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Snake Bytes
October 9, 2023
North American Championship Recap
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 In today’s Snake Bytes:
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Jimmy Praley Seals Viper 640 NAs In Final Race
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PRO Bill Visser, Austin Powers, Jimmy Praley, Max Vinocor, Viper Chair Steve Chapman
The 2023 Viper 640 North American Championship presented by BMO Private Wealth was held the weekend of Sept. 22-24 at Nepean Sailing Club in Ottawa, ON. Sailing on Lac Deschênes, the competitors found challenging conditions across the three days.
The club put on a fun event in the spirit of great Viper class events. Thanks to Overflow Brewing for kegs around the Viper pit where the classic Daily Debrief took place at to BMO Private Wealth for their significant contribution to the success of the event.
On Friday, a postponement ashore delayed the start for an hour until minimal breezes filled in. After getting off the first race, the second one was abandoned due to a major wind shift. It turned out that shifts would be the story all weekend. Saturday’s racing was also limited to a single race despite the race committee’s efforts to relocate the course to various parts of the lake.
It wasn’t until Sunday that there was wind. An amendment to the NoR was posted earlier allowing for five races a day. The RC maximized that option completing five good races Sunday for a seven-race championship.
As you will Read More link below, the Championship finale was a nail bitter. Jimmy Praley (Annapolis, MD) and Brad Boston (Sarnia, ON) had been sailing neck-and-neck and, going into the last race, the two were tied at 22 points.
Read more Results
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Second place: Brad Boston, Lee Shuckerow, Eric Vigrass
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Third place & top Corinthian team: Charley & Todd Carlton with Class Mischok. Arden was already on a plane.
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Fourth place and top Masters: Moise Solomon, Scot Leming, Dave Nickerson
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Jimmy’s ROBOT FLAMINGO always rocks it with snappy board shorts!
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Steve Chapman presented Kleinschrodt Family Sportsmanship Award
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Buccaneer Yacht Club’s Ken Kleinschrodt and his family presented the Viper 640 North American Class a sterling trophy to be presented at the NAs to the person identified for fostering a strong bond among the competitors. At this year’s NAs, a number of sailors were nominated by their peers, but International Class Chair and host club member Steve Chapman was the sailors’ clear choice. Steve has been keenly active in the fleet for over a decade, has been the NA Regional President, and now leads the Class globally.
During the NAs, working hand-in-hand
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with Clubmates like Mike Thompson, Van Sheppard and Tom Miller, Steve was instrumental in making the Championship fair, competitive, and fun. PRO Bill Visser presents Steve the Kleinschrodt trophy.
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North American Championship Videos
Many members of and friends of the Viper 640 Class were not in Nepean this September…but yet they were. Starting with the 2019 Viper Worlds at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, someone from the Class
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has been on the water posting Facebook Live updates from the racecourse. In addition, daily video highlights have further enhanced “real time” regatta coverage.
During this year’s NAs, Class Administrator Buttons Padin posted updates at most starts and mark roundings over the three days to keep people up to date. These livecasts generated almost 5,000 views during the event. In addition, Nick Woviotis’ daily recap videos generated another 2,000 views on YouTube. That’s people from around the sailing world checking in on our regatta 7,000 times. Guess there was a lot of FOMO out there. Next time, come join the racing.
Click here to enjoy the daily videos of the NAs by Nick Woviotis.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3 / Recap
Interview with Jimmy Praley, Austin Powers, and Max Vincour
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The Youths Have It!
Perhaps one of the most delightful aspects of the NAs was the exceptional performance of 19-year-old Arden Carleton. Arden sailed with her father Todd, sister Charley, and neighbor Claas Mischok. Arden’s “Widespread Panic” crossed the finish line first in races 4 and 8, giving her a tiebreak with Dave Nickerson, Moise Solomon, and Scott Leming.
Over three days of shifty conditions, Arden favored late committee-boat starts where she could start with speed, roll boats getting off the line slowly, and control the right side of the course.
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Click below to hear Arden interviewed on her way back to college in Michigan. With her in this video is another young sailor whose performance stood out in the regatta, Dwight Leblanc from Southern Yacht Club and sailing with NA Regional President Peter Ill.
It should be noted that Arden is the first woman and the first teenager (19) to ever podium at a major Viper 640 event. Making it even more special is that her family bought an older Viper (#106) for under $10K, fixed it up, and now have a highly competitive boat.
Interview video with Arden and Dwight
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A Necessary Thank You
Those of us who have served as Event Chairs or PROs for major regattas know all the planning, preparation, and work that goes into running a quality regatta, regardless of the Class or host organization. Thank you to the folks at Nepean Sailing Club, from the committee of Scott Murphy, Steve Chapman, Tom Miller, Mike Thompson, Van Sheppard and others, and the race committee led through some challenging conditions by PRO Bill Visser. From the moment we arrived to our departures on Sunday afternoon or Monday, we were welcomed, well-tended to, and entertained. Thanks, Nepean Sailing Club.
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North American 2023 AGM
The Class’s 2023 NA Annual General Meeting was held Saturday mid-day at Nepean. The timing moved from evening to mid-day in hopes of sailing later in the afternoon. There were no officers up for reelection and no other rules proposals or issues calling for votes. The notes from this meeting are posted in the Member Section of the Viper Forum.
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Make Your Winter Viper Plans NOW!
The Class will sail four sunny, warm, fun, and great weekends in Florida this winter and sailors are already registering. It’s time for you to make plans to go south, too. Remember the comment above about being a Road Warrior Lite! Here’s the skinny:
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There already are eight boats registered
Yes, the Viper 640 Class is going back to the Bacardi Invitational Regatta in Miami from March 6 – 9 and we all can’t wait to get there. After sailing last winter in New Orleans preceding the Worlds, everyone is looking forward to be back sailing Bacardi on one of North America’s best sailing venues – Biscayne Bay. The Bacardi Invitational Regatta is now open for registration, and registered including NAs Champ Jimmy Praley, huge Miami/Bacardi advocate Mary Ewenson, Jay Rhame and the Beardsleys, and more. There’s going to be some good sailing on the Bay come March. Be part of it!
Get registered and make your arrangements to sail the 2024 Bacardi Invitational Regatta this March in Miami.
Bacardi Invitational Regatta Information and registration
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New Northeast Club-vs.-Club Regatta
Taking a page from the Gulf Yachting Association’s Capdevieille book, the Viper fleets at the Noroton and Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Clubs are creating a Capdevielle-
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esque Northeast Lipton Interclub Challenge. To be sailed in Vipers, at Noroton next year May 18-19, 2024.
Adopting the Capdevielle’s Club team philosophy, yacht clubs with Vipers will send teams of sailors with multiple helms. No helm may skipper more than half the races. Crews can rotate day-to-day providing flexibility while also being more inclusive. And, in keeping with its GYA roots, the Northeast Lipton Challenge dinner will feature Cajun cuisine and Hurricanes to drink!
There are 41 eligible clubs in the northeast, and 22 currently have Vipers with hopes more clubs will start Viper sailing. As of today, 13 teams have already registered ensuring the first year will be a success. Put together a club team and be part of the inaugural Northeast Lipton Interclub Challenge. Loaner boats will be available.
Registration is open and you can reserve a slot for a $5 deposit and finalize payment next year.
Registration open
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2024 Regatta Schedule Filling Up!
In addition to the Sarasota and Bacardi regattas, there are already a dozen major Viper 640 regattas on the 2024 schedule with more to be posted shortly. Click on the link below and mark your calendar for those weekends you want to be racing your Viper.
Events Calendar
Here’s a peek at some of what 2024 holds for you:
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta – Annapolis – May 3-5, 2024
Hampton Yacht Club One-design Regatta – May 18-19, 2024
Northeast Lipton Interclub Championship – May 18-19, 2024
Southern Bay Race Week – Hampton Yacht Club – May 31 – June 2, 2024
Bayview One-design Regatta – May 31 – June 2, 2024
Long Beach Race Week – June 21-23, 2024
Nepean One-design Open – June 22-23, 2024
Larchmont Race Week – July 12-14, 2024
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta – Marblehead – July 25-28, 2024
Ted Hood Regatta – August 19-21, 2024
ABYC Labor Day Regatta – Alamitos Bay Yacht Club – September 1-2, 2024
North American Championship – Alamitos Bay Yacht Club – September 13-15, 2024
If you have a regatta scheduled at your club, contact Buttons Padin with the title, dates, location, and registration information if available.
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Questions or comments?
Have a something to share? Have a question or comment? How about a great Viper photo? Contact Viper 640 Class Administrator Ed “Buttons” Padin at epadin@padesta.com.
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Ed Padin: Viper 640 Class Administrator, Office: 914-834-8286 Address: 360 Huguenot St. #1709, New Rochelle, NY 10801
Viper 640 Class Association Website: www.Viper640.org Facebook Unsubscribe
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