Massive effort to replace mast makes Annapolis NOOD win sweeter for Roger Lant, Abientot - Flaze News

 

Skipper Roger Lant steered Abientot to victory in J/35 class at the Annapolis stop of the National Offshore One-Design regatta last weekend after spending two months tracking down a replacement mast and rig. (Willy Keyworth/Sailing World Magazine and NOOD Regattas)

Roger Lant has been frustrated in his bid to win the Annapolis stop of the Helly Hansen National Offshore One-Design series. For three straight years, Lant skippered Abientot to a runner-up result in J/35 class behind Aunt Jean.

Lant and the Abientot team got over the hump this year, taking down skipper Jimmy Sagerholm and the Aunt Jean syndicate. However, the satisfaction of finally beating a dominant rival was secondary to the sense of accomplishment that came from merely competing in last weekend’s Annapolis NOOD.

That’s because the 2020 sailboat racing season got off to an inauspicious start for Abientot.

Lant launched the boat just in time to compete in Race 1 of the Annapolis Yacht Club Wednesday Night Series. While checking upwind settings in about 18 knots of wind during the pre-start, the crew watched in horror as the mast snapped and the entire rig came down.

Fortunately, no one was injured, and calm, efficient teamwork enabled Abientot to return safely to port.

A few days later, Lant contacted a spars company to inquire about buying a replacement rig and suffered a massive case of sticker shock: Total cost was $38,000. It did not help that his insurance company would not cover the damage due to exclusions in the policy.

When the Naval Academy Sailing Squadron was forced to cancel the annual Fall Race to Oxford, the organization pivoted and created a unique, interesting new event. The inaugural Race to the Lighthouses will be held Sept. 12. https://t.co/njqu7gaNOV

— Bill Wagner (@BWagner_CapGaz) September 3, 2020

“I needed to make a prudent decision about how to get the boat back in the water,” said Lant, an 18-year resident of Alexandria, Virginia.

So, Lant b Split had been sitting on the hard almost five years following a 2015 rig replacement.

In late July, Lant traveled to a boat yard in Holland, Michigan, to check out Lickety Split. While the rig appeared in good condition, the hull and deck were in serious disrepair. However, the price to buy the whole boat ($19,000) was still far cheaper than the cost of purchasing a brand-new rig.

Transporting Lickety Split to Annapolis proved too costly, so Lant settled on completing stripping the rundown J/35 on-site in Michigan. He bought the boat Aug. 18 then spent almost three days removing the rig and everything else of value.

Professionals at the Holland yacht yard second-guessed Lant, who has primarily been an executive with heavy civil construction firms during his career.

“Everyone at the yard was quite vocal in telling me I couldn’t do it, but I’m a practical engineer and work in construction. When we need to solve a problem, we find a way,” Lant said.

Lant was fortunate to find a willing and capable assistant in Chris Balliet, owner of Seabee Marine in Holland. Initially hired to pull and inspect the rig, Balliet was so intrigued by the project he stayed around to help Lant take the boat apart then put it on a low-boy trailer for hauling to a nearby dump.

“I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Chris, who was a massive help,” Lant said.

Using a rented pickup truck and specialized trailer borrowed from Eastport Spar and Rigging, Lant drove the rig back to Maryland. It was stepped at Port Annapolis Marina on Aug. 23 under the supervision of Mike Johnson, bowman aboard Abientot and a professional rigger.

Lant steered Abientot to victory in ORC 2 class of Wednesday Night Series as a warm-up then turned in a sizzling performance in the 21st annual Annapolis NOOD.

Ben Singleton served as strategist, while Andrew Watters trimmed the main and called tactics as Abientot finished first or second in all nine races in posting a low score of 13 points. That was two better than Aunt Jean, which had won J/35 class every year since the NOOD series came to Annapolis in 1999.

Peter Buchan (mast), Richard Rutkowski (mid-bow), Melissa Trost (pit), Matt Baker (jib trimmer), Sean Walker (spinnaker trimmer) and the aforementioned Johnson completed the crew.

“It was rewarding, it was thrilling, it was incredibly satisfying. So much effort went into pulling off this victory,” Lant said. “Winning the regatta was just the icing on the cake considering what me and the crew had to do just to make the starting line. It was the perfect ending to a problematic season.”

 

History was made Aug. 15 as skipper Tim McGee and his crew of former Naval Academy All-Americans sailed to victory in the 14th annual CRAB Cup. Registered as CRAB 6, McGee and company completed the race on the Chesapeake Bay in 57 minutes, 30 seconds. https://t.co/qR0ECNIiOW

— Capital Gazette Sports (@AACapitalSports) August 22, 2020

Lant was raised on the coastal town of Warkworth in Northumberland, England, and learned to sail on the North Sea. He moved to Alexandria when his wife took a job with the National Institute of Health and shortly thereafter began campaigning a Tripp 26 named Going Postal.

While scouring the internet looking for a kiteboard, Lant found Abientot selling at auction on Ebay and offered the winning bid. This particular J/35, which was built in 1987, had been abandoned at Bert Jabin’s Yacht Yard in Annapolis.

Lant elected to keep the name as a bientot, which means “see you later” in French. “I thought that was quite appropriate for the racecourse,” he said.

Lant has already sold some of the hardware and fittings he salvaged from Lickety Split and plans to keep the engine, rudder, stanchions and other parts as spares. In addition to saving considerable money, he also saved time.

“If I had opted to buy the new mast, I’d still be waiting for it to be delivered,” he said.