STARK RAVING MAD 3rd IRC Overall
(Miami Beach, FL- Mar 4-7)- There was an interesting mix of IRC entries at Miami Grand Prix with the TP52 DECISION (Stephen Murray, New Orleans) and the J/105 GUMPTION (Kevin Grainger, New York) at opposite ends of the spectrum. Meanwhile, in between were the two Jim's, Jim Bishop on the J/44 GOLD DIGGER and Jim Madden and his crew aboard STARK RAVING MAD who were eager to see how the J/125 performs in IRC.“We always assumed this boat would have a poor IRC rating, but have discovered there are a few minor changes that can be made to get credits under the system,” said North Sails president Gary Weisman, tactician on STARK RAVING MAD. “So we are testing the waters and seeing how well the boat can compete under IRC.” In retrospect, Weisman now wishes STARK RAVING MAD had entered IRC 2 class at Key West 2010 instead of PHRF 1, which it won in convincing fashion – finishing first in eight of 10 races. “This will be an interesting regatta because there is such a wide spread in boat sizes and speed from the top to the bottom end of the fleet that it’s hard to gauge how things will turn out,” he said.
After ten races, sailed in mostly N-NW winds ranging from 10-15 knots, it was clear the outcome of the series. Jim Bishop completed a wire-to-wire win in IRC class with a first and a second in Sunday’s two races. The Rhode Island skipper steered his 20-year-old J/44 to victory in five races and finished no worse than second in totaling 19 points. Jim Madden's J/125 STARK RAVING MAD was in second most of the series but just lost out the last day to finish third overall-- a remarkable achievement considering that it's a "pre-IRC" designed boat. “It’s absolutely fabulous,” an ecstatic Bishop said of the victory. “We had an excellent crew and great preparation, and were fortunate to get the type of conditions that favor this boat. We need a breeze and it blew pretty strong for this entire regatta.”
“GOLD DIGGER is very capably sailed and does well in the moderate breeze,” Madden said. “We’d like to see winds that are either 18 knots or more so we can plane or less than 10 knots so our lighter displacement will be an advantage. This moderate breeze is challenging for us.” STARK RAVING MAD normally sails PHRF and Madden’s team is using this regatta as a test for how the J/125 can perform under IRC. “It’s been a competitive class, evidenced by the fact only four points separate the second through sixth place boats,” he said. “While there is a wide range of designs here, the speed differences aren’t as great as you might think. We’ve seen a lot of other boats within our quadrant of the race course.”
Organizers with Premiere Racing had no trouble completing the 10-race series as winds rarely dropped below 10 knots and often reached the upper teens. Principal race officer Dave Brennan and team set terrific courses and it was notable that there was not a single protest. “South Beach once again delivered the conditions it’s known for, the competition in all three classes was tremendous and the race committee work was flawless as usual,” event director Peter Craig said following the awards ceremony at Miami Beach Marina. “Combine all those factors and that explains why there are so many smiling faces around here.” For more Miami Grand Prix regatta information and sailing results