John Kilroy wins Farr 40 class at Acura SORC regatta

by Keith Taylor on 4 Mar 2001 MIAMI BEACH, FL, March 4, 2001-'It was a squeaker,' said John Kilroy,
skipper of Samba Pa Ti after his boat wrapped up first place for the Farr 40
class at the 60th anniversary regatta of the Acura Southern Ocean Racing
Conference (SORC) by one quarter of a point.

Kilroy, from Malibu, CA, led the class on points for three days of the
four-day regatta but came under increasing pressure from the steadily
improving Barking Mad, skippered by Jim Richardson, from Boston, MA. Kilroy
was the 1999 World Champion of the class while Richardson was the 1998
Champion.

'We knew that we had to finish sixth or better in this last race if Barking
Mad was first,' Kilroy said. 'At the first mark she was leading and we were
in 11th place. We set up too early at the start and we took a couple of bad
waves that just stopped us. We had to fight our way through the pack. At one
point we were 16th or 17th. By the second weather mark we were in sixth
place and that is where we finished. When you get a quarter of a point
separating first and second, you know you've had a helluva regatta.'

Barking Mad finished second overall in the Farr 40 Class, while Australian
skipper John Calvert-Jones, the current World Champion, sailed his Southern
Star to a third place overall.

In addition to winning the class trophy, Kilroy was awarded the Mark Baxter
Memorial Trophy for the best Farr 40 of the week. Like all skippers who
competed in four-day series, he also received an Omega Seamaster 300-Meter
Professional Diver watch.

The Acura Cup for the best all-around performance for a boat in a
competitive class was awarded to Robert Hughes, skipper of the 1D35
Heartbreaker. The one-design boat from Ada, MI, scored a convincing win with
a 12.25-point margin in a hotly-contested 15-boat class. For Hughes, who is
preparing to campaign a new Farr 40, it was a fitting end for a three-year
tenure in the class. His boat is hull #4 and last year he won here in Miami
and won the season championship.
'This was our last event in the 1D35 Class. The boys were really motivated
to sail as best as we could,' Hughes said. 'Everything was perfect. It was
like a storybook ending for us.'

A one-quarter-point winning margin also featured in the battle for the
Governor's Cup for the best all-round performance by a boat in the PHRF
Class. Stephen Murray, skipper of the Santa Cruz 52 Decision, from New
Orleans, LA, won the trophy after swapping the points lead all week with
George Collin's Chessie Racing, from Fisher Island, FL.

The Farr 50 Esmeralda, campaigned by sailmaker Ken Read and owner Makoto
Uematsu, locked up the seven-boat IMS Class with seven victories in three
days of racing and elected not to sail the final day.

Final results, Acura SORC, Day 4, March 4 (owner name, boat name, city,
state, places, points):

Farr 40:
1. John Kilroy, Samba Pa Ti, Malibu, CA
(.75-2-18-.75-6-.75-6), 34.25;
2. Jim Richardson, Barking Mad, Boston, MA
(12-11-3-5-.75-2-.75), 34.5;
3. John Calvert-Jones, Southern Star, Melbourne, Aust.
(13-.75-2-19-13-3-3), 53.75

1D35:
1. Robert Hughes, Heartbreaker, Ada, MI
(2-2-.75-5-3-.75-6), 19.5;
2. Shed Shelhorse, Avalanche, Virginia Beach,VA
(8-5-5-4-.75-3-3), 28.75;
3. Nick & Tina Worth, Widowmaker, Norfolk, Va
(14-6-4-2-2-4-2), 34.

IMS:
1. Read/Uematsu, Esmeralda, Portsmouth, RI
(.75-.75-.75-.75-.75-.75-.75-3), 8.25;
3. George David, Idler, Hartford, CT
(2-3-3-2-2-2-2-3), 19;
3. Bache Renshaw, Virago, South Dartmouth, MA
(3-2-2-3-5-3-3-3), 24.

PHRF I:
1. Stephen Murray, Decision, New Orleans, LA, GA
(4-.75-2-.75-2-.75-3-2), 15.25;
2. George Collins, Chessie Racing, Fisher Island, FL
(2-2-.75-3-3-2-2-.75), 15.5;
3. Lorin Frank, Look Again, Miami, FL
(6-3-5-2-6-3-.75-3), 28.75.

PHRF II:
1. Robert Weed, Wired, Novato, CA
(4-.75-3-.75-.75-3-2-2), 16.25;
3. Cole/Adams, Warp Speed, Seattle, WA
(2-2-4-4-2-.75-3-DNC), 28.75;
2. Lees/Gastrau, Invincible, Annapolis, MD
(.75-5-.75-6-3-2-.75-DNC), 29.25.

PHRF III:
1. Bruce Gardner, L'Outrage, Annapolis, MD
(2-6-2-2-.75-.75-2-.75), 16.25;
2. John Esposito, Hustler, City Island, NY
(4-4-4.75-3-3-.75-2), 21.5;
3. David Beheny, Xtreme, Miami, FL
(3-.75-3-3-4-2-3-3), 21.75.

Melges 24:
1. Jeff Jones, Kilroy, Shelby Township, MI
(.75-3-5-.75-.75-.75-.75), 11.75;
2. Neil Sullivan, M-Fatic, Annapolis, MD
(4-.75-3-3-10-5-3), 28.75;
3. Dave West, Chippewa, Bloomer, WI
(7-5-2-5-5-6-5), 35.

Multihull:
1. Robert Buzzelli, Merlin, Sarasota, FL
(2-.75-3-3-3-3), 14.75;
2. Steve Marsh, No Name, Jensen Beach, FL
(3-4-5-5-4-.75), 21.75;
3. David Calvert, Green Flash, Islamorada, FL
(7-5-.75-.75-2-ret), 24.5

Mumm 30:
1. Phil Garland, Trouble, Bristol, RI
(.75-.75-6-6-2-4), 19.5;
2. Kent Plunkett, Paydirt, Wellesley, MA
(6-5-.75-2-.75-8), 22.5;
3. David Koski, Go Figure, Highland Heights, OH
(2-3-8-14-4-2), 33.

J/105:
1. Bob Johnstone, Tern V, Charleston, SC
(.75-2-2-.75-3-2), 10.5;
2. Thomas Coates, Masquerade, San Francisco, CA
(6-.75-.75-3-.75-.75), 12;
3. Douglas Berman, Out of Options, San Anselmo, CA
(4-4-7-2-4-3), 24.

Sailing World magazine, Ocean Drive magazine and Omega Watches joined title
sponsor Acura this year. Other sponsors included the Majestic/Avalon Hotel
and Monty's Restaurant, both in Miami Beach. Suppliers included Nextel, Dry
Creek Vineyard, Zuse, Matusalem Rum, Margaritaville Tequila and Kalik Beer.
Sailing World Race Village vendors included Doyle Sailmakers, Dimension
Polyant, North Sails, Ockam, Navtec and Sailing Angles.

Boats competing at the Acura SORC raced three-day or four-day series. The
Farr 40, 1D35, IMS Racer and PHRF classes are all raced from Thursday
through Sunday. The Melges 24 and Multihull classes raced Thursday through
Saturday. The Mumm 30 and J/105 classes raced Friday through Sunday.

Race management was provided by volunteers from the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club,
the Coral Reef Yacht Club and the Miami Yacht Club in Miami. Also, the
Lauderdale Yacht Club and the Nassau Yacht Club.

The Acura SORC is an Octagon-managed event. Octagon, an international event
marketing company headquartered in Stamford, CT, also manages the Swedish
Match Grand Prix Sailing Tour, Bermuda Gold Cup and Crystal Cup at Atlantis.


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Keith Taylor Shawn McBride
Acura SORC Octagon Marketing
Tel: (305) 672-7225 Tel: (203) 363-1084
Fax: (305) 672-7228 Fax: (203) 363-1088
ktolyc@compuserve.com Shawn.McBride@Octagon.com