NYANZA WINS COVETED FALCON CUP

08-23-09 What a thrill...after 25 years an Erie Yacht Club Boat has won the Falcon Cup...guess who..NYANZA. Not since Frank Zurn and Kahili has the cup been won by EYC.

The falcon Cup is a 26.7 mile race from Rocky River off the Cleveland Yacht Club to Mentor Ohio. It has been raced since 1938 and is the Grand Dame of the Cleveland Sailing Community.

Over the history of the Trophy 3 other Erie Boats have won.......Nyanza is now in the good company of these other Erie Boats Kahili( Frank W Zurn),Enigma(Ken Eckerd),and Carina (Jim Rider.)

After spending about 25 hours beating to Cleveland Yacht Club and having two of my best friends having problems.....Bob Becker getting sick the first day out and going home and Tim Mehl breaking a Rib but still helping get the boat to CYC and racing on. Thanks (Later determined Tim Mehl had a broken rib. Thanks Tim or we would havenever won the Falcon Cup!

With a family crew of Captain Jim McBrier,James T. McBrier, David McBrier and Tim Mehl along with Will Dunn, Jon Goldberg, Bill and Judy Keller, Mike a friend of Wills and a Junior Sailor from the Edgewater Sailing Team Elliot Corrigan NYANZA went to the starting line at 0920 with 10 to 15 knots out of the West......setting the big N spinnaker she charged down the course quickly starting to pull away from the Class C Phrf Fleet....a graet ride running 7-8 knots on Stb tack.....sailing within 10megrees of the rumbline we did not get sucked into shore like many in the fleet...instead down off Cleveland with storms seen ahead.......a jib to port was made as we believed the wind would move north.....a perfect tactic which carried us to the finish in 3 hours and 25 minutes over the 26.7 mile course. An average speed of 7.67 nautical mph.

Thanks for the great drivers who helped me...James T McBrier and Bill Kellner...wonderful foredeck work by David McBrier and Will Dunn and trimming greats Jon Goldberg and Judy Kellner and special thanks to young Elliot Corrigan who went up the mast before the race, trimmed the Chute and helped our everywhere on his first big boat race at age 14. I think it will be a while before he gets to see a big trophy win like this.

Getting in we thought we had done well. ..finding out that we not only won PHRF C but also the Falcon Cup by 1 minute and 30 seconds corrected.

A wonderful Trophy Presentation was had and Nyanza returned to her home Port Erie on Sunday........One of the big thrills in my life. I have probably done this race 15 times over the past 35 years in 4 different boats. Some fast race boats and to think NYANZA beat 60 boats.....some with canting keels that look like high speed rocketships. Let's hear it for perfect Hinckley 42 weather. (Pictures in Photo album) Capt Jim