2024 Freeze Your Butt Off Regatta (FYBOR XIV)

by Dave Branning

The fourteenth annual FYBOR Regatta conceived by David Brawner, lived up to its name. One of the coldest on record, we were a layered, bundled up thermal underwear wearing group. Fortunately, the freezing temps arrived the night before and did not have a chance to freeze the Laurel Acres Pond. We had soft water unlike in a few past years! The perimeter phragmites were cut flush for our viewing pleasure, thanks to Fred Bush, Parks and Rec Operations Manager. In the Spring, Summer and Fall the park would be brimming with families, walkers and runners all observing and admiring our “grown men with toy boats.” On this day we owned the park.

We started a tad late. Hard to leap out of the warm car and start rigging an EC12 with cold hands rapidly adding to the fun without mittens. Two former E12 National Champions, Danny Thomas and Jarl Wathne, arrived early and they got the buoys placed in great time…. with Danny doing the rowing and deploying freezing cold buoys and Jarl waving gloved hand signals from the shore. Jarl was the proud owner of David Brawner’s Ozmun #53 and it was great to see a #53 on the water.

In memory of David Brawner, we traditionally employ the “line of excellence,” a starting line 5 yards below the regular starting line. At the outset we placed Jarl, Danny, Jamey Betz and David Ramos (Champions All) on that line. Why? Because we don’t care about applying a little humbling fun and giving the other eleven skippers an advantage on a spacious line. No one complains. As we moved through the day, the top four in every race had to start the next race from the LOE. The “champions” spent a quite a few races at that line and still emerged in the top six. Seven different skippers won a least one race and Alex Ramos was the only skipper who didn’t win a race (among the top five) yet finished second to Danny Thomas who won by 7.8 points.

I probably should mention that the annual winner gets a garage sale aluminum ice bucket with sharpie attached to scribe the winner’s name. This year everyone else gets the same skipper gift, a handsome black diner coffee mug with silver inscription for their efforts.

The most welcome part of the day is the Judy Bonanno chicken chili with corn bread lunch and Michele Sysyn’s cookies. Famed Chesapeake Bay waterman, Scott Todd, was nursing a cold and could not bring oyster stew or crab soup. He was certainly missed.

Thanks goes to our Fleet Captain, Ray Szulczewski, who provided the soda and water stocked coolers and to Judy for all the hustle shopping and cooking for us as well as all the scorekeeping and photos. Thanks to Michele for baking the cookies. Kudos to the team of guys handling the buoys, dinghy, dock to and from the county’s storage yard.

Here’s the link to the scores: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dSwjUjpK52PdIdLy6X–f0VuH9Ku55nL/view?usp=sharing

Judy’s Pictures: https://judybonanno.smugmug.com/Sailing/EC-12-regattas/FYBOR-Regattas/2024-FYBOR-XIV