by  Chris Shepherd, bandit

         Dinosaurs roamed the Delta on July 14-15, when nine Columbia 5.5
 Meters convened on the San Joaquin River near Bruno's Island for the their
 first National Championship in over 20 years. Four 5.5s made the trek
 up-river from Alameda, and were joined by five more sisterships from
 Stockton. Andreas Cove YC and Stockton SC co-hosted the five-race,
 no-throwout series.
         The regatta began on Saturday in about 10 knots of breeze and a
 flood tide. None of the competitors had raced in this area - dubbed
 Jurassic Park - before, so local knowledge had to be learned quickly. The
 normal afternoon wind filled in halfway through the second race,
 contributing to a few broken parts and one torn spinnaker. The fleet
 debated sitting out the third race (after all, we are gentlemen sailors),
 but the race committee decided on one more short course for the day. Race
 three was held in 18-25 knots of breeze against a building ebb - wet and
 wild racing by Delta standards. "I was hit in the face by a big wave, but
  it wasn't cold or salty," noted Wings owner Mike Jackson.
         Even stronger gusts of wind helped cool the party down that
 evening.  Appetizers were provided by the ACYC members, and a spaghetti
 dinner was washed down by a donated keg of beer. Stories of triumph and
 tragedy were told by all - in race two, Wings hit the only submerged rock
 pile left by an overturned barge, Top Gun found the mud even though their
 depth sounder read six feet, and Maveric finished race three with no main
 due to a broken halyard.
         The championship was still up for grabs on Sunday, with the first
 boat (Drummer, sailed by Adam Sadeg, Warren Sankey and Alan Weaver) having
 eight points and two boats (Maveric, Bandit) tied at nine. "If Drummer is
 in  front of us, you go one way and we'll go the other!" yelled Maveric's Bill
 Colombo to our crew on Bandit. Race four was held in light conditions and
 a huge flood, with the fleet taking 2 hours, 22 minutes (just eight minutes
 shy of the time limit) to complete the 6.8-mile course. "The lead must have
 changed 15 or 20 times on the beat to the finish!" claimed Bob Harford of
 the hosting ACYC.
         With the final race to come in similar light conditions, the top
 three were now all separated by two points each. Maveric needed one boat
 between them and Drummer to win the series. Sailing the same 6.8-mile
 course, Maveric covered Drummer the whole last beat, driving them away
 from the finish while waiting for the fleet to catch up. Drummer ultimately
 eluded their grasp, finishing the final race first and putting Nefertiti
 between them and Maveric. "It wasn't supposed to work that way!" groaned
 Colombo. "We took our eyes off them for a few seconds to see where the
 next boat was and they got us."
          Everyone agreed the event was excellent - the venue, varied
 conditions and the shoreside festivities all went off well. One thing,
 however, that the fleet needs is some practice on their towing technique.
 "We almost cut one boat in half on the way up there, and we almost sank
 three on the way home on Monday!" claimed Alan Weaver. "But all in all it
 was a great weekend in the Delta!"
 - chris shepherd, bandit

Final standings:
1) Drummer, Alan Weaver, Warren Sankey, Adam Sadeg (driver), 10 points;
2) Mavric, Bill Colombo, 14 points;
3) Bandit, Hawkins/Shepherd, 18;
4) Nefertiti, Doscher/Notman, 21;
5) Top Gun, Coddington/Sperry, 23;
6) Wings, Mike Jackson, 31;
7) Italia, Ni Orsi/xx Migliori, 32; 8) Arrow, Pat Nolan, 33;
9) Carribbean Lights, xxx Doable, 45 points. (9 boats)