Rolex Big Boat Series at San Francisco - Day 3
by Rolex Media Centre 14 Sep 2008 08:35 BST
11-14 September 2008
Hold on, it's going to get windy!
Despite a light wind start to the third day of racing at Rolex Big Boat Series, the St. Francis Yacht Club's (StFYC) race committee completed two races for the 1,000-plus sailors competing. The wind built to a suitable 6-8 knots while racers waited on San Francisco Bay for the 11am start of race one. However by mid-day the wind picked up to the more typical 15-18 knot range and with a strong 3-knot ebb current to battle, race two was where fortunes were decided. The StFYC will award its six Perpetual Trophies after tomorrow's final Bay Tour Race, the traditional end for the seven-race, four-day regatta.
In IRC A, the class with the largest boats, Bill Turpin's (Santa Cruz, CA) Reichel/Pugh 78 Akela took line honors in the first race, followed closely by Vinctore, the Reichel/Pugh IRC 52 chartered by Jim Mitchell (Zurich, SUI) with tactician Gavin Brady onboard. However, John Kilroy's (Los Angeles, CA) TP52 Samba Pa Ti crossed the finish line ahead of Vincitore in race two and with it moved to the top of the 9-boat class.
"I think our position right now, after the last race, is that we're tied for first," said Kilroy. Indeed, Samba Pa Ti and Vincitore are tied on points; however Samba has won three races to Vincitore's one win, giving them the temporary tie break. "Hopefully it will come down to the last race tomorrow between us."
The name Kilroy has long been associated with this regatta. John Kilroy first sailed the regatta in 1964 with his father, Jim, on a brand-new Kialoa. "I have done 20 or so and have had the good fortune to win it a couple of times. It's always a spectacular event," he said.
Yesterday's class leader Criminal Mischief, the Reichel/Pugh 45 owned by Chip Megeath (Tiburon, CA) slipped to third overall.
Brad Copper (Point Richmond, CA) and his Custom Tripp 43 TNT pulled into the lead of IRC B class after posting a fast finish in the day's first race, ahead of yesterday's leader Michael Diepenbrock (San Francisco) and his Swan 45 Rancho Deluxe.
"Today's racing was good," said Copper. "Although there were lighter winds in the morning, they built during the race, which got to show the boat's capabilities. I think we lucked out. This afternoon's race was in heavier winds, on average 18-20 knots in building seas, and it really showed the boat's ability to perform."
Copper didn't just sneak up to the top of the scoreboard, here at his first Rolex Big Boat Series as helm. "I raced for 17 years, many years ago," he said. "I took a hiatus to focus on my career. It's been a long, long time, and modern boats are distinctly different than the old IOR boats I used to race. Every time I get on this boat I go up the learning curve. The whole campaign is new: the boat, the crew, the sails."
Going into tomorrow's final race, Copper hopes for moderate wind, conditions the boat favors, and promised to keep an eye on his competition. "We have tremendous respect for Rancho Deluxe. Swiftsure is a very well-sailed boat and it is better in heavier winds."
Swiftsure, Sy Kleinman's (Saratoga, CA) Schumacher 54, is in third overall after taking line honors in the day's second race.
Dave Kirby (Manhattan Beach, CA) continues to lead the 8-boat IRC C class with his J/122 TKO, while White Dove, the Beneteau 40.7 owned by Mike Garl (San Francisco) maintains the top spot in IRC D.
In one-design racing, Mario Yovkov's (San Francisco) Great Sensation held its lead in the 7-boat 1D35 class in spite of Yovkov's admitted nerves over proposing marriage with a large, emblazoned spinnaker flown at the finish which read, "Will you marry me". Edward Durbin (Richmond, CA) scored a 1-3 to add to his considerable score line in 6-boat Beneteau 36. 7 class and hold on to first place, and Bartz Schneider (San Francisco) extended his lead in the Express 37 class.
For Rolf Kaiser and Scott Sellers (both San Francisco) on Donkey Jack, a 6-2 was enough to hold off Phil and Chris Perkins (both San Francisco) on Good Timin', by five points. "It was an okay day, not as quick as we wanted to be," said Chris Perkins at the dock after racing. "There weren't any big mistakes. Mother Nature just was not with us and a few shifts didn't go our way.
Scooter Simmons (Belvedere, CA) won the day's first race on Blackhawk, then finished eighth in the second race to hold third overall. "Tomorrow is one race and we need to catch up," said Perkins. "It will be one very long race. We hope for a lighter, shiftier day where the fleet splits."
Fortunes swapped in the 8-boat J/120 class to find Steve Madeira's (Northeast Harbor, ME) Mr. Magoo back in the lead over Barry Lewis' (San Francisco) Chance.
Michael Illbruck put in another notable day in the Melges 32 fleet on his Pinta (Munich, GER), scoring a 1-6 to maintain the lead, however the team is tied on points with John Porter (Lake Geneva, WI) on Full Throttle. Joe Woods (Torbay, GBR) moved into third overall with RED.
"Today was up and down, said Illbruck. "The first race was good. We had good pace and in the second race the beats were very difficult for us. You only have an amount of luck and we didn't have any breaks. It wasn't anything specific." It has been 10 years since Illbruck has sailed the Rolex Big Boat Series, however this time it was very different than the last. "I have to say I was on the boat in the 1D48 (in 1998) and I didn't really sail," he said. "This is for me the first time and it is a fantastic place to race. Really, it's unbelievable. It's difficult, it's very demanding because of the current and all the islands."
The multi-national team prepared by calling on the experience from crew members such as Don Cowie and Grant Loretz and new views by bringing in Trevor Baylis to provide local coaching, on recommendation from Illbruck's close friend John Kostecki. "I am the only German and there are six Kiwis," continued Illbruck. "We have strong roots in New Zealand. My father sailed with Kiwis and we had eight Kiwis on the Volvo Ocean Race boat. But really, it is more than just sailing. They are friends and I appreciate what they have done for us over the years. They are simply good sailors, the mood is always good, never down."
Illbruck was quick to point out the value of having multi-talented Ray Davies on board calling tactics. "There are good tacticians, but very few really great tacticians," he said. "Ray Davies is excellent, the guy is incredible. I've known him for many years, and I've always known that he was a good sailor. He was important for Team New Zealand, and aside from his abilities on the water he is a fantastic person. That's important. I would never sail with someone who isn't."
Going into tomorrow's final deciding race, the top five have a chance at winning. "We just have to go out and do our best," said Illbruck. "We have good speed and also I think the guys on the boat know how to win. Full Throttle (renamed for this regatta) is fantastic, they do a good job. I think it's the toughest group of Melges sailors we have competed against. The Italians are very, very strong. Even though we are nine boats, these boats are good, really, really good."
Racing concludes tomorrow with the Bay Tour race. Following this, the St. Francis Yacht Club will host the Rolex Trophy Ceremony where specially engraved Rolex timepieces will be awarded to the St. Francis Yacht Club's six Perpetual Trophy winners.
Regarded by sailors as one of the world's premier sailboat racing events, the Rolex Big Boat Series joins the list of other prestigious Rolex-sponsored events in 2008: the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the Rolex Swan Cup and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
For more information about the Rolex Big Boat Series, visit the St. Francis Yacht Club Race website. For daily racing videos, visit www.t2p.tv