Thank you to Michael Norris for the following report: We kicked off the first VX One Great Lakes Championship with a huge success! Ten boats lined up for the regatta including an all-female crew as well as several juniors joining the teams. A special thanks to Peter and Brian Van Rossem who travelled from Kingston, Canada, Jeff and Kevin Eiber from Cleveland, Brian and Hayden Bennett from Newport and a very special thanks to our friends from Newport who chartered their boats for our Macatawa Yacht Club members. After a very light tune-up race on Friday, Mother Nature provided a challenging first day of racing on Saturday with winds of 18 knots and gusts of 25 knots. Our Velocitek recorded a top speed of 20.8 knots. The race committee wisely kept sailing on Lake Macatawa which provided flat waters and a safer environment for all newcomers. Four races were completed. The only incident happened with Peter Van Rossem who lost the bearings on his jib track but luckily our fleet member Craig Eigenbrod (being an avid cyclist) called on a local bicycle shop and managed to get the exact size bearings allowing Peter to sail fast on Sunday – a great example of VX Class friendship and cooperation. At night, we hosted a barbecue dinner at our home which included a video show of the regatta and a chalk talk from Brian and Hayden. After some rum and wine, the aches and pains of the day were forgotten. Sunday was absolutely beautiful with plenty of sun and steady winds around 10 knots. The race committee did a great job in setting the course and getting us started on time and allowing for us to complete the four scheduled races. Sailing was very close among all participants, demonstrating how simple and easy it is for sailors to adapt and go fast in a VX. Congratulations to Steve Sisson and Scott Derby for an outstanding performance and being the first Great Lakes Champions. A special thanks to Macatawa Bay Yacht Club and the Race Committee led by Barb Gamache. This event was a great preparation for next year’s North Americans. As a result of the success of this event, we had a growing interest from participants and spectators to buy boats and grow our local fleet. Looking forward to seeing all our VX One friends in Holland, Michigan for the 2016 North American Championship!
