*1 = DNF+OCS

This was the first time ever that Fleet 50 has hosted the Dixie District Championships, and it was a roaring success.  31 boats competed, including 13 from Fleet 50  The weather was outstanding -- highs both day around 85 degrees under sunny skies with southerly winds 12 - 13 on Saturday, and 13 to 16 on Sunday.  Allan Terhune from Pine Beach NJ, sailing with his spouse Katie and  sister Kristen, took first place with 4 bullets and a second.  Neal Fowler, sailing with Todd Johnson and Katie Offerman finished in second place.  Nabeel, sailing with Lisbet and Scott finished fifth.  Two Fleet 50 skippers qualified for the North American championships in August.  More to follow.

Fleet Captain Jeff Storck thanked the many members of the Regatta Committee for their outstanding work, as follows:

Hey all,

Wow. What a weekend. I can't tell if the glow that surrounds me is due to the fantastically successful regatta we just hosted, or if its only my
sunburn. Both probably. I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the many people who worked so hard this weekend, and during the weeks leading up to it. Without everyone's efforts we could not have pulled this off at all. And pull it off we did, with panache! Let me just mention a few people who
deserve special kudos for a job well done:

Thank you Jim Greenwell for doing a stellar job on registrations Saturday. It was not an easy job, what with having to check ILCA membership and
issuing bow #'s. Jim planned it and carried it out flawlessly.

Thank you Rick Welch for making the saw horses to check Angle-of-the-dangle and for returning the grill on Monday.

Thank you Joe Warren for taking on the difficult job of crew matching. 31 boats, everyone had crew, and all crew who wanted to sail did so.

Thank you Laurie Duncan for helping on safety, and researching nearby hospitals and how to reach them in case we had a need.

Thank you Jason Werner for bringing down the scales and helping to weigh in boats.

Thank you Ron Buchanan for being our official measurer.

Thank you Kristen Lopez for taking all those great pictures. Be sure to check them out:
http://www.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=23876477/t_=26999140

Thank you Paul Maher for picking up the grill and bringing it down to the marina Saturday.

Thank you Nabeel, Pat, Paul, Ian, Frank and Bobby for meeting people and measuring in boats on Friday night.

Thank you Todd Johnson for getting the bow #'s for us. They were a big help to the RC.

Thank you again to Todd Johnson for invaluable advice and input on the Sailing Instructions. Due to Todd's help they were simple and easy for
everyone to understand.

Thank you Nabeel for... well I could write a whole email just to cover all that Nabeel did to make this weekend a success. He wrote the NOR. He wrote the Sailing Instructions. He brought down his Whaler when the new skiff gave us trouble. He lent the RC his radio and his "hockey puck" compass. He figured out how to get the printer working. He helped get the registrations entered into St Pete scorer. And it goes on and on. Thank you Nabeel.

Thank you Martin Howell for being my key lieutenant on RC. Martin and I worked very closely together in setting up those nice courses we had. He
was also the man responsible for pulling Carol Parks boat out of the mud, without breaking her mast, when she capsized Sunday. Bravo!

Thank you Martin again, and the Interlake fleet for providing RC help. We could not have done it without them all.

And speaking of RC:

    Thank you John Hart for running the Robalo and carrying the photographer around. Great job!

    Thank you Jennifer Parrow for running the whaler and giving up the West River regatta in order to be there for us. We owe you big time!

    Thank you Liz Beckman, Lisa Fleck, Lucian, Scott, Ron Gagnes for help on RC. You guys all did a terrific job.

Thank you Cathy Bleakly for being my right hand woman all weekend. Cathy helped on registration, did all the scoring, recorded those OCS's, and
generally kept me sane.

Thank you Frank and Maryann Gallagher for the great lunches! Yum!

Very special thanks to Frank again for twisting a lot of arms to get people out there. We had the largest turnout at a district event in recent memory,
and Frank had a lot to do with that.

A HUGE thank you to Barbara Thompson and Catherine Calvin for putting together that awesome meal Saturday night. Through your efforts we have
once again shown that Fleet 50 is a class act. The bar has been set very high for the next Dixie District hosts!

Thank you  Jim Greenwell, Pat McGee, Rick Welch, and Joe Warren for setting up, cooking, and cleaning up Saturday night.

Thank you Jamie Brickell for getting behind us, and supporting our bid for the districts in spite of some peoples misgivings.

Thank you Heather Dodd for creating hats and duffle bags etc, and making them available this weekend.

And finally, last but certainly not least, a GARGANTUAN THANK YOU to Dave Thompson for.. well for everything. You are the man.

I would also like to thank all of the Fleet 50 skippers and crew who turned out for this event. Your participation made it the success it was.

In fact, all of Fleet 50 - every one of us deserves a big pat on the back for a job well done.

Cheers,

Jeff

PS: It would not be prudent to forget to THANK GOD for all that wonderful wind!!!!!