Parsons wins 4th Mayor's Cup

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High winds and waves challenge an unidentified Mayor's Cup sailor Saturday on Lake Champlain. Plattsburgh's Mike Parsons and Peter Hall of Montreal won the Cup for the second year in a row. Michael Betts

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July 12, 2009

By RYAN HAYNER The Press Republican Sun Jul 12, 2009, 07:16 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — Last year, Mike Parsons and Peter Hall chose to race the Witchcraft rather than the Obelix in their Mayor's Cup victory.

Short on crew members this year, the decision of which boat to race in the regatta came easy.

Whereas last year's winning crew consisted of 10 sailors, Parsons and Hall had just one other crew member, which made the Obelix the obvious choice this time.

Maybe it doesn't matter which boat they pick.

With Mark Stata — who also raced with Parsons and Hall to victory last year — on board, the Obelix came out on top in the 32nd Mayor's Cup Saturday.

Parsons and Hall became the first repeat winners since 2000.

Parsons triumphed for the fourth time, tying Fritz Horton of Shelburne, Vt. for the most wins at the mid-summer sailing classic. Not that it matters to Parsons.

"It's not our goal to get more wins than anybody else; our goal is to win every race we enter," Parsons said.

Parsons has now won two Mayor's Cups with each of his two vessels, the Obelix and the Witchcraft. He won with the Witchcraft in 2002 and 2008 and the Obelix this year and in 2006.

While gray clouds blanketed the skies for most of the day and turned into a storm by mid-afternoon, Hall, a world champion in Star class, said the weather was perfect for sailing.

"This is what sailors love, 20 knots of breeze. It can't get any better," he said.

Not all thought so, as some sailors dropped out of the race due to the inclement weather, something race chairman Kjell Dahlen didn't blame them for. He told the crowd that gathered for the award ceremony at Naked Turtle that he considered postponing the race, which was met by good-natured displeasure from the crowd.

"It was surprising how many people came out and how well they really handled it," Dahlen said. "You just can't tame nature — nature is the boss."

Parsons has been to places across the globe, but he said it was nice to compete and win in front of a home audience.

"We travel all over the world, we've been to South America, Europe, all over North America, but it's nice to do well in your home base," he said.

There were originally two races scheduled in the racing division but the second was cancelled due to worsening weather.

Good conditions and good racing in the first contest made the decision easier, Dahlen said.

"I thought, quit while we're ahead," he quipped.

David Bashaw of Port Kent won the Racing A Division for the second year in a row in his boat Sound Wave, once again edging out 2007 winner Luis Gonzalez of Grand Isle, Vt.

It was Bashaw's third victory in the Mayor's Cup Regatta, as he also won the Portsmouth A Division in the Hobie Cat in 1984.

Michael Kerbaugh of Williston took first in the Racing B class, sailing Magic, a Pearson class vessel.

Plattsburgh residents had plenty of success in the cruising division, winning three out of the four classes that had more than one boat competing.

David Sable won his second consecutive Cruising B class, but wasn't able to repeat with the Rotary Cup, which was won by Zoe Sajor. Sajor rode Chaousarou to a Cruising C win.

Brian White rounded out the Plattsburgh winners, taking first in Cruising D with Aeolus.

Marc Deslauriers of Verdun, Quebec won the Cruising A class.

Arthur de Moree of Schenectady received a consolation prize after he stopped to rescue a person in distress on a sailboard. He was awarded an electronic cooler and drew one of the biggest ovations from the crowd.

E-mail Ryan Hayner at: rhayner@pressrepublican.com.

32ND MAYOR'S CUP REGATTA

RACING DIVISION

RACING A

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Sound Wave J 33 49 David Bashaw Port Kent 1

K2 J-120 120 Luis Gonzalez Grand Isle, Vt. 2

Freya J-105 619 Ed Trombley Plattsburgh 3

Endo Beneteau 142 Miro Balcar Montreal, Que. 4

Real Escape J-100 108 Donald Duley Plattsburgh 5

Avena J-109 288 Walt Marti South Burlington, Vt. 6

Kuja J-92 S 60 Lawrence Robinson Slingerlands 7

Souvenir C&C 115 52671 Craig Meyerson Albany 8

Stolat Beneteau 36.7 51791 Tony Lamb Burlington, Vt. 9

Dalliance C&C 110 51926 Christopher Morris South Burlington 10

Galilee Beneteau 99 Jean Pierre Turgeon Montreal, Qb. 11

IXO Soverel33 41933 Walter Timmerman Boucherville DNF

RACING B

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Magic Pearson 32237 Michael Kerbaugh Williston 1

Talisman Peterson 34 15337 Leslie Velte Burlington, Vt. 2

Sundance Pearson 37 31239 Tom Glynn Jevversonville, Vt. 3

Magic Plus Jeanneau 44 7 Lino Di Lullo Dorval, Que. 4

Imagine J-92 45 Robert Fardelmann Colchester 5

Morning Star III Beneteau 35 S 5 25263 Stephen Unsworth Shelburne, Vt. 6

Pipe Dream J-29 297 Mark Pohlman Willsboro 7

Viper 640 Viper 640 77 Brad Dumas Plattsburgh DNF

RACING C

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Thunder Duck Metalmast30 21575 Robin Elizabeth Doyle Milton, Vt DNF

RACING D

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Ginny Marie II Sabre 28 4 Gerry Couture Burlington, Vt. 1

RACING J-24

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Ice Cube J-24 49 Michael Quaid Williston, Vt. 1

SOLING

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Obelix Soling 225 Michael Parsons/Peter Hall Plattsburgh 1

CRUISING DIVISION

CRUISING A

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

The First Beneteau 38 38160 Marc Deslauriers Verdun, Que. 1

Peregrine Sabre 426 36 George Chandler Fair Haven, Vt. 2

Sensation Wauquiez S 40 1111 Luc Tardif Laval, Que. 3

Rita Louise S2 10.3 10.3 James Morris Argyle 4

CRUISING B

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Reverie Tartan 3500 35 David Sable Plattsburgh 1

O'de Vent Bnteau First 345 40087 Daniel Hancock St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. 2

Golden Girl II Pearson 36 1016 George Dohn Park Ridge, NJ 3

Cassiopee CS-36 CS-36 Rolland Baribeau Weston, Conn. 4

CRUISING C

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Chaousarou Metalmast 30 30006 Zoe Sajor Plattsburgh 1

Mistress Hunter 35.5 027 Wayne Maybury St. Hubert, Que. 2

Polaris Tartan 27 41568 Michael Hagadorn Port Kent 3

Windquest Hunter 34 253 Arthur de Moree Schenectady 4

Wingdam Tartan 34 432 Michael Barker Warren, Vt. 5

Albreen Catalina 34 331 Paul Leible Richmond, Vt. DNF

Tromso Sweden C34 40990 Chris Hathaway Shelburne, Vt. DNF

CRUISING D

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Aeolus Catalina 27 20062 Brian White Plattsburgh 1

Edelweiss II Hunter 37 485 Ulrich Holzinger Bridport, Vt. 2

Adamus Morgan 32 25 Donald Buhr Morrisonville 3

Indian Summer 1 Tartan 34 109 Richard Laviere Montreal 4

Audrie May C&C; 29 626 Michael O'Brien Corinth 5

Patina O'Day 27 11 Tim McGuill Bomoseen, Vt. DNF

Le Saint Yves Tanzer 26 26 Yves Vachon Verdun, Que. DNF

CRUISING E

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Rubaiat C&C 26 111 John Lawlis Charlotte, Vt. 1

MULTIHULL

Boat name Class Sail Helm Homeport Finish

Space Station F-27 281 Jeff Chapman Huntington, Vt. 1

Shaboom Hobie 20 09 Kim Roberts Duanesburg 2