ODC and the Oriental Laser Fleet hosted the eleventh annual NC Masters Championship June 23th & 24th in Oriental. The Laser is an International and Olympic sailing class, a 14' one person boat. Sailors came from NC, VA, FL, and MD - there were 19 boats in all this year.

A crowded start. (Gordon Kellogg photo)

Len Wells from Columbus, NC gets the award for most unique towing rig - Len and his Laser are powered by a Honda Gold Wing. (Marilyn Sechrist photo)

Saturday's conditions were challenging with winds in the 8-12 knot range and a 2 foot chop on the water coming in from the Pamlico Sound. Saturday saw five race sailed, and Mike Schmidt from Maryland pulled out in front with no less than three 1st place finishes, plus a 2nd and a 4th. A great battle for 2nd and 3rd overall developed between Ted Morgan of Annapolis, Keri Harris from England (currently working at the Pentagon), and John McNally from Florida.

Saturday night Mary Ellen's famous pig pickin', along with free goodies from West Marine & Triton Yacht Sales made all the pain seem worthwhile.

Sunday arrived with beautiful weather, 10 knots from the east, and gradually building to 15 with some surfing conditions. The race committee made us work harder with 4 excellent races. Mike continued his winning ways with 3 more "bullets" (1st place) and a 3rd to win the regatta, while Ted nailed down 2nd, edging Keri by 6 pts, who in turn edged out John by a single point.

(Gordon Kellogg photo)

(Gordon Kellogg photo)

The age groups for the regatta were: 35-44 Apprentice, 45-54 Master, 55-64 Grandmaster, and 65 and over Great Grandmaster. All of the groups receive penalty points in each race except GGM’s, thus evening out the overall results in order to give the "old guys" a fighting chance.

Regatta winner Mike Schmidt (left) receives the award from George Sechrist. (Marilyn Sechrist photo)

The overal winner for the weekend was Mike Schmidt. Awards were also given to first and second places in the four divisions:

Apprentice
1st Ted Morgan
2nd Keri Harris

Master
1st Mike Schmidt
2nd John McNally

Grandmaster
1st Rich Parolski

Great Grandmaster
1st Ken Hopkins
2nd George Sechrist

Thanks to our sponsors: Triton Yacht Sales and Vanguard Sailboats, M&M's Restaurant, Inland Waterway Provision Company and West Marine. Also thanks to our J24 fleet for fabulous Race Committee work, and the other ODC members who contributed boats and bodies, and of course Grace Evans for hosting our shore activities. Everyone looks forward to coming back to Oriental next year for some fantastic sailing!

About The Laser:

Specifications:

* LOA: 13'10”
* Beam: 4'6”
* Draft: 2'7”
* Sail Area: 76 Square Feet
* Hull Weight: 130 Pounds

courtesy TritonYachts.com

Related Sites:
Learn more about The Oriental Dinghy Club at their web site - towndock.net/odc

The local dealer for Laser (and Sunfish) sailing boats is Triton Yacht Sales - online at TritonYachts.com

The 2006 Laser Masters

The 2005 Laser Masters

The 2004 Laser Masters

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