Isotope Class Trophy Winners
(left to right; click name to view photo)
Alan Wolfe - 5th
Tom Rummage - 2nd
Kevin Swiger - 3rd
Frank Meldau III - 4th
Steve Renner - 1st
not pictured: Andrew Wooster - 6th

26th Isotope Nationals
Lake Waccamaw, NC
Aug 10-11, 2002

Written by Kevin Swiger, Isotope 007.
The Waccamaw Yacht Club at Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, hosted the 26th Isotope Nationals on August 10-11, 2002. Lake Waccamaw is close enough to the North Carolina coast to benefit from an afternoon sea breeze, and as competitors were setting up on the beach at around noon on Saturday, a fresh breeze was blowing with whitecaps just beginning to appear. This was to be the best wind of the weekend, and by the start of the first race at 4 p.m., the wind had diminished to less than 10 knots.

 
Race Committee on Lake Waccamaw

Fifteen competitors were on the water for the Nationals. Competition was excellent, characterized by the closeness of the finishes in each race. In some cases, a few seconds was all that separated the winner from fifth place after rounding a long windward-leeward course twice! Three races were completed on Saturday, followed by a cookout and social that lasted well into the evening.

The start on Sunday was delayed onshore while we were waiting for the wind to go from nothing to something that would move our boats. Eventually, a few puffs were apparent on the lake, and we all headed out. A light, but steady, breeze occurred and the starting sequence for race number four was begun. For the moment, the line was heavily port-favored and the mass of boats starting on the starboard end found themselves on the wrong tack and in bad air. The port-starters were pointing almost directly at the mark when the gun sounded, and hoping not to get a header. Many boats changed position in this crucial race on the downwind and upwind leg to the finish. The Race Committee abandoned further racing, due to lack of wind, and we all headed back to shore unsure of who would be the winner of the Regatta. When the numbers were crunched, a three-way tie existed for first place. Further number crunching settled the tie with Steve Renner in first place, Tom Rummage in second, Kevin Swiger in third, Frank Meldau III in fourth, Andrew Wooster in fifth, and Alan Wolf in sixth. As mentioned, the competition was close, and it is interesting to note that Eric Rasmussen would have made it a four-way tie for first place had he not lost a protest in the second race.

 

Post-race social

Lake Waccamaw is an excellent venue for any regatta and we owe a big thanks to the Waccamaw Yacht Club for their help with the races and the use of their facilities. We would also like to thank International Fiberglass for making all of this fun possible with the Isotope Catamaran.


Custom Fiberglass International    P.O. Box 1976    Wake Forest, NC 27588

e-mail address - isotope2001@juno.com