J/125 SRM Wins PHRF 2 & J/120 POLE DANCER Wins PHRF Overall!(San Diego, CA)- Over the years this 139 nm offshore race from Newport Beach around Catalina and San Clemente Islands to port and finish in San Diego is becoming a midwinter classic on the SoCal offshore racing scene. Renown for its great parties, this seemingly benign offshore race can be challenging.
For starters, the wind is highly variable (if it will be windy anywhere it will be offshore in February); the course will test various points of sail; the fleet have easy and understandable ratings (think Hot Rum series); and, intelligently enough, a Saturday finish/party so the sailors all have a Sunday to recover.
This
year there were thirty-five of some of the best SoCal offshore yacht
racers. 33% of the fleet were J's sailing. And, most astonishingly,
not only taking the top two spots overall, but six of the top eleven
boats. In other words, 50% of the top eleven! That's quite a showing
for a broad cross-section of the J-Fleet. Fleets of J/125s and J/120s
showed up to experience the blast around the beautiful Channel Islands
offshore.In the end, it was Tim and Terri Manok's J/120 POLE DANCER that won both PHRF 3 and 1st PHRF Overall! For the rest of PHRF 3, the other J/120s included Gary Winton's SHENANIGANS (3rd PHRF 3 and 5th PHRF Overall) and Jim Barbers' HOT TAMALE (5th PHRF 3 and 11th PHRF Overall). Seth Hall's J/124 MARISOL managed a good showing, getting 4th PHRF 3 and 7th PHRF overall. Other classmates included Daylen Teren's J/109 GREAT BALLS OF FIRE and Paul Stemler's J/44 PATRIOT.
In PHRF 2, Jim Madden's J/125 STARK RAVING MAD won PHRF 2 class and was 2nd PHRF overall not far off the pace set by the Manok's J/120. For the rest of the fleet of J/125s, Mark Surber's DERIVATIVE finished 2nd PHRF 2 class and 8th PHRF overall. Somewhat off the pace were Tim Fuller's RESOLUTE and Viggo Torbenson's TIMESHAVER. Sailing photo credits- John Fuller- SDYC For more Islands Race sailing information
