2001 RESULTS

The 5^th Annual Trans Erie Yacht Race held on August 24-26, proved to be the most popular race to date, and was filled with suprizes.  The 140 nautical mile race, which annually reverses direction, was sailed this year from Grosse Ile, MI to Erie, PA.  This year’s race drew boats from as far away as Buffalo, NY and Kansas City, KS.  It also featured a multihull class for the first time, including Earth Voyager; a 60 foot home built trimaran, and arguably the fastest sailboat on the Great Lakes.

44 boats were entered in 4 PHRF Classes, a doublehanded class, and the multihull class.  Starting on Friday evening, August 24^th,  the fleet beat west toward Point Pelee into 12-15 knot Easterly winds.  By the time the lead boats reached the Point Pelee Passage, the boats that had played the Canadian North shore had built a sizeable lead, and then the question became whether to continue to the Southeast to cover the fleet, or to tack to the Northeast, on the more favorable tack to the finish, but away from the predicted Southwest winds.   Three boats, Jazzy, a J-33 skippered by Jerry Frabutt of Grosse Ile Yacht Club, Hellion, a Soverel 39 sailed by Bob Coleman of GIYC, and Racer X, an X-3/4 tonner owned by Matt Dubois and Roger Pollack, also of Grosse Ile Yacht Club , took this Northeastern route, and carried it until well into Saturday.  When the breeze to the Southwest lightened, and then shifted Northeast, these three boats found themselves all alone, miles to weather of the rest of the fleet.  The breeze from the Northeast held at a steady 8-11 knots for most of Saturday, allowing these three boats to finish just as the sun set on Saturday evening. 

Jazzy was the first monohull to finish, at 8:10 PM, followed 49 minutes later by Racer X, with Hellion another 5 minutes back.  Meanwhile on the South side of the rhumb line, the wind was light, as Earth Voyager sat almost becalmed off Cleveland for much of Friday night and Saturday morning.  When the wind finally did fill in, it was from the Northeast, and Earth Voyager had to beat to the finish, crossing the line barely two hours ahead of Jazzy, at 5:51PM on Saturday evening. 

The next monohull to finish was Kevin Lemonds’ Henderson 30, Say Uncle, who crossed the line at 10:54 PM.  As the night wore on, a steady stream of boats crossed the line, with the last boat finishing at about 7AM Sunday morning.    The predicted southwest wind finally did fill in late Saturday night, allowing the late finishers to reach into the line off Presque Ile, but far too late to catch the leaders.

In PHRF Class A, Jazzy finished first, followed in second by Hellion, with Say Uncle third.  In Class B, Racer X took first, followed by Jim Bourgault’s X-3/4 tonner Gus, in second, and Tom Van Cleave’s Sanatana 30/30 GP, Pig Scow, taking third.    Class C saw Flak Bait, Duane Burgoyne’s C&C 33 take first, followed by Craig Morris’ Yamaha 33, My Nickel, take second, with Horizon, Bill Braun’s Sabre 38 in third.

Dick Synowiec’s Tartan 30, Shenanigan, won the PHRF D fleet.  Andicapp, a Cal 33-1, skippered by Chris Wolford was second,  and Cary On, Kerry Deihl’s Ericson 32, took third.  The Doublehanded class saw a repeat winner, as Jack Wood once again took first with his Pearson 30, L’Cheiim.  Second in Doublehanded went to Misty, a Soverel 30 sailed by John McKenney, and Wood Chips, Elroy Chenavaire’s Catalina 30 took third.  In the Multihull class, Jim Fredrick’s Big Storm, an F-28 trimaran, corrected to first, followed by Earth Voyager, skippered by Ray Howe.  Taco the Town, a Custom 35-foot catamaran owned by Dave Blake, was third. 

In the PHRF fleet, Racer X eked out first place overall, correcting over Jazzy by a mere 8 minutes after nearly 200 miles of sailing.  Hellion finished third overall.

TO PORT

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