The Beginning

A few months earlier Small Craft Advisor had announced plans to match a couple of popular small cruisers in a heads-up race and publish the results for all to see. We'd heard all the claims and pronouncements and were determined to settle the issue once and for all. But when we threw out the challenge, few skippers seemed ready to step up. It began to look as if the controversy would remain unsettled. Then two of the most active members of the San Francisco Bay Area-based "Potter Yachters" sailing club answered the call. Not only did Judy Blumhorst and Jerry Barrilleaux agree to participate, they suggested we combine the event with their upcoming club sail. When International Marine, builders of the Potter boats, promised to help sponsor the race and provide prizes for the winners, the SCA Cruiser Challenge was born.

The date was set, and an open invitation was put out. By race day a number of Potter 15s and 19s, two Montgomery 15s, a Montgomery 17, and a Com-Pac 16 were ready to compete. A surprise late arrival was Jim Silva with his Capri 16. It was a nice cross- section of popular small trailerables. Finally, we would learn how the speed of these mini-cruisers compared.

On the morning of the race, boats began arriving every few minutes. One by one they rafted up at the dock. Scott Johnson and Glenn Perkins from International Marine showed up with a gorgeous, spanking-new P-19 they'd trailered up from Inglewood. We were kids in the candy store. For small boat enthusiasts, this was a true delight! It was also a rare chance for side-by-side comparisons of similar, competing boats. We took full advantage by crawling into cabins, stepping on rails, and sitting in cockpits. By mid-morning six different models of mini-cruisers were tied up to the same dock.

To facilitate closer comparisons of similar boats and allow everyone more room to sail, the competition was broken down into two divisions: One for the "big" and presumably faster boats, the M-17 and P-19s, and another for the smaller craft. The larger boats would start 5 minutes before the small-boat division.

The course consisted of a long upwind leg, a short reach, a return downwind, and a short upwind dash to the finish. The weather cooperated beautifully, with sunny skies and a light breeze that began to freshen only moments before the start of the race.

As the big boats vied for position near the starting line, speculation ran wild. Could the lone Montgomery 17 with Greg Moore at the helm break away from the pack of Potter 19s, or would Dory Taylor's words prove prophetic? The long-time "Potter Yachter" confided: "I'll tell you who's going to win--he always does--Jerry Barrilleaux."

From all we'd heard, we expected the Montgomery 15 to edge out the P-15 and Com- Pac 16 in the small-boat category. But what about the intriguing wild card, the Capri 16? She looked fast. Her sleek hull, low cabin and long cockpit seemed to bespeak a racing heritage. Potter, Com-Pac and Montgomery banter had gone on all week, but there'd been no mention of a Capri-16. We had no idea what to expect from this hospital-white mini-cruiser with its two-and-a-half feet of fin keel.

And they're off!

As the horn sounded and the fleet of bigger boats got underway, one thing was immediately clear, if Jerry Barrilleaux was indeed going to win this race, he'd have to make up ground. Sunshine had crossed the starting line a distant fourth.

At the first upwind mark, Eric Zilbert's P-19 Riptide held the lead, followed closely by a tightly bunched group consisting of Larry Steffen's P-19 Yuuki , Judy Blumhorst's P-19 Redwing , and Greg Moore's M 17 Full Monty.

The race's first surprise came in the form of another Barrilleaux, Jerry's son Todd and his expert skippering of the P-14 Breezy . By the second mark, he'd somehow managed to overcome a seemingly insurmountable five-minute handicap to catch and pass almost every big boat.

At the farthest upwind turn, out of our view, Jerry Barrilleaux had taken control. The racers reported the order as follows:
1. Jerry Barrilleaux P-19
2. Todd Barrilleaux P-14
3. Greg Moore M-17
4. Leroy Falk P-19
5. Judy Blumhorst P-19.

Was there anything to be learned from the first half of the race? Without question, a capably-handled Potter 14/15 sails well to weather under certain conditions. Todd Barrilleaux amply demonstrated this by ignoring his little boat's supposed limitations and successfully running down the longer, faster boats. Perhaps the light winds favored smaller boats on the upwind leg. Bob Becker's M-15 was also gaining on the leaders at the turn. Clearly, there were more similarities than differences between these two smaller boats .

Binoculars in hand we waited, wondering which boat would appear first on the long downwind stretch. We predicted a pack of the bigger boats, perhaps trailed by Breezy. Instead, in what was to be the second surprising turn of events, only two boats hove into view: Jerry Barrilleaux's Sunshine, and Jim Silva's Capri 16. Another of the "smaller" boats had not only overcome a five-minute deficit, but was battling to be first across the line. Everyone had assumed that five-minutes would be enough time to keep the two divisions separated, but either conditions or exceptional boat handling by some small-division skippers resulted in quite a mixture on the downwind leg.

The two lead skippers seemed to sail a perfect race, adroitly coaxing the maximum performance from their respective boats. Now, nearing the home stretch, they held a commanding lead over their nearest competitors.

As they slugged it out, we watched for a third-place boat to appear. Seconds rolled into minutes when finally Todd Barrilleaux and Breezy . sailed into view, with Judy B's P-19 Redwing and Bob Becker's M-15 closing rapidly. Todd, who'd been so impressive on the upwind leg, was now fighting to maintain speed on the wide downwind course he'd chosen.

Moments later another story began to develop. Two Montgomerys we're shifting into overdrive. Greg Moore's dark-green 17 passed several boats and pulled solidly into third place. Bob Becker, close behind aboard his M-15 had not only taken over second position of the "small" boat division, but it looked as if he would show many of the big boats the way home.

Slowly but steadily, Jim Silva's Capri slid past Jerry Barrilleaux and Sunshine . At the final turn it appeared the Capri held a comfortable lead. Refusing to concede, Jerry attempted a last, desperate challenge by avoiding a final tack near the finish, but the speedy little Capri ultimately proved too much.

After Greg Moore's M-17 and Leroy Falk's P-19, Bob Becker crossed the line in his M- 15, having left a trail of bigger boats in his wake. Todd Barrilleaux in Breezy finished three boats later, proving third fastest of the "small" division.

Conclusions

Was anything definitive established? We knew it would be difficult to determine much from one race. There were different levels of both experience and competitiveness among the skippers. Some had racing experience, while for others this was a first competition. If we take the "skipper factor" out of the equation, we think there are a few conclusions that can safely be drawn:

The Capri 16 is clearly fast. The boat overcame a five minute hurdle and passed nearly twenty boats to finish first. With its lower PHRF rating, there was some feeling the Capri cannot fairly be compared to others in this race. Still, it is a small trailerable with a cabin, by design a "mini-cruiser," and that's what we came to see race.

The West Wight Potter 19 has been called "slow" on occasion, mostly by those who have never sailed her. Her beamy, hard-chined appearance may make it difficult to picture a P-19 going anywhere fast, but those who write her off could be in for a surprise. While none of the boats in this race was a rocket, it must be remembered they were never intended to be. They're cruisers, meant to carry their crews and a sizable amount of gear safely through sometimes unpredictable conditions, while providing basic amenities for a day to perhaps a week. This they do quite well. With the P-19 winning two of the four top spots, the SCA Cruiser Challenge did a lot to dispel nagging doubts about the Potter 19's speed capability. The smaller West Wight Potter was also surprisingly impressive. Particularly respectable were some of her performances to windward. They left little doubt this legendary mini-cruiser can point.

Perhaps most notable were the performances of the Montgomerys. With only three boats entered in a twenty boat field, they nabbed two of the top five places. A Montgomery 17 finished third, and an M-15 fifth. Consider that the M-15 started five minutes behind the bigger boats, and the feat becomes even more impressive.With only one Com-Pac 16 participating, it was difficult to conclude much. The CP-16 got off to a slow start but made up a lot of ground on the downwind leg.

When you toss the broad range of skipper ability back into the mix, judgments about the boats themselves become more tenuous. To what degree skipper proficiency affected the outcome is difficult to quantify, but no doubt it was substantial. In addition, there were some issues that were never fully resolved: One was an errant starting horn that negatively affected some skippers, the other that some boats may have carried more sail area than rules allowed.

With the relaxed and informal nature of the race, there's only one thing we can say with certainty: There were no losers at the SCA Cruiser Challenge. The skippers epitomized the finest example of the small-boating community with laughter, smiles and handshakes all around.

Results:

The Top Ten Finishers:

1. Jim Silva Capri 16
2. Jerry Barrilleaux Potter 19
3. Greg Moore Montgomery 17
4. Leroy Falk Potter 19
5. Bob Becker Montgomery 15
6. Larry Steffen Potter 19
7. Judith and Dave Blumhorst Potter 19
8. Todd Barrilleaux Potter 14
9. Dave Kautz Potter 15
10. Harry Gordon Potter 14

Top 5 Big Boats:
1. Jerry Barrilleaux Potter 19
2. Greg Moore Montgomery 17
3. Leroy Falk Potter 19
4. Larry Steffen Potter 19
5. Judith and Dave Blumhorst Potter 19

Top 5 Small Boats:
1. Jim Silva Capri 16
2. Bob Becker Montgomery 15
3. Todd Barrilleaux Potter 14
4. Dave Kautz Potter 15
5. Harry Gordon Potter 14