Melges 20s at the Sail Newport Regatta - Day 1
by International Melges 20 Class Association 8 Jul 2017 08:03 BST
7-9 July 2017
Sail Newport Regatta day 1 © JOY / IM20CA
If there was ever a day for perfect foul weather gear and a Sou'Wester rain hat, opening day of the 2017 Sail Newport Regatta was it.
The day started with a steady rain and a light easterly wind which showed no signs of letting up. Melges 20 sailors waited until the last moment to push off the dock, and once to the racing area south of the Newport bridge near the Jamestown shoreline, the rain was merely an afterthought when the starting gun sounded.
With a pin-end favored line and an outgoing tide, the fleet struggled to get to the line, however Rob Wilber's CINGHIALE was able to nose out on the start, play the left side and lead around the first weather mark followed by John Kilroy's SAMBA PA TI and Liam Kilroy's WILDMAN. If the breeze seemed straight-forward, the first downwind leg showed that no lead was safe and as Wilber extended to the corner, he quickly fell into a sizeable hole and saw his lead disappear in a heartbeat. A hard charging Drew Freides on PACIFIC YANKEE turned on his after burners to take the bullet on the final lap, followed by the elder Kilroy in second and Daniel Thielman on KUAI in third.
The rain persisted for the start of Race Two with yet-another pin-end favored line, this time the fleet was prepared and battled hard to get off on the favored end. Showing prowess, the younger Kilroy won the pin, port tacked the fleet and played the shifts up the first beat beautifully to grab the lead at the first top mark. The first downwind run produced some shuffling as the boats behind were able to gybe in a line of pressure, while the lead boats hung on by their fingernails to maintain their lead. Liam hung on for the win followed by an impressive race from overnight leader Jason Michas on MIDNIGHT BLUE in second. Thielman grabbed his second, top three finish in the regatta to take third.
After a short delay due to a shifting breeze followed by more pounding rain, the Sail Newport Race Committee (RC) made the popular decision to send the fleet back to shore with no more racing for the day. Melges 20 teams quickly packed up their boats and made way for the nearest pub serving warm clam chowder. The forecast for Saturday is for a much drier and breezy conditions.
Results after Day 1: (top five, 2 races)
1.) Jason Michas, MIDNIGHT BLUE; 4-2 = 6pts
2.) Daniel Thielman, KUAI; 3-3 = 6pts
3.) Drew Freides, PACIFIC YANKEE; 1-8 = 9pts
4.) Alexis Michas, MIDNIGHT SUN; 5-5 = 10pts
5.) John Kilroy, SAMBA PA TI; 2-9 = 11pts
2017 Melges World League Results: (top five after 7 events)
1.) Igor Rytov, RUSSIAN BOGATYRS = 85pts
2.) Vladimir Prosikhin, NIKA = 57pts
3.) Achille Onorato, MASCALZONE LATINO = 48pts
4.) Krzysztof Krempec, MAG TINY = 48pts
5.) Rodney Jones, CARS 167; 48pts