The 4th annual East Coast Championships were held August19-21 in Shelburne Nova Scotia. A total of 18 boats attended the event including 3 from Toronto. Of the 18 teams approximately 15 had at least one junior on the team including 12 year old Tatum, helming every race in the 5 to 15 knot winds. There were also 5 or 6 teams composed of two juniors. This event had easily the best winds of any regatta this year with steady 12 knot average winds and 1 mile beats with 50 min races and waves and chop.

The weekend started with a practice race on the Friday night. The wind started at 7 knots and built to 13 knots by the finish. This was followed by burgers and hotdogs and a nautical skills contest. The knot tying contest was easily won by 9 year old Savannah who wowed us all with a novel way to tie a bowline (she crewed in the 8th place boat). For an encore she tied a monkeys fist (which most of us have never heard of). After all the knots were tied and spinnakers packed in record time, there was of course the mussel eating contest.

The regatta proper started on Saturday morning. The winds were light at 5 knots but built to 10 for the 2nd race and 15 for the 3rd race. The RC elected to stop a little early so we could all go back and enjoy the pig roast. Then the band showed up for our listening and dancing pleasure. After the first day of racing the top 3 teams were tied, each with a 1,2,3 record.
The second day brought 4 races. 1st race at 5-7 knots, 2nd and 3rd race at 15 knots and the last race at about 12 knots (with a planing reach). The regatta win was decided in the 3rd race with the Shelburne team of Guy Tipton and Eliza Hyde recording 2 bullets and a 2nd. But at this point 2nd place was still a tie and it came down to the final race to break it. In fact it came down to the final 100 meters of the last run (before the leeward mark and hook finish). Toronto teams Pasquale and Cristina Leone and Henry Pedro with Shelburne crew Miles Redgate were involved in an intense gybing battle trying to get inside overlap before the leeward mark. At the end of the last race the top 3 teams all finished within 5 seconds of each other.