Tango Takes Final Race as HHSA Year Concludes

Photo by David Lott: Holmes Hole boats head out to West Chop in year's final race.

 

by David Lott

 

The Moffett Race, run the first Saturday after Labor Day, has been the

traditional season-ending race for the Holmes Hole Sailing Association. But

with beautiful fall weather and eager skippers on hand, that tradition has

been firmly scuttled.

 

Last Thursday eight boats came to the line for the 11th and final race of

the Fall Racing Series. Missing from the group was the Alerion 28 Penelope

and skipper Mo Flam who had secured their names on the Schwarz Cup the

previous week.

 

Last Chance
A fall champion having been declared notwithstanding, skippers who still

had boats in the water jumped at the chance to have yet one final go

around the traditional harbor triangle course.

 

It was a beautiful night with a 4:45 start so as to get in before sunset.

Was it that long ago that races started at 6 pm? A gentle 8 mph breeze from

the SW pushed the fleet along from the West Chop buoy aboard a flooding

tide to East Chop and in.

 

Tango Takes It
Phil Hale made sure that his J/100 Tango made the most of the outing,

arriving at the start with a newly cleaned bottom and easily out-sprinting

the fleet to a comfortable 8-minute cushion and the win.

 

Roger Becker, whose C&C 24 lives for light-wind days, guided the red-hulled

boat and its voluminous jib to second. Commodore Jerry Goodale took third in

his Pearson 31, Stormalong.

 

Former commodore Dan Culkin was at the helm on Magic Time, a Vineyard

Vixen, and captured fourth ahead of the Cape Dory 25 Sandpiper and

skipper Ernie Mendenall. Finishing sixth was David Lott on Avanti, a Cape Dory 270.

 

Two boats did not finish, one of which was Lagoonah, a Columbia 32, which

stopped to pick up some lobster for the after-race pizza.

 

'One of the Best Ever'
Commodore Goodale remarked with pride after the race that the sailing

season had been one of the best ever. With more than 20 HHSA races, plus

three Vineyard Cup races, Around the Island Race, Moffett, 11 Fall Series

races and other events, an energetic boat could have sailed in nearly 40 races.

 

"Our cup runneth over," said Goodale. Two days later the first big storm of

the winter roared in and thoughts immediately turned to next year.

 

For more HHSA information, go to www.HolmesHole.org.