The Annapolis Interclub Fleet is the only one out of eight in the world not based in New England. It sails out of the Severn Sailing Association (SSA). Since Annapolis is the southern-most fleet, thus offering the least probability for iced-in waters, the SSA hosts the Midwinter Championship. We haven't missed a day of championship Interclub Frostbite sailing because of bad weather in Annapolis since 1996.

In an awesome display of sailing, the team of Steve Kirckpatrick, Jane Kirckpatrick, Chad Demarest, and Whitney Besse from Scituate, Massachusetts topped the 28-boat fleet. This was an "A/B" team event with a team consisting of two skipper and crew combinations. First the "A" team would sail three races then the "B" team would sail three, going back to SSA in between to switch. Twelve races were held in a gusty northerly on Saturday and six more in a more moderate southerly on Sunday.

The winning team beat some very tough competition including former IC Midwinters (and IC Nationals) champions Jim Bowers (Winthrop, MA) and Bill Healy (Newport, RI) as well as many former college All-Americans and champion sailors from many other classes. The top Annapolis team of Wayne Pignolet, JoAnn Jones, Hal Gilreath, and Lisa Pline finished fourth. (Click the images below for larger views)

The IC Midwinters is a regatta that everyone enjoys because it's a social event every bit as much as it is a very competitive sailing event. The SSA clubhouse is filled with the aroma of homemade hot soup and chili and the noise of the friendly chatter of the off-racing teams. This year was no exception and no doubt next year will bring even more championship teams to this event in our hometown Annapolis.

Captain's Log
Sailing news from The Capital.