sts)
3 Michael Campbell 165 38 (3, 1sts)
4 Robert Dutton 53 38
5 Chris Carpenter 965 55
6 Albert Chatard 463 61 (1, 1st)
7 Alan Krusinger 78 61
8 Mari Spina 46 76
9 James Crawley 630 99
10 Mike Cavanaugh 15 DNS