While EC-12 model sailboat racing commodore, Alan Perkins, rested in his hospital bed after receiving a heart vessel stent, international sailing judge Ken Morrison took over the reins at Ashland Pond on Saturday and Sunday to monitor the sleek, lightweight craft as they slid along the water surface. Not leaving any bases vacant, Charleston, South Carolina EC-12 champion, Rickie Gerry, stepped in to skipper his craft in the weekend races in Perkin’s place.
Perkins was on everyone’s mind, an in fact, they kept him up to date on the event by cell phone on Sunday afternoon. The wind was very light, only about 4-5 mph, but still, with the sails at full tilt, the yachts moved swiftly along the glassy surface.
The group was lucky to have Morrison on board. He moved to The Village of Bridgeport at Lake Miona in 2004, and now lives at Freedom Pointe. Two years ago, he judged the Arab Mini-Olympic games in Qatar, and still travels widely for his sport. “We have an international jury made up of five judges for those games,” Morrison said, and our rulings stand. There is no right of appeal after our decisions.” Next week, Morrison will travel to Isla Morada to judge the Kona wind surfing championships. In addition to model sailboats, Morrison can judge contests for anything that sails — right up to full size sailboats.
According to Morrison, EC-12 stands for East Coast 12-meter hulls. “When the U.S. team was choosing a yacht for its Americas Cup races, they tank-tested several fiberglass model yachts, and Charlie Morgan of St. Petersburg chose the shape hull he wanted based on those models. The hulls of these model boats are all exactly the same — but there can be some variation in the configuration of the sails,” Morrison said.
“When a race starts,” he continued, “nobody can be above the start line at the ‘go’ signal. We sail in an east-west direction, and must go around orange and white buoys. This is called a windward–leeward course, and the yachts must pass the red and white buoys at the finish.” Morrison and John Rawley, also of The Villages, started this club in 2005 and it has grown to have meets all over Florida. “We have three fellows here from outside Atlanta today too,” he added. “Ken Williams, Jim Rutherford and Chuck Ellis came down for the races.”
From Ashland Pond in The Villages, the club will move on to race in Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, Naples, Punta Gorda and Palm Beach Gardens, with each of the six clubs hosting one regatta.
“I don’t want to dissuade anyone from trying their hand at this sport,” Lynda Pearce said, “but I tried it a couple of years ago. It’s not as easy as it looks. My husband, Dan, enjoys sailing, but I’ve decided to become a spectator. This is a great group of skippers,” Lynda continued, as she cheered her husband on. “We have a blast together. The night before a regatta, Alan usually hosts a gathering. And on Saturday nights, after the first day of a racing weekend, we all go out to dinner. These are early nights, because everyone is up early the next morning to race. When you are racing, you have to stay focused, and you can get very tired, even if the sun isn’t very hot.”