Pacific Yankee Sweeps 2019/20 Winter Series

Drew Freides and Bill Ruh’s Pacific Yankee won the Melges IC37 2019/20 Winter Series hosted by Lauderdale Yacht Club. The series was held on the warm, Atlantic Ocean waters directly offshore of Fort Lauderdale, FL for the class’s inaugural winter events.

The series consisted of three scheduled events in November, January, and March, but was cut short due to the global pandemic. After winning two regattas, the California-based team, Pacific Yankee, swept the Winter Series.

Andy Burdick (AB):  We had great sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. How was your experience at LYC and how was the racing that they provided?

Bill Ruh (BR): We were very pleased with the professionalism and hospitality shown by the Lauderdale Yacht Club. It’s a quick trip from the dock out to the racecourse and having the Gulf Stream so close presents constant tactical challenges. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to race there next winter. Not only so that we can enjoy the Florida sunshine, but also so we can check out the LYC’s brand new clubhouse.  

AB:  One of the core concepts of the Melges IC37 Class is the Corinthian Crew concept. Did most of your crew come from San Diego?

BR: Yes, most of our team are from Southern California and are members of the San Diego Yacht Club. The club has an impressive history of producing topflight sailors, and Drew and I are fortunate that we are able to recruit a solid Corinthian crew from our local yacht club while adding other key crew members from several other clubs around the US.

AB: You had fantastic crew work on the boat. What was the key to that?

BR: It’s my view that there were two key elements to our solid crew work this winter. Our unsung hero is Max Hutchinson, he’s a great sailor who can do anything on the boat. As our mast man, he is involved in almost every maneuver, from simply tacking and gybing, to making things click at our mark roundings. He’s a powerful guy, and his ability to pull down the chute with the takedown line is unmatched.

The other key was element was taking advantage of the youth rule. This past summer, Drew and I sailed with Tom Stark on Rush, and we quickly learned that having a youth sailor onboard was very beneficial. Our goal is to quickly integrate our youth sailor into various crew maneuvers, and we expect them to perform alongside everyone else. For example, no matter how hard Max pulls the takedown line, if it’s fouled below, and no one checks it before we round the leeward mark, it’s guaranteed to be a poor mark rounding. One of the youth sailor’s jobs onboard is to quickly sort out the takedown line and spinnaker gear. There is less weight off the rail when they go below, and the extra set of hands is helpful. We are big fans of the rule, and happy to provide a local youth sailor with the opportunity to participate in the sport from a different perspective.

AB:  You were the helm the first event and your good friend and partner, Drew Freides, was on the helm for the second event. How was it switching roles and tell us how it was trimming in the Lauderdale Cup?

BR: It was fun jumping back into a role I know well as a trimmer, and as a team, we felt it was important to try and keep the position changes to a minimum. Marcus Eagan trimmed during the first event, and while he did a great job, moving him to tactician allowed us to take advantage of his exceptional skills in that role. After trimming the main all last summer, and then driving the first event, I had a better sense of how to trim for the various modes Drew and the boat required.

AB:  How about how good the Race Committee was at these events. The races were organized and run on a good pace. Lauderdale was pretty great, wouldn’t you say?

BR: We had a variety of weather conditions over the series, and the race committee did a terrific job selecting appropriate courses for the wind strength and direction. On several days, we had some really shifty conditions, and the Race Committee always came through with timely adjustments to the race course. On behalf of all the teams, we would like to thank LYC and its members for supporting the regatta. Having members, such as Tom Lihan, sharing their local knowledge at the nightly debriefs was very beneficial for everyone in the fleet.

AB:  The Winter Series is in place for 2020/21 with more boats expected.  What would you say to others in order to encourage them to attend?

BR: Fort Lauderdale is a terrific place to sail, and the winter weather is usually tropical. The wind and wave conditions can change dramatically from day to day and adjusting to such markedly different conditions presents challenges that we don’t generally find in other venues.  Prior to the second regatta, we had a blast practicing in some big breeze and warm Gulf Stream waves, which allowed us to be more comfortable when the wind piped up on the first day of racing. We truly enjoyed racing in Fort Lauderdale. I believe all the teams improved, as we also got better adjusting to the day’s conditions.

AB:  Thanks to you and Drew and the entire Pacific Yankee Team for participating. Melges appreciates your efforts along with the Lauderdale Yacht Club and the fantastic Race Committee. We look forward to seeing you on the water again soon.

BR:  On behalf of the entire Pacific Yankee team, we would like to thank you, Harry, and the entire Melges team for your support during the Winter Series, and over the inaugural year of racing the IC37s. The stewardship by the New York Yacht Club and Melges has been outstanding, and it’s terrific to see the Corinthian spirit alive and well in a one-design class of modern boats. We’ve enjoyed the close racing all year, and can’t wait to get to Newport, RI this summer!

Thank you to the Lauderdale Yacht Club Race Committee, members, and volunteers for hosting the Melges IC37 Class for the 2019/20 Winter Series.

The 2020/21 Winter Series hosted by Lauderdale Yacht Club is scheduled for:
November 20-22, 2020 
January 22-24, 2021 
March 19-21, 2021 

Results:
Fall Cup
Lauderdale Cup

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS STORY

Morgan Kinney · [email protected] · (262) 275-1110

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NEW BOATS

Andy Burdick · Melges Performance Sailboats · [email protected] · (262) 275-1110
Sam Pearson · Ancasta Race Boats UK · [email protected] · +442380 016582
Harry Melges · Melges Performance Sailboats · [email protected] · (262) 275-1110