By Megan Pluth | NB Indy
“There was something for everybody!” Tom Schock noted about the conditions during the W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta this past weekend.
Saturday held fast with a consistent breeze for most of the day, trailing off to a shifty afternoon. Sunday played the same card, but closed with impending dark clouds and breeze. There really was something for everyone.
Schock is a local boat builder whose business was just recently sold to Alexander Vucelic von Raduboj, while he continues on as the Brand Ambassador. The company has been a family affair for more than 60 years, as was this year’s W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta. Many of the six fleets had related crews. And the Schock family was one of them.
They held their own in the Harbor 20 fleet, Harbor 25 fleet, and the Lido 14 fleet. Tom Schock managed to skipper in both the Harbor 20 fleet and the Lido 14 fleets with impressive finishes in both: 2nd and 1st, respectively.
This year was also the first year that host Newport Harbor Yacht Club used the Kattack GPS Tracking System to track the competitors throughout the event. So, there is record of each boat’s movements around the course along with results.
The Schock family’s sailing ability has never been in question and has been noted by many. However, the reason Sailing World editor David Reed was in town this year was to learn a little more about the passing of the Schock torch. New owner Vucelic von Raduboj is very familiar with running a family-owned business. He came from one himself, serving as the chief operating officer of Electric Machinery.
Sailors can also rest easy knowing that the company is in a sailor’s hands. Vucelic von Raduboj grew up sailing and his first boat was a yellow Schock Sabot.
Finally, the local fleet can look forward to many more years of the W.D. Schock Memorial Regatta. This year boasted attendees from as far away as Washington and Oregon.
Winners: Harbor 20 A, Terry Gloege/Byron Capps NHYC. Harbor 20B, Walter Johnson/Karen Pierce BYC. Harbor 25, Steven Schock/Ruth Schock ABYC. Lido 14 A, Kurt Wiese/David Camerini NHYC. Lido 14 B, Tom Schock/Anne Schupak NHYC. Schock 35, Bruce Bennett/Bob Marcus SIBYC & ABYC.
Full results area available at www.nhyc.org.
