2005 Thunderbird Fleet 10 Districts

 By Joe Konecny

The colorful Toronto yacht whose name is synonymous with Fleet 10 Thunderbird racing feasted on her notoriety at the 2005 North East Districts (NEDs), as Looney Tunes clinched the annual championship August 7, 2005 .

With Wendy Loat at the helm and her husband Nick Bailey managing the gods of one of the world’s largest fresh water seas, Looney Tunes humbled competitors in a breeze of eight knots or less at Ashbridges Bay , on Lake Ontario . The Tunes crew included Steve Turner and Val Prokomenko.

“The most trying aspect of this year’s North East Districts was waiting for the wind and hoping each race would not turn into a crap shoot, which can and often does happen in those conditions,” said Wendy.

While many sailors – including second and third place finishers Chris Reil on One Too Many and Diane Reid on That Damn Thang – relied heavily on the current to advance their ‘Birds along the course, “Ms. Tunes” read the zephyrs like the morning newspapers and carved out three victories in three starts.

“One can never anticipate getting three bullets, no matter how well prepared the boat and crew are,” added Ms. Tunes. “In Fleet 10, we have what I describe as a friendly rivalry, but that doesn't mean we won't fight them hard to win. Chris is a formidable competitor all of the time, no matter what.”

 Looney Tunes last won the NEDS in 1998. Since then, she has finished mostly in second place, either behind David Holmes and Rattle Ya Dags, or more recently Oliver Lennox-King and Strange Device, NED champion for 2001, 2002 and 2003. Chris Reil and One Two Many took top honors at the 2004 NEDs, with Tunes finishing … second.

 “Tunes has a long winning history,” said Wendy. “She was third in the 1973 World Championships in Whitby , Ontario .

 “She was loaned to Brett Willetts, defending World Champions from Victoria, who sailed her to second place behind Jon Wilkins of ABYC in 1981. Since then, she has managed an eighth, third and now second in international championships.”

 Wendy bought Looney Tunes in December 1982 with her friend Karen Gardner. When Karen moved to British Columbia , Wendy bought her out. Nick came along in 1986.

 “We bought her because Karen was looking for something affordable and it came down to either a 470 or a ‘Bird,” recalled Wendy. “The convincing argument was made by (Rockit skipper) John Morris who said the advantage of a ‘Bird is that if you drink too much, you can always sleep on the boat. Besides, where can you keep the beer cooler on a 470?"

 Nick and Wendy have made substantial improvements to Looney Tunes through the years. The original plywood was not glassed over and showed signs of deterioration in the 1990s. As a result, they dropped the keel, rolled her onto the cabin top and re-planked the plywood below the waterline before applying a solid fiberglass finish.

In 2005, Nick and Wendy placed a seven-pound aluminum stiffener in the mast, from the butt to the exit block for the topping lift. They also added a three-eighths-inch, 21-pound steel plate to the bottom of her keel.

“Tunes was always the first boat to heel over and had a low performance zone in 12-to-20 knots, so we were trying to improve her performance in those conditions,” said Wendy. “Ironically, although we were told it would be a light air series in Boston , we had 12-to-20 knots every day.”

Speaking of Boston , her second-place finish at the 2005 international regatta – with Nick, Chris Reil and Ed Botterell onboard – is still a tender point.

“Frankly, we were tired after having done the Internationals and could have used a weekend off before the districts,” said Wendy. “Nick was sure that it was our fate to finish second – again. He was acting like a bad tempered Klingon Warrior.

”The beauty of sailing, however, is that you learn every time you race,” she added. “To quote Ed Botterell: ‘Age and treachery will win out over youth and strength every time’. Blew Bird (the first-place boat in Boston ) and Looney Tunes didn't have the oldest crews, but darn close.”

Wendy got her start in sailing on Ackroyd dinghies when she was 10 years old. She moved on to CL14s and CL16s, then Lasers, before turning to keel boats. Her first experience on a ‘Bird was crewing for John and Connie Lister.

Nick’s mother bought him a Flying Dutchman “to keep him off the streets” when he was 14 years old. He sailed on an International 14 at the first Canadian Olympic Regatta, Kingston (CORK). Later he spent several years sailing on a wide variety of C&C designs. Nick also frequently raises hell on Lasers.

Asked how she and Nick still manage to motivate themselves after all these years, Wendy said: “As much as I like gardening, I'd rather be sailing. I'm a lousy cruiser and I believe that any two boats going in the same direction on the same waters are racing.”

Their goals? “The Gold Bird.” 

Thunderbird sailors, beware the Klingon Warrior and his Queen …