Hello once again all Mercury Class members!
Been a few months, so here’s a brief class update………..
Strange times we are living in right now with the whole COVID 19 (Corona Virus) world pandemic. I first want to address the class sailing schedule…..that being said, some yacht clubs are completely shut down and some are on limited schedules but still conducting regattas or sailing events. One such club is the Encinal Yacht Club who host our NorCal series. They will still run our upcoming races on April 4th…….however, keep an eye on your email for any last minute updates or any changes. As for the rest of our racing schedule, we’ll just have to see what comes about in the next couple weeks. It is important that we make sure if the class is to change or cancel any up coming racing dates, we need to let the hosting club know in advance (as much as possible) that no Mercurys will be attending. I will leave those decisions up to the local fleets as to what they want to do.
Just a quick recap of our Yearly Class meeting in Paso Robles this past January……..The National Championships will be held at CBYC August 20th thru the 23rd. Originally we had approached the Coronado Yacht Club to see if they would be interested in hosting the Mercurys, but unfortunately they were unable to work us into their calendar for 2020. They asked if I would get with them in September of this year and they will make a spot for us for 2021. June 13th and 14th of this year is their Small Boat One-Design regatta, and the club said if we can get at least 5 boats on the line they will give us a start. The Mercurys used to participate is the regatta in the early 2000’s. It is a wonderful venue with warm water, warm air, and nice consistent wind! Not to be missed…..Make your travel plans now! Speaking of the Nationals, Dave West, our Chief Measurer, will be measuring the height of mast steps as well as the deck opening (the front edge of the opening to the bow) this year. Also it was decided that all Mecurys will need to be weighed every year if you plan on sailing in the Nationals. We were able to get several done at Mid-Winters. The class has 2 scales, one in the bay area and one in Southern Calif. So get your boat weighed!!
Hal McCormack was voted in as Vice President for 2020, he is replacing Jack McAleer. I want to thank Jack for all the time he donates to the class and sailing in general. Not to mention his unlimited crew pool he shares with many of us! I’m sure most of you caught the email from Jim Bradley regarding Huntington Lake. At that time there was some serious question on whether or not there would be enough water in the lake this year. Since then, like in the last 4 days, the Sierras have received some 10 to 12’ of snow……so we might be all okay.
A few regatta results: Dave Morris won the Perry Cup series, Chris Raab won the Mid-Winters, and became the first to win the new perpetual trophy, The John F. Curren Trophy deeded to the Mercury Class by the Santa Barbra Yacht Club. The trophy was first awarded in 1960, with the final award in 1988 for Mercury regattas held at SBYC each year. Doug Baird came out and won the first weekend of the Nor Cal Series at Encinal Yacht Club.
Let’s all stay safe and healthy……these are some stressful times for everyone, I suggest you go sailing, it’s good for the soul.
I’ll see you on the water!
Park
Mercury 572