49th Annual Liberty Bell Regatta

by Dave Branning

The 49th Annual Liberty Bell Regatta was well attended (22 skippers) and supported from a wide geographic mix. New England, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and New York were represented. Pent up demand for regatta events led to the road-trip enthusiasm for a quality regatta with buddies to kick off the Spring schedule. This was also the Region 2 Championship hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Model Yacht Club. Laurel Acres Park was brimming with bundled up visitors out for a day in the sun with playgrounds and walking paths filled with spectators taking in Easter Saturday.

Skip Hall, in addition to supplying ice, coolers and drinks, ran the show as PRO directing ample two lap courses allowing a full compliment of fifteen races with one throw-out for the day. Four to ten knot winds from the north-west provided plenty of chances for auto tacks and soft spots that kept the lead changes frequent. It was a standard Laurel Acres Park day. There was no dominant skipper as the top five or six guys were in the mix all day. At the end of the day the top five were separated by five points. Five Points, with a tiebreaker decided for 2nd place. It was tight competition as no one knew who had won until the final scoring was completed. Eight different skippers won races with Chuck Luscomb and Dave Ramos each winning three a piece and Chuck had the most consistent day as he had the best gross score. The one throw-out was the difference.

There were a couple skippers sailing their first EC12 regatta. To Bart Drummond and Drew Beach, welcome to the great EC12 Class.

Judy Bonanno, besides taking a boat-load of pictures (see link below) , added to her job description with scorekeeping and lunch distribution all done with a smile and enthusiasm. Thanks also goes to Victor Oberg who shared finish line scoring with Judy.

Here’s her pictures: https://judybonanno.smugmug.com/Sailing/EC-12-regattas/Liberty-Bell-Regattas/2021-April-3