The 10th Annual Joe Manganello Memorial Regatta was nothing short of exciting and interesting. June 3rd and 4th brought the whole gambit of wind conditions to sailors on Long Island sound in lovely Madison Connecticut. Competitors came from as far as St. Louis for this event. There was a 
fleet of F18’s, a few F16s, a fleet of Hobie 16s, and the ever popular open class with Joe’s own Hobie 21 Wild Thing making an appearance.
fleet of F18’s, a few F16s, a fleet of Hobie 16s, and the ever popular open class with Joe’s own Hobie 21 Wild Thing making an appearance.Saturday started with a comfortable south westerly and partly sunny skies. The first race started with a gamble between current relief near shore, and more wind out in the deeper water. John and I had gone for the wind, and it paid off for the first upwind. And it may have been working on the second, until the Northwesterly came out of nowhere at about 35 mph. The second lap became a survival contest. The two chase boats were kept busy, and there were certainly no shortage of stories to tell.
Eventually the wind subsided enough for the race committee to get off three additional races in a strong northwesterly. The shifty conditions kept everyone on their toes. At the end of the day, there was a three way tie in the F18 fleet between Sandra, my brother and I, and Skip and Chris. After a hard day of sailing, there was a much deserved cookout on the beach with plenty of stories to go around.
Sunday brought a lightening south westerly. We were able to get in two races before the breeze 
sputtered out. In the F18s Sandra won first. John and I were just able to hold Skip and Chris off for a second. In the open class, the famous Red Rooster won the event (nice work Kathleen and Simon!). Bill won the F16s. And in the Hobie 16 class, Barbara and Dave took the gold.
sputtered out. In the F18s Sandra won first. John and I were just able to hold Skip and Chris off for a second. In the open class, the famous Red Rooster won the event (nice work Kathleen and Simon!). Bill won the F16s. And in the Hobie 16 class, Barbara and Dave took the gold.A big thanks to our chase boat drivers, Chris and Andrew, for their hard work. And congratulations to our Race Committee Jamie Cook on another terrifically run event. Thank you to all the sailors for coming, and all of us in Madison would like to invite everyone to join in next year!
Pete Giuliano