Shell Lake Recap 2009

This last July 25th and 26th, Wisconsin cat sailors got a chance to renew some long term friendships with Minnesota sailors. This was the 15th time Wisconsin and Minnesota sailors competed for the “Broken Rudder”.

Conceived 15 years ago as a way to promote participation but also develop what has turned out to be 15 years of team racing between the neighboring states.

Saturday morning dawned with a forecast for scattered showers. Five races were run in absolutely great gusty conditions. There were some holes in the wind, but generally the kind of conditions that promote keeping your head out of the boat. Most boats got their chance for a quick swim, keeping things interesting. Chris Blake with Corey Hatch showed consistent results during inconsistent conditions. Even with top finishes from the Blake, Johnson and Selsmeyer boats; the “cheese heads” were behind the “rodents” by one point Saturday night.

Saturday night brought an excellent dinner with the ever-popular brownies and rum drinks.

Sunday was a clear beautiful day. Winds were 3-10 knots coming in periods of 3-5 minutes. During the lulls, the winds dropped to 3-5 knots.

Again, the Blake/ Hatch boat showed some consistent results at the front of the fleet. Clay and Alex Selsmeyer won their first race as a team, and again JJ Johnson showed good results. But, like a rat that wouldn’t eat the poison, the rodents of Minnesota stole the Rudder one more time.

In the end, everyone had a great time. As an added bonus, there was less damage than usual.

Guy Selsmeyer