Stieffel gets second '97 Circuit win at Wadewitz
Bishop Stieffel appeared to have the shifts following him instead of his having to read
and chase them, as he delivered two 1-2 combination finishes in the first four races of
the Wadewitz Regatta. With two firsts and two seconds going into the last race, he managed
to maintain the win with a 10th place finish in the last race. The race for second was an
entirely different story.
Two races were completed Saturday for the 24 Sunfish that turned out for the seventh of
ten Circuit Races for 1997. Over early in a light shifty northerly made the first race a
tough one to come from behind in, as Clinton Edwards learned taking 14th. With no drop
race, recovering from that finish would be difficult. A better start in race two
certainly helped and with the oscillations settling down, a good start makes it easier to
remain in the lead pack. Obtaining the lead on the second windward, Clinton was able to
hold off Bishop on the last leg to pocket the bullet. Meanwhile, junior, Marcus Eagan
quietly settled for two 3rd places and a 3 point lead over Kevin Northrup at the
day's end.
Three races were completed on
Sunday in an 8-10 knot northwesterly. Between races, it would blow 11-13 knots. (Mother
Nature, you tease.) Bishop overslept and had to race all the way to the starting line from
the beach (1/2 mile), and arrived with only ninety seconds remaining before the start
of race three. Junior, Sam Waller, from Gulfport, led the entire race until Bishop
slipped through his lee on the last leg just before the finish.
In race four, Todd Edwards opened up what appeared to be a comfortable, fifteen boatlength
lead after the first round of a 2WL, but went hole hunting on the second windward,
dropping back to 5th. Stieffel grabbed the lead at the last mark followed closely by
David Blouin and Ellis Ollinger, while the Edwards brothers took turns ramming the mark
and sailing synchronized circles. Truly, a sight to behold! Todd hooked the
mark and as soon as he freed himself, Clinton hooked it - as though he was waiting his
turn. While the two chased thier tails, Waller steered clear and picked up both of
them. A freshening breeze on the last leg was enough to help Blouin slip
by Stieffel to take the win.
Going into race five, 2nd through 9th were only 10 points apart! Junior, Marcus
Eagan jumped out to an early lead and increased it throughout the race, while seven others
carved up the course fighting a strong tide and shifty conditions. Marcus' win
secured second overall, and Clinton's 4th in the last race moved him up from tied for 7th
up to 5th. Waller was in 5th going into the last race, but his 9th dropped him back
to 7th. I would say he's going to be a force to contend with - but he already
is!
Results:
Pl SKIPPER R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Total
1 Bishop Stieffel 1 2 1 2 10 16
2 Marcus Eagan 3 3 5 9 1 21
3 Todd Edwards 7 4 7 5 2 25
4 Kevin Northop 4 5 3 10 7 29
5 Clinton Edwards 14 1 8 6 4 33
6 Ellis Ollinger 5 15 6 3 5 34
7 Sam Waller 9 11 2 4 9 35
8 Zane Yoder 6 9 4 8 8 35
9 David Blouin 11 7 11 1 6 36
10 Chuck Barnes 13 6 9 7 3 38
11 Chris Evans 2 17 15 11 12 57
12 Peter Sladovich 10 12 13 13 11 59
13 Gilly Chamberlain 8 8 10 14 DNC 65
14 Ann Edwards 16 10 14 12 14 66
15 Tony Chavers 15 16 12 15 13 71
16 Stuart Adams 17 13 16 16 15 77
17 Daniel Kolenich 12 14 20 17 18 81
18 Raymond Long 20 19 18 18 16 91
19 Joe Baggett 22 22 19 19 17 99
20 Steve Evans DNF 23 17 20 19 104
21 Frank Touart 19 18 DNC DNC DNC 112
22 Steve Odom 18 20 DNC DNC DNC 113
23 Mike Ried 21 21 DNC DNC DNC 117
24 Patrick Weems 23 24 DNC 21 DNC 118