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The Sanford RiverWalk opening event took place over the weekend of May 8th, 2004 in Sanford Florida. Hot Air Balloons, Skydivers, the new magnificent flag and a veritable plethora of pomp and circumstance surrounded the official grand opening of the Sanford Riverwalk. Old Glory was raised Friday afternoon and we are extraordinarily happy to have the Flag waving again. It is after all the best indicator of wind on, in or around the lake.
To celebrate the long awaited opening of the Riverwalk, the FUN Maritime Academy held the first Sanford Sailing Scramble on Saturday May 8th. This event was designed to provide some entertainment for the visitors of the Riverwalk, and experiment with a new kind of course. The result was very interesting. I got several comments about the course that indicated "Scramble" was a fitting name. The course consisted of a start/finish line, a short windward leg, and then what would have been 5 almost close reaches if the wind had been consistent, after reaching there was a second windward mark and a run to the finish. Since the wind is seldom consistent the unusual course looked to be quite challenging from my perch on the committee boat.
We had plenty of help to manage the course, The Coast Guard Auxiliary staked out the corners of the course and stood watch for us. The Sanford Fire Department was also very helpful. They brought their new Sanford Fire/Rescue Boat 31 out to observe and standby in case of emergency. They very nearly got to watch an emergency develop right in front of them when they parked the new Fire boat right on the start line with only ten seconds left before the start of the first race. Nice to see that the new boat has an abundance of horsepower so that it can evacuate areas of congestion with great rapidity.
The races were great to watch and the city was truly pleased with the display that we provided. There were six mark roundings in each race was and the wind shifts provided for some interesting sail changes. The course was long enough that the finishes were a little spread out for the most part.
We managed to field three classes: Catalina 22s and two handicap classes divided at a Portsmouth Number of 95. In the above 95 class, 3rd place went to Gary Dangleman in an Ensenada 21, 2nd place went to Barry Orchard in a San Juan 21 and 1st Place was won by Patrick Daniel in an Irwin 21. In the below 95 class, Mark Hoen in a Balboa 26 captured 3rd place, 2nd place went to Jeremy Summers in an S2 7.9-meter Grand Slam, and first place was captured by Jeff Herter in an S2 6.7-meter Grand Slam. The Catalina 22 fleet had Bernice Siebuhr in 3rd; Stuart Cody in 2nd and Al Pivonka took 1st.
I wish to thank the racers most of all. You were really superb to make the most out of this previously untried venue. Your presence on the water delighted many more people than you will ever know. I wish to thank the city of Sanford for sponsoring our regatta and supporting us with trophies, T-shirts and a regatta party on Friday night. To those of you behind the scenes that helped create manage and run this event, I am delighted with how things turned out and can not offer enough praise for your participation. So Thank You, Paul Harter, Colleen Puglisi, Danuta Bock, Lucy Medford, Alden Matsubara, Beau Bock, Denise Burchard, DJ McCabe, Tracy Burchard, Bailey Burchard, Laura Graham, Randy Bruce, Monroe Harbour Marina, The Best Western Motel, Wolfy's on the River, The Rivership Romance, and everyone that has supported the FUN Maritime Academy over the past year.
Thank You All!
Willie Blevins,
FUN Maritime Academy
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