Spring Regatta
Buccanneer Yacht Club
May 17-18, 2003

Hank Saurage's performance at the Spring Regatta was more impressive than the runaway at the Belmont Stakes by Finny Cide.  Grabbing three bullets in the first three races set him up with a nice cushion to finish out the day and when one has a lead like that, the only option that the other competitors have to get back in the regatta is to try to slow him down.  Bishop buried Hank at the start of race four, but within minutes, Hank blew through the fleet and rounded the first mark second.  Hank waited patiently throughout the race until the last ten boatlengths, when he caught a great wave to surf by Bishop at the finish.

Maybe out of frustration or pride, Bishop went after Hank again at the start of race five and got him again, but this time, Hank wasn't able to catch up quite as quickly, with Bishop opening up a pretty good lead.  Closing in slowly as the race went on, Hank rounded six or eight lengths behind Bishop at the last mark.  When Bishop submerged on a big wave almost pitch-poling, Hank blew by.  Bishop managed to wring himself out and catch back up to Hank, but when his hiking stick slipped out of his hand for a split second, missing a wave, Hank was gone.

This marks only the third time since the inauguration of  the Gulf Coast Sunfish Circuit that a sailor swept a series.  Tom Whitehurst swept the Wadewitz in both 00 & 01.