First the update: We are having a memorial for Jerry at Lake Quinault this Saturday, Sept. 17. If you do not know about it and want more info then send a private message to one of the fleet/division members and we can update you.
Now, after cancelling the NW Area Championships on Aug. 6 because of Jerry’s passing, it all came down to the last regatta of the season — the Div. 4 Championships at Harrison Hot Springs, BC. Harrison is the last stop on the Div. 4 trifecta — Skamokawa, Quinault, Harrison. And it did not disappoint…too much.
But the events of the previous 3 weeks obviously reset the competitive spirits of many. Within the 16 fleet the kids took over. JJ Hoag recruited Kailey Jones and dumped her dad, who was ‘forced’ to sail with Al. (Last we heard John was still laughing!) Meanwhile Will Nelson & Josh Markovich both said “Thanks, but no thanks.” to their dads and teamed up, leaving Matt to take Josh’s place on Paul Carter’s boat. It was boys vs. girls! Meanwhile, John Ped hoped no one would notice by registering as his crew, Alex LeBlond.
In all, 10 kids took to the water in the 16 fleet alone! We should mention that youth were on 3 of the top 5 boats, and 2 of those 3 had all-youth crew! And when her dad, Jere Bott, scored a 4th overall in the 18s you would have thought from his youth daughter crew, Jaedon, that they had just won the Olympics! There were plenty of smiles all around, intermixed with good memories of Jerry.
Saturday saw 4 races in single and double trap breeze. The wind would come down in puffs and rivers, making for some very tactical decisions. Positions were changing a lot, and no one was ever out of it….or in it! Saturday night brought a fantastic dinner hosted by Paul & Debbie Evenden, followed by a raffle and live auction. Both events were to benefit youth Hobie sailing and it was fun to see the youth haul in the hardware, so to speak, on the many items donated by Murray’s Marine. Murray’s has been a very active and proud sponsor of youth sailing.
The net proceeds from Harrison will be piggy-backed on to the proceeds from Skamokawa and given to HCANA and designated for youth sailing. That will amount to over $3,000 from just the two regattas! Now what we need to do is tap into those funds and get some Div. 4 youth sailing outside of the division!!
Hobie Division 4 