The Harbor Report: A thank you to the race organizers

Are you ready to rumble? The attention signal has been sounded for the 2012 sailing season. That's right, it's time to pick up the Assn. of Orange Coast Yacht Clubs (AOCYC) 2012 racing calendar and start marking down which events you plan on sailing in this year.

I would like to give a shoutout to the people in our harbor who are managing our winter races. If you are like me and say "I do not sail in the rain," you have to give these people a big thank you for doing race committee work, because no matter what the weather is like, they cannot call in sick.

The first person I need to thank is Paul DeCapua and his crew from Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club in running the Hot Rum Series, and starting the Bogart Series for our harbor's PHRF boats.

The next person who comes to mind is Balboa Yacht Club's Pinky Green, for running the inside Sunkist Series and the Super Sabot Saturdays.

Next up is BYC's John Lee and his crew for running the Outside Sunkist Series. Make sure you ask John who his mark set people are and give them a thank you (outside mark set is not an easy job this time of year).

Next we have Newport Harbor Yacht Club's Fleet Captain Robert Kenny, who is running this year's Winter Series. By the time the Winter Series is complete, he would have started and finished 12 races with as many as 56 boats entered.

Well done to all our harbor's PROs this winter season, and thank you.

Our top sailors this winter have been: Gale Pickey, Lee Sutherland and Kurt Wiese, in the NHYC Winter Series Harbor 20 A Fleet; Harbor 20 B Rolly Pulaski, Len Connelly and Jack Cannon are leading B Fleet, with Tom Corkett and Nic Froehlich taking a commanding lead after the next three races and receiving their third throw out for the series. With one point separating Nic and Tom going into the last three races, it should be a good race.

In the Harbor 20 C Fleet, Jonathan Cheadle appears to be holding a strong lead over the fleet. Overall Winners of BCYC "Hot Rum Series" are John Szalay, Dan Rossen and Beverly Evans. In BYC's Sunkist Series Outside, there is a close battle in PHRF A between It's OK, Amante and Dare.

In class B, Doubletime has a solid lead. Over in Class C, Legacy seems to have the advantage, and in Class D, Violetta de la Mare has a comfortable lead. Class E will come down to the last race between Whisper, Campaign II and Pussycat.