Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship at Santa Barbara - Practice
by Jan Harley 19 Aug 2015 07:42 BST
19-22 August 2015
Post-practice action on the docks at the 2015 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship © Rolex / Sharon Green
While not a full-fledged dress rehearsal, the 15 teams readying for the 2015 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship availed themselves of the opportunity for some practice runs today, once the morning haze was dispersed by sunshine and a 10 knot west-southwest breeze.
Preparation is key in this competitive class which will see New York financier Alex Roepers, the defending Rolex Farr 40 North American Champion, attempting to fend off the assault of Italian shipping magnate and entrepreneur Alberto Rossi. Roepers' PLENTY dominated the Farr 40 International Circuit in 2014, as has Rossi's Enfant Terrible this current season. Racing gets underway tomorrow, August 18, and when it concludes on August 22, the title, and a specially-engraved Rolex timepiece, will reward the ultimate victor.
Not to be overlooked is the rest of this talent-laden fleet, which also includes two additional Rolex Farr 40 World Champions: Chicago architect Helmut Jahn (Flash Gordon 6), the 2012 champion; and Australian businessman Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (Transfusion), the 2011 champion.
New to the Farr 40 class is San Diego's Rick Goebel who took delivery of Insanity just this past February. While the competitiveness of this class is regularly cited, Goebel has put his mark on his inaugural season and is in position to take the Corinthian division of the 2015 International Circuit.
Goebel said he was always thinking about getting into the class, especially with the fleet building on the west coast. "This year, with everything on the west coast again, this was the perfect year to do it. The Farr 40 is a real race boat. It's like the Formula 1," said the structural engineer and naval architect who grew up sailing in Western Canada and raced on Canada II, the America's Cup boat. Goebel's objective for the Rolex Farr 40 North American's is focused on beating a pro boat; if his streak continues, he is likely to meet that goal.
In a concerted effort, the welcome mat for the 15 teams who have descended on this picturesque California town has been put out by the beach front clubhouse of host Santa Barbara Yacht Club, officials with the Santa Barbara Harbor and, especially, the local commercial fishing fleet who temporarily relocated for the Farr 40s.
Additional information on the 2015 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship can be found online here. Follow the event via Twitter or on Facebook.