Batzer Avenges Loss at 18th Laser Midwinter Championship Regatta

The final heat came down to two familiar foes battling for the top spot as Barr Batzer ran away from Jim Kaighin and the rest of the fleet to win the 18th Annual RC Laser Midwinter Championship Regatta, held March 5th and 6th at Mackle Park. At the 17th Championship Regatta, in 2020, it was Kaighin who beat Batzer in the final round for the championship. Last year the regatta was canceled due to COVID. “Two years ago, we had a really good battle here,” said Barr Batzer. "It was quite exciting. It came down to the last race, one of the last legs. ”This year it wasn’t quite as tight. After jumping out to a big first day lead, Batzer had to fight off a surging Kaighin.

"I had a good lead on him after the first day,” Batzer said, heading into the final race Sunday afternoon, "and it came down to the last race, again, for the two of us. And he prevailed again. I had a good lead after yesterday, but it’s dwindling. He’s making me work for it. Hopefully, I’m making him work, too.”

“I’ve been doing better today,” said Jim Kaigen, prior to Sunday’s final round of sailing. “I’ve been duking it out with Barr Batzer. He had a big lead last night. I’ve been chipping away at it, but I don’t think I can catch him. Last time we were here I beat him by a point. Then we went to the nationals and I beat him by a point. I’ve gotten lucky. It was just so close. ”The grandstands were crowded and many spectators went under the pavilion as temperatures had reached the mid-80s by the time the final races were run. "This is the best RC venue in the United States, ”beamed Dave Branning, regional director of Region Two of the American Model Yachting Association. “The floating dock, the tiki hut, the grandstands...the top competitors in the United States are here. There’s a nine-time champion here, Jim Kaigen. He’s won the North American’s five or six times. And he’s a terrific person and a great sportsman. The competition for the top spot is really competitive, between Jim Kaigen and Barr Batzer. Barr lives near Coconut Creek, Jim’s from the Bahamas. This is one of the premier events in the United States. We’ve got guys here from as far away as Park City, Utahand Canada. They come from all over the United States. "This was Rocky Cale’s 14th year as director of the RC Laser Midwinter Championship Regatta. He is ably assisted by his wife, Mary Lee Cale. Rocky said there would be no regatta without Mary Lee.