2022 International Masters Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club - Overall
by San Diego Yacht Club 24 Oct 2022 02:05 BST
October 21-23, 2022
2022 International Masters Regatta © Mark Albertazzi
And there you have it! Augie Diaz has officially been named the 2022 International Masters Regatta Champion. It's only ever so often that a regatta stays this unpredictable down to the last leg of the last race. All four of the top players went into the final race of the day with the chance to come out on top. Diaz, however, was the one of eleven skippers just talented enough to take home the coveted blue blazer. Some say a sprinkle of luck, too, can go a long way.
The final standings have Augie Diaz with 46 points in first, Terry McLaughlin with 50 points in second, and Tad Lacey with 51 points in third.
"It was all about our team. We had a great team. Mark Reynolds did a great job, Benny Mitchell, Craig Leweck, Chuck Sinks, and Al Pleskus kept us going. It was very exciting, and it was really tough. I feel very fortunate to be able to prevail," explained Diaz.
"[The secret was] to stay out of my own way," he joked.
The morning started a little bit slow. An hour-long postponement due to winds averaging only 4 knots gave each boat a little more time to recover from last night's "famous" Masters banquet. Once Race Committee felt confident enough in the wind, race nine commenced. Phil Lotz came to sail with the same momentum as yesterday's races. Nigel Cochrane gave Lotz a run for his money in the first race of the day, ultimately beating him to the finish line. Diaz kept a few boats of distance...perhaps trying to keep everybody on their toes until the last possible race. Good one, Diaz...it worked!
Bill Abbott came forward in race ten and lead the fleet the entire race. McLaughlin and Lotz trailed closely behind. It was clear McLaughlin came to compete.
The final race of the day is when it really got interesting. Augie Diaz, Alan Field, Terry McLaughlin, and Tad Lacey all lined up on the start with the chance to win. Spectators and committee boats alike held onto their seats as they calculated potential scores in their heads at each rounding. Lacey was the first to the weather mark. His lead on each leg only increased and he won the final race, earning his first and only bullet of the weekend. Behind him trailed in second place McLaughlin and third place Diaz. It was such a close call. Diaz won the regatta by a mere four points over McLaughlin. In fact, the top four finishers were all within five points in the scoresheet.
Diaz and his team crossed through the finish line as spectators cheered them on. Champagne was popped and the fleet made their way back to SDYC for celebratory cocktails and high-fives from friends.
This is Augie Diaz's second time as Masters Regatta champion. Diaz has been, and still is, an extremely active member of the sailing community. Just recently, he came in 13th out of 84 at the Star World Championship in Marblehead, MA. Diaz has been named US Sailor of the Year, was inducted in National Sailing Hall of Fame, is a two-time Snipe and four-time Snipe Masters World Champion, and has too many World Championship and National Championship titles to mention. Diaz won the Silver at the Pan-Am Games in Snipes in 1971 and 2022 and won Bronze in 2015. The success in his sailing career has not gone unrecognized and the International Masters Regatta is thrilled to invite skippers of his caliber to sail against the best at SDYC.
Diaz is spending the next couple of weeks taking a short break before the Star season starts back up in Miami in early November.
IMR Chair JR Young wraps up the weekend, "I couldn't be happier with the way this year's Masters Regatta turned out. We had some great competitors who were very excited to be here. And the racing across the field has been very competitive. At last night's banquet, we saw lots of camaraderie and everyone seemed to have a really good time."
Young continued, "Putting this regatta on takes over 60 volunteers, whether it's preparing the eleven chartered J/105s, maintaining the boats, moving and manning the changing docks, or managing registration. And of course, our great Race Committee of 18 volunteers these past 3 days. Thanks to each and every one of you for putting another amazing International Masters Regatta weekend on the books."
After the racing, skippers and their crews were invited to SDYC's Main Deck for the Awards Ceremony before heading back to their homes around the country.
Final results available here.
For more information visit sdyc.org/masters.