By Matt Williams
More than 1,000 sailors with hometowns ranging California to Canada set sail on Massachusetts Bay yesterday looking to clinch the championship of the Sperry Top-Sider National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta in Marblehead.
At the end of the day, however, it was a Header that was left standing.
Marblehead native Justin Scott and his boat, Dr. Who & The Daleks, came out on top of the Viper 640 class and as a result were awarded the overall victory. The title earns Scott an invitation to the 2008 NOOD Regatta Championships in the British Virgin Islands in November, where he'll compete against the overall winners from each stop of NOOD's nine regatta circuit.
The 119th annual Race Week was an excellent one for Marblehead sailors, with natives winning five of the 10 classes. In addition to Scott, Bruce Dyson and Gypsy won the IOD class, William Lynn won the Sonar class, Steve Bereson and Tumbler won the Alerion Express 28 class and Peter Morgan and Steelaway 3 took the J/105 class for the fourth straight year.
Other locals among the winners included a pair of Beverly residents: Jeffrey Earl and Usual Suspect in the J/24 class and Martha Martini and Patience in the town class.
The Marblehead NOOD Regatta is the seventh stop of a nine regatta circuit that includes races in Florida, California, Maryland and Texas, among others. Held in Marblehead the last 11 years, the event is the highlight of Race Week and drew nearly 200 boats ranging from 20 to 70 feet in length to Massachusetts Bay.
Last year's overall winner, Jonathan Cressy of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, returned to defend his crown. He and his boat, Sheerboom, took the top spot in the Rhodes 19 class, but it wasn't enough to wrest overall honors from Scott.
Meanwhile, Marblehead's Kim Pandapas and Mo Hotta Mo Betta were the runner-up in the Rhodes 19 class and Swampscott's Arthur O'Neill and Frolic and Marblehead's David Anderson and Wabi Sabi were second and third in town class.
Marblehead native Daan Goedkoop and Patched Up finished second to Scott in the Viper 640 class, and Wenham's Frank McNamara and Zot finished third in the J/24 race. In the J/105 class, Marblehead's Jon Wales and Bantry finished second while fellow Marbleheader Thomas Hornos finished second in the star class.
All three places in the Sonar class went to native Headers with Sam Altruter and Resonance and Stewart & Neff and Big Red finished second and third to Lynn.
