- Viper Sailing on the Gulf Coast October 15, 2021
The Wadewitz Regatta, held on September 25-26 and hosted by Fairhope (AL) Yacht Club, brought twelve Capdevielle Vipers and one Open Viper to the waters of Mobile Bay. Conditions for the event ranged from miserable and challenging (at least from the PRO’s point-of-view) to some really competitive sailing on the bay. Three races were conducted on Saturday but only one on Sunday due to a dying breeze. Buccaneer Yacht Club won the event, followed by Pensacola and Southern yachts clubs who took second and third places, respectively. The highlight of the weekend was GYA Past Commodore Harry Chapman (Bay Waveland Yacht Club), at 89-years-young, steering his first Viper event, with crew Clinton Edwards and Mary Ellen Edwards. Commodore Chapman, it is believed, is the only skipper to steer in a Capdevielle competition in all three Capdeville boats – the Fish ...
...read more - Sail like EWE did. Live like EWE did. October 13, 2021
At last weekend’s Viper 640 North Americans, Mary Ewenson shared with the competitors The 11 Commandments of the EWE Foundation. In the wake of Geoff’s unexpected passing, his wife, Mary, created the EWE Spirit Foundation to continue and expand upon his efforts to aid those among us who are most in need.
Here’s what Mary shared with all of us:
Sail like EWE did. Live like EWE did.
The 11 Commandments
Why 11? Why not 10? Because this one goes to 11. That’s one more.
I will commit to making sailing better for everyone.
I will mentor young sailors and help them gain access to big boat sailing.
I will help people in the boat park and on the dock.
I will welcome new boat owners to the fleet, introduce them to other owners, and help them learn the fleet culture and how to make their new boat go ...
...read more - After winds, light and heavy, Mark Zagol surfs to 2021 Viper 640 North American Championship October 12, 2021
Friday evening, at the end of the second of four days of racing, points leader Mark Zagol said, “Looking at tomorrow, we want to see how we stack-up in the big breeze that is forecast to start tonight. And, of course, we’re looking forward to the down winds.” Mark got his wish in more ways than one. After two relatively light-air days, Saturday’s Day 3 forecast called for winds from the east in the high teens with significant gusts and then building to the low-to-mid 20 knot range.
When the competitors arrived at Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, CT), winds were as forecast in the high teens and the overnight easterly had generated steep and close three-to-five-foot breaking wave sets across Long Island Sound. The first planned race of the day got off on time at 1100 as the winds and wave ...
...read more - Change atop the leader board at the 2021 Viper 640 North American Championship October 8, 2021
At the end of Day 1 of the 2021 Viper 640 North American Championship at Noroton Yacht Club in Darien, CT, the top five boats were all in striking distance of each other. Now, after three more races on Day 2, two leaders have emerged and with a bit more separation in the top cluster.
The second day started like the first with a two-hour shore postponement due to lack of wind. Everyone was face down in their devices debating which weather model would come true, but the Race Committee decided to use the best model: reality. Out they went at about noon to find a 6-knot easterly that eventually filled to around 10 knots. This shifty easterly, with the start of a long fetch down Long Island Sound, created some challenging conditions when the strong, ebbing current was added to ...
...read more - Tight pack at the top of the leaderboard at Viper 604 2021 North American Championship October 8, 2021
Thursday, October 7, 2021
It started out as a day when nobody was expecting to race due to a dire forecast of very light winds. All the weather models called for 3-4 knots and then even less. After a two hour shore postponement, PRO Sandy Grosvenor (Annapolis, MD) started the first of three light air races in the middle of Long Island Sound off Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, CT). A light 5-knot southerly filled in at about 1300 and the 2021 Viper 640 North Americans were off and running. Well, maybe not running!
“The key today, was to get off the line cleanly and connect the dots of breeze,” said Jay Rhame sailing with his boat partners Peter and Rachel Beardsley in GREAT SCOTT! “In the first race, we were boat-third at the start and tacked out to the right early. We ...
...read more - Grace Howie and Meredith Killion win inaugural Viper 640 Women’s North American Championship October 3, 2021
After four races on Day 1 of the Championship, Grace Howie and Meredith Killion had a solid lead going into the second and final day. Sailing with Cardwell Potts and Ted Ferrarone, after the completion of six races (two on the final day), they reported a scoreline of 1-4-3-1-1-2, by far the most consistent performance in the 18-boat fleet whereby they threw out the fourth for a total of 8 points and a convincing win.
When the sailors left the host Noroton Yacht Club (Darien, CT) last night, today’s forecast was for very low winds. However, when the fleet arrived today, they were met with 5-6 knot breezes from the southwest which was more than enough to get in two more races. A third race, that would have been Race 7, was abandoned due to a major wind shift and conditions ...
...read more - Grace Howie killing it at the Women’s NAs October 2, 2021
Saturday, October 2, 2021
Day 1 of the inaugural Viper 640 Women’s North American Championship saw Chamber of Commerce conditions at Noroton Yacht Club in Darien, CT. A fleet of 18 women-helmed Viper 640s sailed four races in a westerly breeze ranging from 9-14 knots on a sunny day with air temperatures in the low 70s.
Two years ago, the Viper 640 Class Association decided to create a Women’s Championship starting in 2020. From the beginning, it was acknowledged that it would be difficult to field a sizeable fleet of all-women crewed Vipers as only a handful of the Vipers are owned and regularly helmed by women. Most boats consisted of at least half women or majority female teams, and there was one all-female team.
Noroton Yacht Club Regatta Co-Chair Nancy Pearson brought yet another thematic element to the Championship: the entire Race ...
...read more - Better Know a Viperer: Cam Farrah September 27, 2021
It’s always fun to talk about perspective in sailboats. In some (most) parts of the US, the Viper640 is often considered to be a crazy screaming fast boat, and it’s a bit of work convincing/showing people how easygoing they are to sail. But these days for Cam Farrah, the Viper is definitely her ‘chill’ boat to sail with her dad, Cliff, and friends when she’s not out sailing her foiling A-cat or helming for the Magenta Project’s Persico 69F. It was clear to this writer that Cam and Cliff were the perfect fit for the Viper 640 class when they showed up to race 1 of the Sarasota Winter Series one year wearing neon green ‘troll’ wigs! From that event forward it’s been amazing seeing Cam’s transformation as a sailor and a person, gaining confidence driving the Viper amongst 30+ ...
...read more - A Competitive 2021 New England Championship in Marblehead! August 31, 2021
The Marblehead Viper fleet and Boston Yacht Club hosted a few of their bestest Viper friends for a full weekend of sailing off of Marblehead in some pretty fun conditions! Getting in 7 races over the two days, the fleet saw very tight racing throughout, with Team NESS #158, Mark Zagol, Tim Desmond, and Drew Buttner) taking championship when the dust had settled, with Team Mo Grins (#208, Dave Nickerson, Moise Solomon, and Scott Leming) ending up in second, just ahead of Great Scott! (#269, Tom Loutrel, Peter Beardsley, and Rachel Beardsley).
2021 New England Championships Podium:
1st: Team Ness
2nd: Mo Grins
3rd: Great Scott!
The fleet was treated by the Boston Yacht Club with a great base of operations for the weekend, with most of the fleet staying right in the club and rolling out to their boats on ...
...read more - Northern Honey Badger wins 2021 Nepean One-Design Regatta August 20, 2021
Nepean One Design
Aug. 14-15, 2021
Vipers from all over Ontario and a new owner from Detroit made up the 12 entries at our first 2021 official two day Viper regatta, hosted by the Nepean Sailing Club in the country’s capital of Ottawa, Ontario Canada. The forecast was calling for 15 knots on Saturday and less than 5 for Sunday which sounded like a good introduction for 3 new Viper owners’ first regatta.
The majority of the people arrived on Friday, with the furthest travelled boat “Surf” having come a whopping 1500km or 17 hrs of drivetime from Thunder Bay. Surf (“Drey” Audrey Dallaire Gagnon – 74) was hoping to get in some training for the female crew for the Women’s North American’s in Noroton. Unfortunately while sailing out to the race course on Saturday they noticed an issue with the keel hold ...
...read more - Better Know a Viperer: Sammy V Edition! July 15, 2021
When asking around the fleet who would be a good first entry into the “Better Know a Viperer” series from the Gulf Yachting Association (GYA), I unanimously got one name back: Sam Vasquez. There may be no more widely known sailor in the Gulf than Sam: insanely friendly, welcoming, enthusiastic, funny, he connects with everyone he meets, regardless of their background. I know I personally look forward to seeing Sam when travelling down to Miami for Bacardi every March–him and his multiple teams from Gulfport always seem to be first in the boatyard in the morning and last to leave Sandbar every night–he’s a gravitational force and a sparkplug that gets people out on the water! Without further Ado:
Name: Sam Vasquez
Viper sailed: Last Call (#276), King Cobra (#256), Mystery (#284), among others…
Home port: Gulfport YC, Gulfport, MS
Sam recruiting future Viper ...
...read more - Vipers in the Gulf May 20, 2021
Southeast Regional VP Cathy Cromartie forwarded these two photos from the GYA’s Spring Regatta at Buccaneer Yacht Club. Here is a group of juniors from Fairhope YC racing a Viper 640 during that regatta.
At the GYA Capdevielle Spring Regatta, held at Buccaneer Yacht Club (Mobile, AL) May 15-16, the courses included not only Capdevielle Vipers but also Open Vipers and the Sears Quarterfinals – sailed in the Viper 640. Nineteen Viper 640s were on the start line. Five all-youth teams competed in the Sears Quarterfinals and several Capdevielle teams were sailed by youth. Pictured is the Fairhope Yacht Club (Fairhope, AL) all youth Capdevielle team of 12-year-old Cruz at the helm with crew Chandler, Ava, and Nate.
This second photo is presented purely for entertainment purposes. The Buccaneer YC channel is not the easiest to get out of with jetties on ...
...read more - Better Know a Viperer: Rachel Beardsley May 13, 2021
Welcome back to another great installment of “Better Know a Viperer”. This week we’re super excited to sit down with a pillar of the fleet: Rachel Beardsley! If you’ve been to any major Viper regatta the last 6+ years, you will have undoubtedly met Rachel holding down logistics in the boatyard or at the afterparty. She’s also a key reason as to why more often than not you may see an image of a Great Scott! spinnaker crossing the finish line before you (ie: William Wallace, Scott Bakula, Doc, Mary Queen of Scots). In fact, myself, when once working as the forward crew for a 6x NA champ in the class, was told on a light air downwind run “just do what Rachel does!” I instantly knew what was meant, but am not sure I actually was able to execute ...
...read more - Tyler Moore, Vir Menon and Javier Rotger win Annapolis NOOD May 12, 2021
Reported by Peter Beardsley
May 8-9 was a pretty nice weekend in Annapolis. Eleven Vipers on the line. The fleet opted to only sail Saturday-Sunday, which we all felt smart about after a gale blew through on Friday and the RC canceled Friday racing early in the morning. The high winds were a reminder to always tie your Viper to the trailer at all times, as one boat blew off its trailer and suffered the dreaded trailer fender fang bite. Luckily it was repaired in time to race Saturday morning.
Saturday morning started with puffs into the high teens and maybe even a few puffs into the low 20s. Some Vipers were shaking off the cobwebs after minimal one-design racing in 2020, and took a bit longer to rig and launch (the RC moving the start time up to 10 am probably ...
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