Sailing Blog
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July 31, 2011
With 3 hot, light air days of sailing in Newport, RI in the books, our team on the Melges 32 Volpe has claimed the 2011 North American Championship and held off tough challenges from both Warpath and Ramrod to shake off the bad memories of our tough last days at the Gold Cup and Miami. We battled back from deep positions throughout the weekend to win several races and we had our share of bad results which left us with a 3 pt lead headed into the last day. PRO Bruce Gollison did an excellent job of getting off the entire series of 8 races in challenging conditions, and the 15 boat fleet was treated to racing both in and offshore off the waters of Newport which is the best place in the US to race sailboats (sorry Annapolis). When the seabreeze is kicking, there is picture perfect racing outside the harbor, and when the Northerly gradient is in effect, racing takes place North of the Newport Harbor Bridge which provides for full streetball sailing with big shifts and funky current.
The 32 fleet blasts off the start on Day 1
After watching our nice 8 pt lead be decreased to just 3 pts headed into the last day, our team could not help but be slightly encouraged that if the seabreeze was late to fill, we may have claimed the title by sitting on shore. I know, I know, this is no way to win a regatta, but with how tough the Melges 32 fleet is, and the difference between first and last being so small, there is no shame in taking a victory any way you can get it. With a 2 hour postponement, signs of the seabreeze started to show and our first race got underway around 12:30 which would leave room for 2 races to be completed. In the first race of the day, we were able to secure a 2nd place and watched our nearest competitors on Ramrod have a bad result which was a relief since they had risen from the dead on several different occasions throughout the weekend. With Warpath able to win the race and put a boat in between us, we now had to shift our focus onto them as we only had a 2 pt lead headed into the final race.
With a minute left in the starting sequence, we found ourselves at the boat end with a big pile of boats fighting for very little room. Warpath also was at the boat, and just when it looked like we were going to have a tough start and have to bail out, we were able to get a late hook on Warpath and force them into a fouling situation between us and the RC boat making them to spin after the start, and having our deep position in the fleet palatable knowing all we had to do was just stay in front of them. When the final race of a regatta comes down to a match racing scenario, it is always nice to have a tactician who has won the America’s Cup several times like Ed Baird in your corner. After a few tense moments with Warpath sailing fast and mounting a few challenges, we were able to keep them behind us and secure the top spot on the podium.
After a few celebratory Heineken’s in the dock, my initial excitement of heading to the airport and getting back home to my girls vanished when I was reminded that my road trip will continue East as I depart for Palma, Spain late Sunday night to race a Melges 32 at the Copa Del Rey, Spain’s version of Key West. 20 Melges 32s will be trying to win this event, as well as preparing for the Worlds at this venue which will take place in just over a month. I will be trimming on longtime owner Geoff Perini’s Shakedown team, and while we will be short on practice time, our goal is for a top ten result. Hopefully the 15 hours of traveling won’t be too tough while dieting for another weigh in, and word has it the heat in Palma is similar to a Packer fan wearing hunting gear in the middle of July. Several US teams will be in attendance which will be fun to hang with some fellow patriots. Stay tuned…
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