McDONNELL BROTHERS' SPANKER TRIUMPHS AT NOOD REGATTA

(Sunday, June 21, 2009)  "Dennis and I had modest expectations of being competitive and looking for an upper third of the fleet, for finishing position for the weekend."  So said skipper Jim McDonnell after Spanker's victory today at the 2009 Chicago NOOD Regatta.

2nd place was awarded to Tom Weber's La Temepte, and 3rd place to Turning Point under co-skippers Dave Hardy and Bill Bartz.

Twelve Beneteau 40.7's competed in six races over the past three days (Friday through Sunday).  The event is organized by Sailing World Magazine and hosted by Chicago Yacht Club.  The Chicago NOOD and Chicago Yacht Club's Verve Cup (held in August) are the largest gatherings of 40.7's, as one-design racers, on the North American continent.

The weather tried to derail the event with storms on Friday and light air on Saturday and Sunday, but the race committee on Circle B prevailed and was able to complete two races each day. 

Day one, Friday, saw storms passing over the race course, though most of the intensity swept north of Circle B, where racers in other sections on Circles A and C were sent back to the harbor for a few hours before being called back out.  Circle B saw a postponement of about two hours that day before racing commenced.  As rain fell, the wind briefly hit 40 knots before quieting down and allowing the races to start.  Many sailors in the 40.7 fleet commended the Circle B race committee for setting shorter courses of 1.2 and 1.6 miles, each with four windward/leeward legs.  Starting courses were respectively called at 130° and 135°.   Wind on Friday was mostly in the 10-12 knot range. 

This was the first opportunity that Bob Arzbaecher's Sociable, from Milwaukee, has sailed with the fleet.  During the start of the second race on Friday, Sociable lightly impacted the starboard side of La Tempete.  Sociable was to windward of La Tempete, just below the starting line at the time of the collision.  No protest was made. 

The only protest of the event that went to the "room" was Turning Point's protest of Collaboration in the first race on Friday for not sailing the proper course, a violation of rule 28.1(c) which specifies that a boat shall "pass between the marks of a gate from the direction of the previous mark."  Turning Point protest was that Collaboration went around, rather than through, the gates at end of the second leg of the race.  The result of the protest was that Collaboration was scored as having not sailed the course properly and received 13 points, one more than the number of boats starting the race. 

Jay Muller's Das Boot jumped out to an early lead in the regatta by winning the first race.  But at the end of the first day of racing, Spanker, with a 3rd in the first race and a bullet in the 2nd race was in 1st place, 2 points ahead of 2nd place La Tempete under skipper Tom Weber.  Meanwhile, Das Boot, with a 6thrd place finish in the second race, was in 3 place overall. 

Saturday's racing started off in light air of mostly 6-9 knots out of the west.  The first race was called at a course of 260° with a distance of 1.3 miles, four legs.  The wind began to die and shift.  As the 40.7's began their starting sequence for the next race, the race committee stopped the sequence and signaled a postponement.  The waiting continued for about two hours.  The 40.7 fleet took advantage of the interlude to begin one of their traditional water fights, mostly involving Tsunami, Excalibur, Mojo, Vayu, Collaboration, and Das Boot.  "Welcome to the fleet, Sociable!"  The highlight of the fight came as several boats chased Collaboration through the fleet, with helmsman Bob Vickery, ever the wily Lake Fox, skillfully maneuvering at high speed through the dozens of idling boats. 

Finally the RC signaled "Follow This Boat" (black and yellow flag) and headed about a mile and a half inshore, where after another wait, the wind finally began to fill in at 5-6 knots allowing them to start the final race for the day.  This race course was set at 100° (almost a 180° change from the previous race), at a distance of 1.2 miles, four legs.

This was the day that Spanker cemented her lead in the regatta by winning both races.  La Tempete had the next best score of the day with a 2-4 thereby solidifying her hold on 2nd place in the event.  Ron Buzil's Vayu had the 3rd best day in the section with scores of 4-3.  Das Boot, with Saturday scores of 3-8, held on to 3rd place.  Vayu was in 4th place overall by 2 points, followed by Turning Point, under co-skippers Dave Hardy and Bill Bartz, in 5th place, and 2 points behind Vayu. 

Following the racing on Saturday the 40.7 fleet held a raft party on the seawall of Chicago Yacht Club.  Rafted boats included Excalibur, Rhumb Runner, Vayu, Tsunami, and La Tempete.  Crew from most of the other boats stopped by and traded many a story over beer and rum or vodka drinks. 

Sunday began under cloudy skies, with a very light north wind.  The two races of the day were sailed on a course of 0 degrees, at a distance of 1.2 nautical miles, four legs. 

La Tempete had the best day of any boat in the section with races of 1-3 but Turning Point came roaring back with a 5th place in the first race of the day (the 5th race of the regatta0 and a 1st place on the 6th and final race.  Turning Point's bullet knocked Das Boot out of 3rd place all the way down to a final 5th place overall and held Vayu in 4th place.  Or course Das Boot shot herself in the foot (in the boot?) by turning in her lowest race score of the event with a 9th place in the final race. 

Notable was the Lake Fox's absence from the starting line on Sunday.  Bob Vickery explained that with crew problems continuing through the weekend and family issues requiring his attention he was forced to abandon the regatta. 

About Collaboration's problem on Friday, of not sailing the course properly, Bob stated that he mistook the orange starting mark for one of the orange leeward gate marks. 

After Jim and Dennis McDonnell, Spanker's skippers, collected their first place prize on Sunday, we were able to get  Jim's observations on the regatta:

"Dennis and I had modest expectations of being competitive and looking for an upper third of the fleet, for finishing position for the weekend.

"We had sailed in the Colors regatta the previous week and that was our shake-down this season, as it was our first time out.  We had Perry Lewis from North Sails for one of those days and worked on some speed tips, concerning jib trim for wind sheer, and some gybing technique improvements.  We felt our boat speed was good overall and with a 4th place finish it may have given us a touch of momentum going into the NOOD.

"When we got organized Friday morning, our team had a few holes due to last minute work  commitments, so we had to plug in some less experienced people, and left the dock with nine, three of which had not raced much or with us before. So I was a little tentative, especially with the potential of the unsettled weather.

"Fortunately, after the postponements, the light air conditions that prevailed, enabled us to move a little slower regarding the critical boat handling situations throughout the day, and our "baptism by fire" teamwork continually improved. As we got to regular positions the following days, we maintained the continuity and we recovered from our mistakes, without compounding problem situations.

"We set the boat up with the usual light air settings and hoped our 4-year-old Light #1, was up to the task.  Again, trimming for the wind sheer, when it developed, seemed to help us change the mini gears, when necessary, and Chris did a great job driving upwind.

"We felt good enough about boat speed, that if we could get ourselves in a good clean position, 5 minutes after the start, we could challenge upwind on the first legs.  And with the short courses and the "wind fences" that develop from sections behind, sailing in the "clean light air" would be faster then the potential wind shadows. 

"We wanted to race the course, not individual boats so much.

"Let's face it, the boats that have traditionally done well, continue to do well.  Turning Point won the event last year, and Dave Hardy always has that team, ready to compete.  Tom Weber and the La Tempete troops have won so many they lost count.  The Tsunami's are always in the mix.  Vayu, Das Boot consistently place well. Mojo's moving.  Bob, and  Collaboration 2 , has the most consistency in the top of the fleet since day one.

"So, all the above have great resumes.

"And the freshmen and sophomores in our class are coming along.

"The mix at the top after day one had Spanker, La Tempete, Turning Point, and Das Boot in single digits.  So Saturday's racing set the stage for what they call in golf, "moving day".

 "Saturday we felt better about being aggressive then trying to protect a lead and again set our goal on the race course, not the boats. So speed and shortest distance to the marks became the priority.  Fortunately that paid dividends. Two first place finishes put us in excellent position, to go to the raft up party, with a slight cushion for Sunday.

"Sunday (was a) little out of the ordinary.  Spanker and La Tempete were within 6 points and the remainder of the boats were locked up in a 9 point spread for 3rd place, not a major threat, at least objectively.

"First Race: So we had to stay close to La Tempete. As things developed, after the start of race 1, we did not have our speed settings, and they extended on the first leg, when we got to the top mark, Vayu & Das Boot piled on top of us, in a three boat length hole, from the port lay line. That gave La Tempete all the extension they needed to go on and win the race and we finished in that order with a 4th place.

"Ok, now the spread for 1st place was down to 3 points.

"Second Race:  The collar got a little "tight" on my tee shirt as we prepped for the start. I thought "be aggressive rather then tentative". Turned out, too aggressive!

"TP, established position, and pushed us over the line early, we were recalled, re-start, and got going in the right direction.  After recovery, we ended up 4th boat at the top mark, but still within striking distance of La Tempete. As we worked down wind we recognized a shift, and some better pressure developing on the left side.  As we approached the bottom gate, there was a 45 degree (upwind) change of course, TP, Vayu, La Tempete rounded, in that order, the slightly favored upwind right gate.

"We elected to go to the opposite side, and that was the clean air that we needed to accelerate upwind, and start closing the gap on the leaders.

"By the time we got to the last half mile on the last beat, we had crossed La Tempete, and lee bowed Vayu in some tight racing, and extended enough to follow TP around the mark in 2nd place.

"Down hill, we now just had to keep ourselves between La Tempete and the finish, which we accomplished.

"Our crew were:

Drivers: Chris Klee and Jim

Grinders: Tom Verhey and Rick Woodring

Main Trimmer: Chad Smith

Sewer: Lynne Wagner

Tactics: Jim/Joe/Chris

Support: Dennis McDonnell (shore bound)

Jib Trimmers: Joe Spataro

Bow:  Andres Alvarado and Jeff Bell

Pit:  Rollin Pierce and Joe

Spin Trim: Chris Klee

Spin Guy: Jerry Ring

"As to who was Spanker's MVP of the regatta, as in most competitive events the small details can add up and result in the biggest gains.  Our whole team was attentive to the details. So the work that started in the boat yard, carried over to the race course and was very well organized.

"Joe Spataro lead the team in the pre-race prep and kept everyone focused and coordinated throughout the regatta. He "eagled eyed" sail trim, kept the boat handling, in sync, and pitched in on tactical decisions.  So Joe gets our MVP award for the 2009 NOOD.  Thanks Joe, and a great job by all!

"A good regatta and nice opportunity to meet and welcome Bob and some of the Sociable crew to our class."

We were also able to interview Spanker's MVP, veteran Chicago 40.7 sailor, Joe Spataro.  Joe has been with the fleet since 2001, sailing on Vayu until 2007, then transferring to Spanker in 2008. 

Here's what Joe had to say about the NOOD:

"Our spirits were pretty high going to the NOOD because we felt we could build on our results from Sunday at the Colors regatta. We thought if we could stay in the top four for every race we would have a chance to win.

"Jim leads with a quiet confidence.  He is the same whether we are over early or we win the start.  He really stays focused on boat speed, wind direction and our heading.  The crew fully supports his decisions and executes the moves he calls for.

"Our strategy was to stay in clear air and follow the wind shifts.  We were focused on the race course, the favored side and looked for more pressure.

"Our starts were a little exciting and to be over early in the last race wasn't what we hoped for but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we once again had to focus on ourselves instead of the competition.  Once we got in front of La Tempete, all we had to do was cover them.

"Everyone sailed well and that's the key. The competition is fierce and you can't give anything away or it will bite you in the back.

"We would like to congratulate La Tempete and their crew for an outstanding regatta along with Turning Point and the rest of the 40.7's.  It's a great fleet to be a part of."

Next we got Tom Weber's perspective of the 2009 NOOD from the skipper's position aboard La Temepte:

"Our strategy was to try to get good starts so we could sail in clear air and control where we wanted to go on the course rather than let other boats force us to certain sides of the course.  In the light air we tried to get the boat up to speed as fast as possible and maintain that speed even if it meant sailing a little fat at times.

 "To prepare we have been having problems with our wind instruments and we worked on getting those fixed to no avail.  We never knew true wind speed or direction. Other than that nothing extra.

" The Colors didn't help much since we had different crew for that weekend.

"Crew for the NOOD were:  Ryan (Weber, Tom's son) and Mike Lucas on foredeck, Christoph Milz (first regatta) at the mast, Bob Foley and Steve Roake spin trim, Byron (Weber, Tom's other son) in the pit, Eugene Johnson, Jay Koverman, & Gary Bunger jib trim, Kevin Scott on guy trim, and MVP Steve Youngson on main trim and tactics, with me driving paying the bills.

"Spanker and the McDonnell brothers joined the 40.7 fleet at the end of the 2003 season, sailing their first regatta in the class, the Olympic Cup, on May 25th of that year.  She finished last in that event.  By the season's end, Spanker was finishing generally in the middle of the fleet and she won the last regatta of the year, the Sheldon Clarke Regatta on September 13th.

Spanker's NOOD finishes: 

La Tempete has won the Chicago NOOD more than any other 40.7 since the fleet began sailing one-design in 2000. 

Dave Hardy, skipper of 3rd place Turning Point made these observations:

The weather was particularly challenging for us.

Neither Bill (Bartz, Turning Point's co-skipper) nor I are particularly good at light air starts, and as you know, if you screw up the start, it can be really hard to recover.  It happened on both races Saturday and when we tacked away for clear air, we got out of phase with the shifts --  we struggled.  The crew work was good, though, and we got better at trimming our light #1 -- we haven't figured out how point with that thing and go fast with the rest of you guys.  We did find a few puffs, so that kept us in the game through Saturday.  When the wind picked up on the second race Sunday, we seemed to find our stride, the crew work was excellent and we caught some shifts.  It was nice to finish the weekend strong - but as Tom Weber so eloquently put it, we can only hang on to that feeling until the start of the next race.

As far as the Colors Regatta goes, it did help us work out a few kinks in preparation for this weekend.  We have always struggled with our light #1, and light air jibes are some of the toughest.  So the Colors helped us with the jibes and we had a chance to try some things with the light #1.  It gave us something to build on during the NOOD.  It helped, but we still have a ways to go.

What was most exciting?  There were several exciting moments over the weekend.  Several tight mark roundings, exciting starts, close finishes.  It's hard to single out any particular occasion - oh wait, I remember a few people getting pretty excited after discovering that LaTempete had run out of tonic.  What a great thing that we can compete so intensely and then have such a great time on shore.  Yeah, I think that's  the most exciting thing I'll remember about the weekend.

 All races of the 2009 NOOD count for the Lake Michigan Sailing Federation's Best Beneteau 40.7 on Lake Michigan competition.  Current standings are now posted at

Photos of the 40.7 Fleet at the Colors Regatta start at: 

 NOOD Photos

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More 2008 & 2009 fleet photos start with:  40.7 Photos

Anyone can submit photos for publishing on the 40.7 websites.

Email to cygnus(at)interaccess.com.

A history of the 40.7 results of the Chicago NOOD Regattas since 2003 is at:

NOOD History

Final Results of the 2009 Chicago NOOD, Beneteau 40.7 section