Top Dog

  I usually use this blog to talk about my sailing and not about others.  I may mention others in relation to me on the course or the scoreboard, but that is about it.  This entry is going to be a little different.

  Earlier in the year I wrote a synopsis of my sailing the MC since we started the fleet at KYC in 2002.  It shows steady improvement through about 2009 and then a leveling out. Part of why there is a leveling out is that there was not much more improvement I could make as at the time I was the Top Dog at Keuka. From 2006 to 2009 I won the fleet three out of the four seasons. Tom Buechner and Bob Cole were my only fleet competition.  I also leveled out in regattas, mainly finishing in the top 10 at regional regattas and top 1/3 at a few national level regattas. There were a few times I placed, but many times I would have a bad race or even a full on bad regatta.  My original goal when starting in the MC was being a contender in the fleet and a challenger at regional regattas. I never thought I could be much beyond a single race challenge in the national level regattas.  I worked really hard to get to reach those goals and I felt I achieved them.

  In 2010 things changed.  That is the year that Chris Hawk became a part the fleet.  Before Chris bought his boat I really only knew him as a crew on various E-Scows and the one MC regatta he won on a borrowed boat back in 2007.  He asked me lots of questions on how to sail the boat that year and I was very generous in giving him the information how I sailed the boat.  Most new comers to the MC do not win their first regatta.  I figured he would be midfleet or so, but then in the first two races he and Tom pushed me for first before I won both. I made too many mistakes on day two to lose the regatta and ended up third behind Chris and Tom. Woa, I guess he knows his stuff. 

  Over the next few years Chris mentioned that he was going to buy an MC; finally pulling the trigger in 2010.  I now had competition and I figured I should upgrade my equipment, so I also bought a newer boat in 2010 and a newer sail. Chris spanked the fleet in the season standings in 2010, 2011, and 2012.  Chris is also leading this year, starting out slower but finishing strong. He now won 13 of the 19 races he has sailed in and never finishing lower than 3^rd.  You can read Chris’ exploits in his well-written blog, there is a link on the right. He has developed a unique way to sail the MC. When the velocity is up he manages to sail with the traveler down and no vang and he can get the boat going very quickly and maintain it. He does not stall out as much as most other sailors who try to point too much.   I haven’t been able to duplicate what he does and I know that I definitely try to point to much.

  I did an accounting of all the races I have sailed in since 2006 and compared average finishes of everyone I sailed against head to head in the fleet.  Chris’ average finishes have dropped every year since 2010.  Starting around 2.0 and dropping to 1.43 for this year.  Before Chris joined I was in the 1.75 range and now I am closer to 3.0, improving slightly this year to average below 3.  Not only am I not the MC  Top Dog at Keuka, but I have also slipped to number 3 or 4.  I would put Bob Cole in the second spot and Brent Penwarden and William Hudson right along side me.  Brent and William have really improved beating me head to head many times in the fleet although they both make too many mistakes in regattas to have good finishes.  Bob does not sail the fleet races often enough to qualify for fleet trophies but he has been very consistent placing near the top in the last few years in the major MC regattas and beating me in most regattas we have sailed against each other.

  Chris Hawk is the Keuka MC Top Dog.