The start of Race 1 on day 3
Day three of the Rolex Regatta found me out on the water again, except I was not on a comfortable cat or a bouncy press boat. On Sunday I got to race! I accepted an invitation to sail on board Northern Child , the 51 Swan belonging to Brit Christian Reynolds and being chartered by Safe Passage Sailing. Though I came to shoot photos, it wasn’t long before I had to trade the camera for a winch handle! Scampering up to the high side as we tacked our way into position for the start of the first race around Pillsbury Sound, completing distance courses that explored the cays and islands off St. Thomas, I recalled my early racing “career” as a pre-teen in the Chesapeake. My Uncle George taught me the fine art of being rail meat, an experience I will never forget! Back then, we new our jobs and tried like hell not to get in the way or worse, yelled at. And that, my friends, is why I only sail with non-yellers!
The crew of Northern Child (in the CSA Spinnaker 2 class) – seven very tough gals, were up against some pretty stiff competition. “Sailors came from around the globe, and each class had a good number of boats with impressive depth of competition,” said Regatta Director Bill Canfield. One of only two all female crews in this Regatta, Northern Child had a secret weapon in coach Suzette Smith.
“We’re going to sail a broad reach, so I want you all to think about what has to happen next. How will the sails be trimmed? Where do you need to be?” Suzette called out to us. Her calm tones gave instant clarity and assured us that we did know how to do it. I have to give Suzette tons of credit. It’s not easy to take a group of strangers with varying degrees of experience and turn them into a well-oiled racing team after just two days of practice. Two days! “By Sunday, something clicks in your head and you’re starting to anticipate the next move rather than wait to be instructed,” one participant told me. “It’s too bad we’re not racing next week as well, now that we’ve got it!”
Safe Passage Sailing lived up to it’s mission: To provide opportunities for the intermediate to advanced sailor to participate in celebrated sailing events, around the U.S. and in international waters and to provide an exciting and fulfilling experience for those in pursuit of adventure, knowledge and growth.” After sailing just two races with this crew,it was clear to me that every single one of them had learned something, either about racing or about themselves. Most likely, both!
And the Winners Are…
Antelope. Photo:N.Birnbaum
With today’s two victories to add to an already perfect score line, Willem Wester’s (SUI) Grand Soleil 43 Antilope made an impressive showing in the nine-boat IRC 2 class, earning Wester a Rolex Explorer timepiece as prize. (Timepieces were also awarded to IRC 1 class, the top performer among CSA Spinnaker classes and IC 24 one-design class.)
Antelope's Skipper Bouwe Bekking and his wife. Photo:N.Birnbaum
“This was our first time to this part of the world,” said Wester, who has won Cowes Week the last two years aboard Antilope and sailed with a crew from Belgium and Holland that included veteran Volvo Ocean Race skipper Bouwe Bekking, who called tactics, and Olympian Philippe Bergmans, who steered.
For Ed Baird (St. Petersburg, Fla.), being a seasoned professional didn’t take anything away from his experience here. The winning skipper from the 2007 America’s Cup (Alinghi) crewed aboard Richard Oland’s (New Brunswick, CAN) Southern Cross Vela Veloce while Canadian Olympian Richard Clarke steered. The team finished second in IRC 1 class, conceding to Jim Swartz’s (Park City, Utah) TP52 Vesper/Team Moneypenny, which won all but one of six races.
Elandra of Hamble battles Northern Child & Affinity. Photo:N.Birnbaum
In the CSA Spinnaker 2 class, Calvin Reed’s (Tampa, Fla.) Beneteau First 40.7 Elandra of Hamble won top honors as they fended off who they considered their #1 competition, Richard Wesslund’s (Miami, Fla.) J/120 El Ocaso, which slipped to third place overall after posting a 5-4 today.
Of course, it’s not just about the winners. Northern Child, with their neophyte racers working their magic managed to finish in the middle of the pack. Not bad! Congrats to all of you! I hope I helped a little bit!
Winner celebrate with watches. Photo:N.Birnbaum
FINAL RESULTS
International Rolex Regatta 2011
Day 3
IC 24 (One Design – 16 Boats)
1. Team INTAC JV, IC 24, William Bailey , St. Thomas, VI, USA – 6, 3, 3, 1, 1, 3, 2, 1, 6, 2, 4, 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, ; 51
2. Orion, IC 24, Fraito Lugo , Ponce, PR, USA – 5, 2, 7, 2, 11, 8, 1, 2, 5, 3, 7, 3, 9, 4, 2, 3, 1, ; 75
3. Soggy Dollar BVI, IC 24, Chris Cuerreri , St. Thomas , USVI – 2, 8, 2, 12, 3, 4, 4, 7, 1, 12, 9, 4, 2, 1, 3, 2, 6, ; 82
CSA Spinnaker 1 (CSA – 6 Boats)
1. Team INTAC/CROWLEY, Melges 32, Mark Plaxton , Sea Cows Bay, Tortola, BVI – 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, ; 9
2. Budget Marine/GILL , Melges 24, Andrea Scarabelli , Cole Bay, St. Maarten, AHO – 3, 1, 4, 1, 2, 4, ; 15
3. Jurakan, Melges 32, David West , Road Town, Tortola, BVI – 2, 3, 1, 4, 4, 3, ; 17
CSA Spinnaker 2 (CSA – 11 Boats)
1. Elandra of Hamble, Beneteau First 40.7, Calvin Reed , Tampa, FL, USA – 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, ; 12
2. Smile and Wave, Beneteau First 40, Jaime Torres , San Juan, PR, USA – 6, 3, 1, 3, 1, 3, ; 17
3. El Ocaso, J 120, Richard Wesslund , Miami, FL, USA – 4, 1, 3, 2, 5, 4, ; 19
CSA Spinnaker 3 (CSA – 6 Boats)
1. Wild At Heart, JOD 35, Timothy Molony , New Orleans, LA, USA – 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, ; 7
2. Otrakosa, J 80, Kike Gonzalez , San Juan, PR, USA – 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, ; 11
3. Mag 7, J 27, Paul Davis , Charlotte amalie, VI, USA – 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, ; 21
CSA Non-Spinnaker (CSA – 10 Boats)
1. Lost Horizon, J 122, James Dobbs , Falmouth, ANT – 5, 1, 1, 1, 2, ; 10
2. Cayennita Grande, J 36, Antonio Sanpere , Christiansted, VI, USA – 2, 2, 2, 3, 1, ; 10
3. Bonne Chance, Beneteau First 35s5, Bernardo Gonzalez , Dorado, PR, USA – 1, 3, 3, 2, 3, ; 12
IRC 1 (IRC – 6 Boats)
1. Vesper, TP 52, James Swartz , Park City, Utah, USA – 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, ; 7
2. Vela Veloce, Southern Cross 52, Richard Oland , Saint John, NB, CAN – 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, ; 14
3. Interlodge, JV 52, Austin and Gwen Fragomen , Newport, RI, USA – 1, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, ; 17
IRC 2 (IRC – 9 Boats)
1. Antilope, Grand Soleil 43, Willem Wester , Breskens, Zeeland, NED – 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, ; 6
2. Three Harkoms, Oceanis 44, James Hudleston , St. petersburg, FL, USA – 2, 4, 2, 4, 3, 2, ; 17
3. Arethusa, Club Swan 42, Phil Lotz , Newport, RI, USA – 3, 2, 3, 2, 4, 4, ; 18
Beach Cats (Portsmouth – 9 Boats)
1. Universal, Hobie 16, Jorge L Ramos , San Juan, PR, USA – 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, ; 6
2. Time Out, Hobie 16, John Holmberg , St. Thomas, VI, USA – 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, ; 12
3. Island Girl, Hobie 16, Teri McKenna , St. Thomas, VI, USA – 5, 3, 5, 3, 3, ; 19
Results and more from Media Pro International and RolexCupRegatta.com.
YourCruisingEditor onboard Northen Child, 2011
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