Thistle Midwinters East 2008
by: Skip Dieball

The St. Petersburg Yacht Club is the winter-time home to Thistlers from all over the USA. Many of us use this time to reacquaint ourselves with our fellow sailors, but more importantly, we use this time to reacquaint ourselves with our love of sailing. The timing is perfect, weather (generally) is beautiful and creates an "event" that is full of memories for years to come.

The 2008 edition of the Thistle Midwinters East provided challenges for all sailors as the wind didn't exactly cooperate all week. When it did, it provided some great racing.

After five races, Greg Griffin, Karl Felger and Dave Decamp won. They picked up a great finish in the final race, which was sailed in a building breeze which eventually exceeded 25 knots. Second Place went to Brent Barbehenn, Chris Murphy and Jess Murphy. Third place was Mike Inham, Dave Hansen and Ann Hansen. Complete results: http://www.spyc.org/club/scripts/view/view_clubannouncement.asp?pg=PR&GRP=5564&AID=40032&NS=PR&APP=58

The final race took its toll on many boats. Nearly 12 masts were damaged or broke and a hand full of boats capsized.

Socially, the MWE event is in a category of its own. For those that haven't been, SPYC is right in downtown St. Pete and is flanked by many bars and restaurants. The typical routine finds the crowd starting at the famed SPYC bar and finishing at Mastry's, which incidentally was named by Maxim Magazine as one of the 10 best dive bars!

Another rite of passage is the pre-banquet gathering at Wet Willies in the Bay Walk. A few years ago it was just a group of friends enjoying a slushy drink. Now, nearly half the fleet gets their happy hour on there and it is another opportunity to swap stories and reflect on a great week of sailing.

The MWE is the first leg of the Thistle Southern Circuit. The 2nd is the upcoming Orange Peel Regatta in Jacksonville. With over 50 boats last year and nearly 25 boats qualifying a teammate in the overall scoring of the So. Circuirt, the "OP" as it has been coined, provides those of us with a hunger for sailing in the south one last opportunity before heading to the still frigid north.