Total boats- 25, Total people- 50

Wind, wind, wind, it sure was windy. Beautiful day, but tough, gusty northwest winds caused 3 teams to give up and come back. The medium courses are always the most popular and so I tried to set most of that course on the semi-sheltered northwest bank but there still was a grueling up-wind leg. My apologies to all who had to turn back.

This was my first OCAD map and thanks to magnificent coaching from J-J, it turned out OK. Thank you J-J!

The Whitehall reservoir has large central section and a number of long bays. The entire shoreline is state owned and a 8.9 km trail circles the lake. Side trails lead into neighborhoods and to other state-owned parcels. Along two shores are extensive islands, some are mere swamps while others tower 50 meters over the water.

During the mapping I learned of small passages through the swampy islands and spent most of my course planning thinking of ways to maximize the confusion they could cause. Of course it turned out that everyone aced those passages and instead if they had trouble is was finding the very easy land control. Somehow people get in a canoe-o mood and then can't relate to land.

We crowned seven New England Champions. On the Championship course, J-J Cote came away with his third win in a row, this time in Men's Singles. Men's Team Pete Bundschuh and Bob Walsh took overall honors. Terry Myers won Female Singles and the Mixed Team of Bonnie and Bill Neacy were first in their class. Jeff Saeger and Ross Smith won the Long-Medium, Mark Bumiller was first in Medium, Mark Laquidara owned the Short, and Mary Bumiller, age 12, nabbed the Sheltered-Short.

The Championship course was especially hard this year with a two kilometer leg on the east side perpendicular to the strongest winds. The wind and waves were strong enough that J-J overturned in mid-lake and needed to swim his boat a quarter kilometer to shore. There was also a mandatory portage into a wet control in the middle of a small pond at the south end. Three of the four Championship entrants chose to leave their boats and run to the pond. Then they discovered it was exactly as mapped and described on the clue sheet- full of rotting vegetation. Being competitive instead of smart, they plunged into the yucky, chest-deep muck rather than go back for their boats. Next time, read your cluesheets!

Thanks to all the people who helped out- Bill and Bonnie Neacy, Jeff, Samantha, and Hillary Saeger, Ed and Liz Kotowski and of course J-J Cote.