Day 2 of the Lands’ End Toronto NOOD was a mixed bag of light-air racing, or none at all. A high-pressure system is in charge and this part of Canada is sweltering in temperatures in the mid-80s with light or nonexistent breeze. For racers on Circle A, it was a fun-filled day, with all classes getting three races off. For those on Circle B, it was a bit less exciting with only one race, and for those on Circles C and D the day was a complete washout, with no races held at all. PRO Sue Reilly was on Circle C, and by mid-afternoon she was sympathetic with the racer’s plight. “We were going to let them go at 2:30,” she said. “But at 2:25 we looked at each other and said ‘let’s put them out of their misery,’ and sounded the gun to send the racers in for the day. Whether you raced or not, it was still a great summer’s day and life out on Harbour Island, summer home of the Royal Canadian YC, is good. It’s slightly cooler here than it is in the city, the drinks are flowing, and the food tables are loaded with great grub. Frank Sacco, of Rochester, N.Y., who usually trims main, has been working the pit on the bright orange Beneteau 40.7 Umi Taka, owned by Franz Schwenk, which is in second place in the seven-boat Level 51-59 PHRF class. “This is an awesome regatta,” said Sacco. “We’re tied for second and had a pretty good day. It was moderate to light on our racecourse, 10 to 15 knots of breeze. We were slow in the second race, but in the last race we were really flying.” Crewing along with Sacco is Wendy Fitzgerald, also of Rochester, who trims jib. “A great day,” she says. “It was 90 degrees and sunny and sailing sure beats working.” Fitzgerald says the conditions today were easier for her as a trimmer than they were yesterday. “We had some pretty calm seas today,” she said, “and there was a squall line or thunderstorm that hung off the side of the racecourse for a while and gave us some breeze.” Painted international distress orange, Umi Taka is hard to miss on the racecourse, but Sacco and Fitzgerald say that Schwenk has had orange boats for many years. “He’s just an orange kind of guy,” said Sacco. “The boat came from Beneteau white and Franz had it painted.” Asked about their chances on Sunday, sacco replied: “We’re going to win, we have the champagne chilling now.” Tearing up the Level 132-135 class is the Tartan 10 Air Force, owned by Brian Cann, of Port Huron, N.Y., and he seems a bit shocked at where he and his crew stand on Day 2. “It’s highly unusual, we’re having a really good regatta,” said Cann. “The team is clicking and it feels good to have four first-place finishes. Our core crew has been sailing together for a while now; we sail weekly races and two or three big regattas a year. We wanted to come to the Toronto NOOD last year, but couldn’t. We’re used to racing in bigger fleets, and we do OK, but this is great.” Cann’s plan for tomorrow? “Try and repeat yesterday and today,” he said. Bill MacLeod, of Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, is the skipper of the MORC 30 Fast Track, and his day yesterday left a lot to be desired, with a OCS and two DNFs. “We blew out a winch yesterday in the middle of the second race,” said MacLeod. “So we left the racecourse and went downtown to get all the parts we needed to put it back together.” After taking it on the chin yesterday, the Fast Track crew turned on the heat today and took second place in the one race held on their circle. “Flak and Zoo are our chief competition, and we beat them both today,” said MacLeod. “Zoo came 500 miles from Montreal, and Flak lives here, and whenever we get together it’s fun. We’re all great friends.” MacLeod’s game plan for tomorrow is simple: “We’re going to stay on top of Zoo,” he said. “We’re going to camp on them because we missed out on yesterday.” Sailing an impeccable regatta so far is the 8-Metre Venture II, a boat built in 1936, which has scored a perfect 1-1-1-1 so far in the regatta. Tim LaBute, of Windsor, Ontario, is the mastman aboard Venture II and credits clean air and sailing fast. “Our first race today was in good, steady air, then it started to die. We were lucky to finish the second race. It’s my first regatta on the boat,” said LaBute. “Everyone has been crewing on the boat for 20 years or more; I’m the kid.” The 8-Metre class agreed among themselves to only race two races a day at the Toronto NOOD, a civilized way to do a regatta. “Tomorrow we’re going to try to get more firsts, stay out of everyone’s way, and sail fast,” said LaBute.
