Boston Harbor Star Fleet Make-a-Wish Regatta First District Secretaries Cup
July 31, August 1, 1999

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Place	Sail #	Skipper	Crew	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Total
1	7728	John Lombard	Mike Whitford	3	4	3	1	3	14
2	7592 CAN	Paul Sustronk	Dag Nyhof	4	2	2	6	1	15
3	7834	Joe Bainton	Chris Rogers	2	5	5	2	4	18
4	6378	John Murphy/Fran Charles	Fran Charles/Brewster Charles/Eric Larson	8	7	7	4	2	28
5	7621	Peter Costa	Jessica Costa	6	9	4	3	6	28
6	7934	Eric Doyle	Tom Olsen	1	1	1	DNF (11)	DNS (15)	29
7	7765	Ken Allen	Jeff Shoreman	9	8	9	9	8	43
8	7936	Jock Kohlhas	John Ciccone	5	3	6	DNS	DNS	44
9	7628	Stephen Braverman	Dave Salter	12	10	10	5	7	44
10	7782	Kurt Larson	Nick Parks	7	11	WDR (15)	7	5	45
11	6767	John Fox	Eric Fox	13	12	12	8	9	54
12	7465	John Cavicchi	Howard Davis	11	6	11	DNS	DNS	58
13	7804	Gary MacDonald	Sergey Leonidov	10	14	8	DNS	DNS	62
14	7585	Sharon Crockett	Bonnie Unsworth	14	13	13	DNS	DNS	70

This weekend was the Fifth Annual Make-A-Wish charity regatta. It was also Star Class 1st District Secretaries cup regatta.

The perennial Secretaries Cup trophy is a 100 year old Silver Cup with engravings, and two handles each representing elephant trunks. The trophy was originally won by Marshall Brown's father three years straight, thus retiring it from competition. The senior Brown donated the trophy to the First District while Marshall was the First District Secretary. Hence the recent naming of the trophy and the regatta. Marshall Brown is a Grand Master star sailor from the Milford fleet.

Competitors travelled from Toronto, Florida, California, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to help raise cash for the foundation, and to compete for this highly prestigious trophy. Although racing in this regatta was very competitive, the emphasis was charity and fun.

On Saturday, we had three races outside the harbor in a Southeast breeze which topped off at about 12 knots. Eric Doyle and Tom Olsen could do no wrong as they got off to early leads at the start, and never looked back as they won all three races.

Sunday, we raced inside the harbor, starting off the Deer Island shore. The forecast called for 15-25 with thunderstorms, but we had beautiful sailing weather, and the breeze never hit 15.

The first race we sailed just off Thompson Island. The second race, as the wind clocked right, we sailed to shipping channel marker 8 on the edge of the inner harbor.

Fran Charles with his crew, and Peter and Jessica Costa were 1-2 around the windward mark, but both sailed into a little hole downwind as John Lombard with Mike Whitford and Joe Bainton with Chris Rogers sailed high past them to place 1-2 in the shortened first race.

In the second race, Sustronk with Nyhof and most of the fleet sailed right towards the airport pier into the seemingly better breeze, and looked well ahead of the pack in the middle of the racecourse.... When the 30 degree righty filled in, the boats in the middle of the racecourse, Charles, Larson, and Lombard, were laying the mark while the rest grossly overstood. Charles and Nyhof rounded 1-2 with Nyhof taking the gun at the finish.

Consistency paid off for First District Champion John Lombard and Mike Whitford as they won the Make-A-Wish regatta and the Secretaries Cup by a point over Paul Sustronk and Dag Nyhof. Joe Bainton and Chris Rogers took third.

The combined team of Murphy, Charles, Charles and Larson placed fourth for the regatta. John Murphy Skippered on Saturday with Fran Charles as crew. Fran skippered the second day with his son Brewster Charles and friend Eric Larson as crew (they were still grossly under the class weight limit). Upwind, one would hike in the harness while the other trimmed the jib, and they traded off. Downwind, one sat right in front of the mast while the other sat right behind. Great team effort!

This weekend was a fun regatta, and good preparation for the Keene Inc. 1999 Star Class North American Championship which is hosted by Cottage Park Yacht Club, and Boston Harbor Star Fleet and will be sailed outside of Boston Harbor.

Big thanks to Dave O'Brien, Joe Zambella, Dan Mullane and Jim Frasier for 5 competitive races, and Bob Sheppard, and a host of others for organizing such a great event.