Corsair Marine was the lead sponsor for the 4th Annual Cherry Pie Regatta which was held at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron on January 29 – 31, 2016.  Fourteen trimarans participated.  In order to give everyone as much competition as possible, the boats were scored in three different fleets (PHRF High, PHRF Low and 750) and as an overall group. To allow for the overall scoring, the race committee decided to start all of the boats at one time. While this caused some concern among the newer members of the fleet, the RC set a long line that allowed everyone plenty of room to find some clean air and a chance for a fair start. The success of this plan was evident in the smiles on skippers faces and the lack of any protests or recalls throughout the entire regatta!

Racing started on Friday morning under clear skies, cool temperatures and a nice 15 knot breeze. I have always found this to be the sweet spot for our boats – enough wind to get the boat moving fast, but not enough to make things to crazy.  Four races were completed before the fleet headed back to the Club for beer and snacks.

Saturday was forecast to be very light, and racers were greeted by the AP flag before leaving the dock.  Despite this, a few boats went out for practice, and by Noon the race committee dropped the AP and the fleet headed out to race.  One of the (many) great things about the Sarasota Sailing Squadron is the proximity of the club to the racecourse.  This allowed the fleet to gather quickly, and take advantage of the little wind that we had.  We managed only one race before the breeze died, but given the forecast, we felt lucky that
we were even able to do that!

One of the highlights of the Cherry Pie Regatta is the Saturday night dinner.  Ken Scott (regular crew on Third Tri but who couldn’t make it to the regatta this year) once again cooked up a pulled pork feast, with sides, salad and desert provided by the Squadron and its many volunteers.  Despite the huge portions what were served, some crews (including us on Third Tri2) ended the night with ice cream in St. Armand’s Circle, which is just a few miles from the club.

Sunday brought warmer air (mid 70’s) and light winds to the fleet.  The bigger boats seemed to do better in the lighter air, but there was still some very close competition within each fleet.  Despite the early start, we managed to complete only two races before the breeze died around 1:00.  The squadron has its own boat ramps, and most skippers had their boats out of the water and were ready to hit the road before the awards ceremony started at 3:00.

First place overall was won by Evolution, who also won the PHRF Low fleet.  Third Tri2 won the 750 fleet, and Entourage won the PHRF high fleet.  CLICK HERE  for overall results, and results by fleet CLICK HERE 

On behalf of all of the sailors I want to say THANK YOU our other sponsors The Finish Line, Calvert Sails, Smyth Sails and WIndcraft for providing beer for each night and Pizza during the awards party. The 5th annual Cherry Pie Multihull Regatta has been scheduled for January 27 – 29, 2017.   With the new boats that joined us this year, plus some veterans who will be returning, we expect 20 or more boats on the line.  If you would like to be added to the email list for the event, please let me know via email  lgeller@justplayproducts.com