David Watts Wins Monmouth Boat Club Laser Regatta

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Story and Photo by Art Petrosemolo
 

Nine lasers head to the startling line for the Monmouth Boat Club New Year's day regatta.

Oceanport –  Monmouth Boat Club Past Commodore and Laser Fleet Captain David Watts was the man to beat January 1, winning four races and finishing second once for six points and a emphatic win in the New Year’s Laser Regatta sailed at the Shrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club.
Watts dueled most of the afternoon with Chris Hinkel of Westfield, NJ, who won the first race and finished with two seconds and a third for 12 points and a second place.
The regatta was sailed in sunny skies and building southerly winds topping out at 10-15 mph and causing a small chop on the Shrewsbury River’s SSYC course.
Nine boats went to the line for the six race regatta sailed under sunny skies and mild temperatures.
MBC sailors also took the third through fifth positions in the event. Ted Duffy, Red Bank, finished third with 16 points including two second place finishes. George Harrington, Atlantic Highlands, was fourth with 17 points winning the fourth race. Larry Nociolo, Fair Haven, finished fifth with 23 points including a second and a third during the day.
It was the first MBC regatta of 2012 and first since the end of the summer when racing was curtailed with the Club’s bulkhead re-build project.