2011 SINGLE-HANDED BUTTERFLY NATIONALS

by Doug

The 2011 Butterfly Nationals was held on Lake DuBay in central Wisconsin. It was a small fleet with excellent racing – I lost race 2 by one foot and won race 5 by one foot. It doesn’t get any closer than that!

The three races on Saturday and first race on Sunday were held in very light conditions, and there were several people with better speed than me. I was grateful to have a gentle 6-10 knot breeze fill in from the west for the last two races.

For me, the highlight of the weekend was the outstanding crop of junior sailors who are joining the class. The first race was won by 10-year old Hank Sims who was so light that he could sit at the back of the cockpit and still have his transom well out of the water! And Calen Terry had all kinds of speed and led the event until the final race.

At the other end of the age scale, Jim Young is always fast and finished the event with a 1, 2, 2, 2. So the Fly continues to appeal to a wide range of good sailors.

I sailed with a hat cam and recorded the races. When posted, you’ll see all of my bonehead moves and things that worked in this national championship.

Joe Terry and his team did a great job running the event. If you enjoy lake sailing with great food and hospitality at the edge of a forest, Lake DuBay is definitely worth the trip.TV coverage

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