Acura Key West 2009 - Day 2
by Bill Wagner 21 Jan 2009 08:02 GMT
19-23 January 2009
Another fantastic day of sailing
Mother Nature changed her mind and smiled on Acura Key West 2009 today. Advance forecasts called for extreme winds, but instead a consistent 15-20 knot north-northwesterly enabled this high-powered international fleet to enjoy two great races.
“Another fantastic day of sailing in Key West. Days like this are why
we come here. The conditions were outstanding,” Melges 24 skipper
Riccardo Simoneschi said.
Simoneschi is a two-time winner of Acura Key West, presented by
Nautica. The Italian skipper posted a solid line of 4-3 on Tuesday and
holds third place overall in Melges 24, largest class in the regatta
with 33 boats.
Former Olympic medalist Charlie McKee is calling tactics for
Simoneschi, who is 10 points off the very hot pace being set by his
countrymen on UKA UKA Racing. Skipper Lorenzo Bressani has won three of
four races so far, an impressive feat in the highly-competitive class.
“They are tough to beat. They are fast and smart, which is a winning
combination,” said McKee, whose brother Charlie is trimming on UKA UKA
Racing. “We are getting better with each race and hopefully we can
remain in contention.”
Blu Moon, skippered by Franco Rossini of Switzerland, finished second
in both races and won the day. He also received Tuesday’s Sperry
Top-Sider Boat of the Day honors, awarded to the winner of the day’s
most competitive class. Three-time Olympian Chris Rast is tactician
aboard Blu Moon, which stands second in the overall standings – two
points behind UKA UKA Racing.
Another Italian team continued its impressive performance in the
professional-laden Farr 40 class. Mascalzone Latino, owned and driven by
Vincenzo Onorato, has won three of four races with the other result
being a second. Briton Adrian Stead has been on fire calling tactics for
the three-time defending world champs, who hold a comfortable six-point
lead over Acura Key West 2008 winner Barking Mad.
“We are sailing well, but obviously not nearly as well as they are,”
said Terry Hutchinson, tactician for owner Jim Richardson aboard Barking
Mad.
Hutchinson was just named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year by US Sailing,
but is not afraid to admit that he can pick up a few subtle nuances from
a team that is clearly at the top of its game.
“We have learned heaps in two days just from watching Mascalzone… how
their sails are set up, how they are driving, what they are doing
tactically,” he said. “It’s not over yet. There are still a lot of races
left. We just have to keep chipping away and hope we’re in range going
into the last day.”
Fort Lauderdale resident Jeff Ecklund and his team aboard Star
maintained their lead in Melges 32, the other large grand prix
one-design class filled with big-name tacticians. Star, like UKA UKA
Racing and Mascalzone Latino, has won three of four races held so far.
However, a 10th out of 20 boats in Race 3 hurt Star’s cumulative score,
which is two points better than second-place Red (Joe Woods, Great
Britain).
“It’s a tough fleet with real tight racing. Small mistakes can lead to
big losses,” said Star tactician Harry Melges, whose family-owned
company builds both the Melges 24 and 32.
IRC 2 is loaded with innovative new designs that are giving each other
some real competition. Cool Breeze, a brand new Mills 43 owned by John
Cooper of Cane Hill, MO, won Race 4 to vault from third to first in the
13-boat fleet.
An indication of how close the top boats are in IRC 2 comes from the
fact a mere 18 second separated the top four finishers in Race 3.
Soozal, one of three King 40-footers that are making their competitive
debut in Key West, finished second in Race 3 by just seven seconds
behind the J/44 Gold Digger (James Bishop).
“The racing in this class has been unbelievable. There are a lot of
very good boats that are evenly matched,” Soozal skipper Daniel Woolery
said.
Action is heating up in IRC 1 as well after Rosebud/Team DYT stretched
its legs and showed its prowess in the heavy air. The STP 65-footer,
largest entry in the regatta, won Race 3 then finished second in Race 4
by 34 seconds on corrected time. Ran, a TP52 owned by Niklas Zennstrom
of Hamble, Great Britain, now has an impressive line of 1-1-2-1.
“It was a great day of racing for our team, although I’m disappointed
we didn’t win the second race as well,” said Malcolm Park, main trimmer
on Rosebud/Team DYT. “We’re stronger than the TP 52s going upwind and we
had two of those legs today.”
Massachusetts-based owner Roger Sturgeon and his 16-man crew must
beat the four 52-footers on its course by nearly six minutes in order to
overcome its handicap. “This is a tight course for a boat this big and
it’s hard to get her around the cans,” said Park, noting that Rosebud
has some draft restrictions. “(Monday) was a learning experience for us
in terms of figuring out where we can go. Today’s course was a little
more open, both in terms of draft and length.”
PHRF 3 leader Tangent, a Cape Fear 38 owned by Gerry Taylor of
Annapolis, Md., is the only boat in the entire fleet that has won all
four races. Tangent, the cruising version of the design, is heavier than
most of its competitors in the class and thus welcomed the strong
breeze.
“We are definitely loving the conditions. When the wind is up, we are
smiling,” said Taylor, whose team won Race 3 by just one second over
fellow Annapolis entry L’Outrage, which has been runner-up in all four
races.
“It certainly eases the pressure when you get off to a good start like
this. We are feeling more relaxed and confident each day,” added Taylor,
who placed second in class at Acura Key West 2008.
XS, a Robinson 41 that had been leading PHRF 1 after Monday’s action,
dropped its rig in Race 3. Owner Douglas Fisher said gear failure was
more to blame than the strong wind.
Racing continues tomorrow. Wednesday is sponsored by Mount Gay Rum® -
the sailors’ favorite.
Full results at www.Premiere-Racing.com