[L16-usa] Frenchman Bay Luders Season Wrap-up

[Lawrence DeMilner]

Revival of FB Luders Racing
    According to local historians, L-16 class racing on Frenchman Bay (FB), which had been inaugurated just after WWII, was discontinued in 1972, although individual Luders including BAT and ANDANTE subsequently competed in mixed fleet races on the bay. We believe the 2005 season was the first attempt to revive Luders single class racing on FB. The Sorrento Yacht Club agreed to arrange a separate start for L-16s in their weekly mixed fleet races, provided that we would have at least three boats on the line. Alas, this was to prove elusive. PANACEA and SWEET SIXTEEN which we had counted on for the season did not go in the water owing to their owners' preemptive work schedules. Tris Colket's TRIESS no longer races, and the newly arrived (for sale) Luders from Sodus Bay, NY, did not find a timely buyer. Finally, ANDANTE's launch was delayed for mast repairs and when finally launched suffered a rigging failure which sidelined her for the rest of the racing season. That left only BAT and ADAGIO to compete in the SYC mixed fleet races. The competition between the two boats during the eight race regular season was close, with BAT and ADAGIO finishing the season in a tie-- in points as well as head to head wins. Both boats finished fairly high in the overall mixed fleet (20 to 30 boats usually) Portsmouth-adjusted standings, although ADAGIO took a small edge here.. 

Other Developments  
    In other developments, the hopes of the FB Luders fleet for speedy recognition by the L-16 International Association were dashed when no action was taken on our application at this summer's meeting in Chicago. The question has been tabled until 2007 for reasons not explained.
    A further set-back was experienced in the denial by the International Association of the request by the MDI Fleet to host the 2007 L-16 Internationals, again for reasons not explained.

Our Future    
    Obviously, the FB Luders ambitions for 2005 were substantially under-realized. In particular, the loss of the 2007 Internationals for here in Maine removes what we thought would be an occasion for a  tremendous boost in public attention and enthusiasm for the Luders revival, since this would have marked the 60th anniversary of the inaugural L-16 Internationals held in Bar Harbor in 1947. However, we believe that the present momentum will be enough to carry us forward.  We have every hope that there will be at least four L-16s on the line for the 2006  season on Frenchman Bay and we will run as a single class.  In addition, we have a newly arrived water ready L-16 for sale on the bay and we have our eyes peeled for further acquisitions, albeit in competition with the rapidly growing MDI fleet.
    As newcomers to Luders racing, we of course would be greatly interested in hearing similar accounts from other active Luders fleets via this e mail exchange. We also hope very much that there will soon be occasions for other Luders sailors to visit us here in the sailing paradise of Downeast Maine. 


                                                                                                                            Lawrence DeMilner
                                                                                                                            Frenchman Bay
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