MAYOR'S CUP RACE 1978-2000
The Mayor's Cup Race, started by the City of
Plattsburgh in 1978 during the administration of John Ianelli, himself a member
of the Valcour Sailing Club, has grown to be one of the largest and most
prestigious races on Lake Champlain. Although not strictly a Valcour Sailing
Club event per se, the VSC traditionally had been responsible for the on-water
portion of this event involving hundreds of boats and sailboards from New York,
Vermont, Québec, and other nearby states.
There are three trophies offered in fourteen different classes making
the race a little more competitive for the
sailors that do not race
often. Many participants have made the
race their one racing event of the year. Originally run in three divisions in
1978 (Racing, Trailerable, and Working), the regatta has grown to fourteen
classes in four divisions (Racing, Cruising, Portsmouth, and Sailboard). There
have been minor variations in the course down through the years but it features
starts near the "Black Can" in Cumberland Bay, legs around Crab
Island, and a leg along Cumberland Head allowing maximum landlubber viewing.
Many
of the sailboats participate in the three cruising divisions. But in order to win the major prize — the
Mayor's Cup itself — a yacht has to compete in the racing division with the
serious skippers and she must finish the race with the fastest overall
corrected time for the course.
WINNERS OF THE MAYOR'S CUP
1978 Ken
Wolvington HESPERIA Tartan 30 MBBC
1979 Jim
Corcoran YELLOW
JACKET C&C Viking 33 MBBC
1980 Paul
Graves WIKI WIKI Ranger 26 MBBC
1981 Kjell
Dahlen OBSESSION Tartan Ten VSC
1982 Jeff
Hill GOLDEN
DAZY Holland 2 Ton LCYC
1983 David
McDowell CHAOUSAROU Metalmast 30 VSC
1984 Gil
Mercier FLING J-29 VSC
1985 Don
O'Brien SHOWTIME J-36 LCYC
1986 Rob
McDowell CHAOUSAROU II Olson 30 ULDB VSC
1987 Tony von
Elbe GOING CONCERN Beneateau 456 VSC
1988 Tony von
Elbe GOING CONCERN Beneateau 456 VSC
1989 Staples
& Baille NO
ILLUSION
1990 Skorupski
& Thompson SEA QUACIOUS
End
of VSC Administration; Begin A.M. Rotary Cub of Plattsburgh Administration
1991 Russel
& Hobart SLIPPERY
1992 David
Gorman MOHAWK
WARRIOR J-35
1993 Brush
& Horton PEREGRINE
1994 David
Gorman MOHAWK
WARRIOR J-35
1995 Andy
Sajor CHAOUSAROU Metalmast 30 VSC
1996 Gardner
& Browne BARK ODE
1997 Brush
& Horton PEREGRINE
1998 John
Kimura EVOKED
POTENTIAL
1999 Brush
& Horton PEREGRINE
2000 Don
Duley REAL
ESCAPE J-92 VSC
MINUTES OF THE VALCOUR
SAILING CLUB
Mayor's Cup Race Briefing
@Valcour Lodge on May 25, 1978
ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTED:
Mayor John Ianelli, City of Plattsburgh; Herb Carpenter, Plattsburgh City
Police Dept.; Russel Trombley, Sherriff's Dept.; George Copeland, U.S. Power
Squadron; Clayton LaBounty, REACT; Wayne Tillman, Press Republican; Howard
Westcott, U.S. Coast Guard Auxillary; Kathy Rock, WEAV Radio; Janeen Merrill,
Chamber of Commerce; Donald Benjamin, Tourist Bureau; Fred Smith, Tom Carroll
Assoc. Advertising (Tourist Bureau); Helen Ianelli, Operation Pride; Derek
Allan, PSUC; Helen Allan, Clinton County Historical Museum; Connie Dubowy, Kent
Delord House; Frank Pabst, Juniper; David Sweet, Dock & Coal Marina; Ron
Thompson, The Mooring's (Turtle Marina); Chester Coryell, Committee Boat for
the Mayor and Race Committee. CLUB MEMBERS PRESENT Dave McDowell, Ed Goodrich,
Norm Lawrance, Joseph Garcia, Tom Harwood, John Higel, Bill Rowe, Nancy Altman
The meeting started at 10:15 with an
opening statement from Mayor Ianelli. This was followed by an introduction from
all present.
The Mayor's Cup Race will be held rain or
shine on Saturday, July 8th. If there is no wind, it will be held on Sunday,
July 9th.
The first order of business was to state the purpose
of the Regatta which is to promote the sport of yacht racing and to commemorate
the historic Battle of Plattsburgh. The Mayor will personally write letters of
invitation to the skippers and various clubs on the Lake to participate in this
event.
Next a description of the race followed with
discussion of such points as the different classes expected to participate,
approximate number of boats expected, the race course itself, traffic control
both on the water and on shore (the Sherriff's Dept. and City Police Dept. will
help with this aspect), safety, and general yacht support.
Awards were discussed and it was felt that a separate
fund should be set up by the Sailing Club to handle monies for this
purpose. First place awards donations
will be $60.00, second place will be $30.00, third place will be $20.00 and
other sponsorship to help pay for the cost of the flags would be $10.00. There will be eighteen awards: Six first,
second, and third places. These awards
will be sponsored by the businessmen of Plattsburgh. The City Plaque, which will remain in City Hall, will be donated
by the City of Plattsburgh. It was felt
that certificates should be given to skippers who participate in the race,
sponsors who donate to the awards, and anyone else who donates his time and
effort to make this event a successful one.
To commemorate the historical aspect of the race,
1814 flags will be given to the boats participating in the race and the local
downtown merchants will have the 1814 flags flying outside their
businesses. The Juniper will have
special 1814 souvenir tickets on that day and the Clinton County Historical
Museum hopefully will have a flyer out with a narrative of the Battle of
Plattsburgh included. Also, Bill Rowe
will try to contact one of the direct descendants of Commodore McDonough to see
if he will participate in the festivities.
It was suggested by Frank Pabst that we try to get this event included
on the "I Love New York" campaign calender for July. Attached you will find the proposed schedule
of events for the day which may be subject to change. If you have any other suggestions or ideas please contact Ed
Goodrich (tel.#) or Nancy Altman (tel.#)
Media coverage was discussed and further meetings
with Wayne Tillman of the Press Republican and Kathy Rock of WEAV Radio will be
set up to make plans.
COMMITTEES A communications committee was set up consisting of
Sherriff Russel Trombley, Norm Lawrance, Ed Goodrich, Howard Westcott, and
Clayton LaBounty. They will meet on Monday, May 29th at 10:00 A.M. to make
plans. CB, VHF, and the Civil Communi–cations van with its PA system will also
be available for coverage of the race.
Media Support: Chairman,
Joseph Garcia; Asst. Ed Goodrich
Awards: Chairman,
Dan Merin; Asst. Norm Lawrance.
Parade: Chairman,
Helen Ianelli
Race Committee: Chairman,
Howard Altman
Yacht Registration: Chairman,
Tom Harwood
A $5.00 registration fee has been set up. A one week cut off date has been decided on.
There will be an increased registration fee for anyone wishing to register the
day of the race.
Yacht
Support: Chairman, George Copeland; Asst. John Higel
PLEASE
SAVE ALL CLOROX BOTTLES OR OTHER PLASTIC BOTTLES TO BE USED FOR MARKERS. IF YOU HAVE ANY PLEASE CALL GEORGE COPELAND
(tel #)
VSC
Communications and Control Center: Chairman, Ed Goodrich
Media
Center: Chairman, Norm Lawrance
Flag
Committee: Chairman, Bill Rowe
The
Mayor's observation boat and race committee boat will be provided by Chester
Coryell.
Lunch
was served at 11:30 A.M.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Nancy Altman
Secretary, VSC
RdF 5/21/01