Report from the 50th Annual Tomahawk Regatta, May 31 – June 1, 2008
By Magnus Liljedahl
The hospitality offered from the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club and its members during their annual regatta is second to none. I came out of retirement in order to make my third visit to the lake, located in the Garden State, just a one-hour drive west of the Newark airport.
I arrived with my fiancé, Melinda Atkins, on a Continental flight from Miami on Friday afternoon. Peter Bromby landed from Bermuda around the same time and Rick & Carol Merriman were there to pick us up. The Star Class fraternity is pretty awesome. It was nice to finally arrive and find friends like Jimmie and Lori Lowe, Bill and Liz Nutzell, Richard Burgess Sr, Leila Williams, Jock Kohlhas and many other familiar faces.
I was scheduled to sail with David Cutler who crewed for me a couple of years ago at this event, so it would only be fair if our roles were to be reversed this time. However, it was conditional. I didn’t have to see the boat until the following morning J
This event has a very special meaning to me, the organizers always make sure that I leave with a nice contribution for Team Paradise and this year was no different. Actually, it was the best year so far. The entire Murphy family, the LHYC and its members are very friendly and generous to aid our cause in supporting disabled sailing. Club member Alfredo Rodriguez took it upon himself to build a model Star boat, branded with the Team Paradise logo and the winning sail number from the 2000 Olympics! It was auctioned off during Saturday night’s regatta dinner and all the proceeds from it and the 50/50 raffle ticket sales were donated to Team Paradise. What made it even sweeter was that the winner of the raffle, Bill Richardson, donated his 50% as well. We are very appreciative of his generosity!
There was a nice casual party at the club on Friday night; kind of the way it used to be before some got so serious about winning that they won’t even attend a mid-week awards ceremony. Luckily, there is no trace of such behavior at Lake Hopatcong; even the strictest individuals find a reason to celebrate. It was also very nice to have club members and local sailors from other classes show up and mingle with the regatta competitors. The U.S. Paralympic representative, John Ruf, made a surprise visit, which we all enjoyed. Talk about someone with a positive attitude. Thanks for showing up!
Almost everyone participating in the Tomahawk Regatta stays at someone’s home and I usually stay with the Heaton’s. This time was no different. Kenny and Cindy are the neatest and friendliest people and live in a nice home on Point Pleasant, just across the lake from the yacht club. The house was big enough to accommodate not just Melinda and myself, but Peter Bromby as well J
The lake is great place to sail, especially in a southerly breeze. Leaving the dock a half an hour before the start, there is ample time to make it to the start and the weather mark is right by the yacht club. Although powerboat wakes can be a challange, the unusually windy and rainy conditions kept them away for Saturday’s races. It took one look at the starting roster to figure out that John MacCausland/Todd Rainer, Peter Bromby/Brian Murphy, and the most recent Silver Star winner, Rick Merriman (sailing with Luis Balzac), would end up in the top three at this event.
Johnny Mac, sailing very well, did the best the first day. However, the usual suspects were all right there. Andy Ivey and Tom Reed won the second race, making the most of their opportunities. David and I ended the day on a high, holding off Bromby on the last beat, slamming them a dozen times on our way to the finish. The reason we passed them was that their port jib sheet came undone on the “must have” starboard tack, at the beginning of the last beat. Oh well, “someone’s dead is another one’s bread”. There was substantial carnage in the very gusty conditions. John Finch’s pretty blue Star (hull #4985), had a regatta ending hole in its veteran boat. Too bad because they were doing great and would probably have been up there at the end.
I prefer writing about the social events at this stage in my career. Gone is the “blow-by-blow” style reporting that I was known for in the past. Who cares if we were lifted or not? The party on Saturday night was fantastic. I'm not sure exactly who did what, but the band, the food, the ambiance and all the guests contributed to its success. Surely, Rums of Puerto Rico added to the festivities. The role of toastmaster seemed split between all the members of the Murphy family. Papa Gene, dressed up as an Indian chief looking very authentic, was the auctioneer, but Colleen brought out the winning bid of the Star model, which went to resident and businessman, Bruce Heverly and his wife Joanne. I would later sign its main sail, suggesting that Mark Reynolds will show up next year to add his name above mine and drastically raise its value (how about it Reynaldo?).
Racing on Sunday started a bit earlier. It was a spectacular day with very gusty and shifty conditions, providing lots of opportunities for everyone. Bromby had spent hours on his loaner boat on Saturday evening. I knew then that he would come back with a vengeance on Sunday and so he did. Johnny Mac seemed to have it all wrapped up close to the finish of the final race, but didn’t cover Bromby and Brian Murphy as diligently as we did the previous day. The Bromby/Murphy combination ended the series with two “bullets”, claiming the Tomahawk in a deserving way. The MacCausland/Reiner team had two settle for runner-ups while the Rick Merriman/Luis Balzac duo clinched a podium finish. Young Clark Deihn, sailing with his dad, Rick Deihn sailed very well and finished in 4th. David and I had a great day and loads of fun, but what could have been a 3-3 turned in to a 3-OCS, would have, could have, should have…..
Finally, in no particular order, BIG thanks to Rums of Puerto Rico, LHYC and its members, Commodore George Malanga and his wife is Jill, Vice Commodore and our hosts Kenny and Cindy Heaton, Kim and Alfredo Rodriguez, “Chief” Gene and Ann Murphy, Brian and Colleen Murphy, Christopher and Jessica Murphy, Kevin and Vicki Murphy, Kim Hussey and her parents Burt and Sandy Rosevear and, the PRO Brent Barbehenn and his race committee and last, but not least, the bartenders Donna Ammerman and Ben. We all have at the least one thing in common; we are looking forward to next year’s event!