J/24, J/80 & J/105s Sailed Dozen+ Races!(Seattle, WA)- Yes, it was an amazing fact. Long known for its famous late spring monsoon season with next to no wind, the Pacific Northwest version of the Sperry Topsider NOOD regattas can also produce some spectacular sailing conditions with the mighty, snow-capped Cascades Mountain range in the background. While perhaps not postcard perfect sailing conditions, the sailors didn't care (see J/24 team at right)! Wind was all that mattered, not the wet & wild variety, but just good breezes; the type of conditions that permitted the PRO's on the various course to seriously crank out some fast turn-arounds and dozens of starts. For the J/24s that meant an exhausting sixteen races and for the J/80s and J/105s a dozen races!
As
anticipated, some of the top local J/24 teams managed to sail solid,
consistent series to lead the pack of eighteen J/24s-- the largest fleet
at the regatta. Scott Milne's TREMENDOUS SLOUCH fired plenty of
finishes into the top three to secure the top spot with 56 pts. Mike
Johnson's PEARL closed rapidly on the leaders after a slow start,
counting 1-1-1-2-1 for his last five races to snag second overall with
62 pts. Mark Laura's and Craig Suhrbier's BABA LOUIE were sailing the
roller-coaster version of the top two leaders, winning some races,
getting top three's, then bombing a race or two. Net, net, BABA LOUIE's
veterans hung tough and fought off challenges from others down the
ladder to get the bronze on the podium with 81 pts. Fourth was Brad
Miller's HAIR OF THE DOG and fifth was Jeff Bond's JOYRIDE.The J/80s saw two veterans dueling for the top prize in their fleet, Bill McKinnon's SKYE ROCKET and Dave Schutte's TAJ MAHAL. However, even after closing the last six races with three 1sts and three 2nds, the TAJ gang couldn't muster enough momentum to overcome their early deficit. Consequently, SKYE ROCKET took the win with 21 pts with TAJ in second with 23 pts. Third went to Bryan Rhodes's CRAZY IVAN with 33 pts.
What
appeared to be the only "schooling" taking place at this regatta was
the fact that Jerry Diercks's DELIRIUM team sailed deliriously well--
smacking their J/105 classmates with all finishes in the top three for
19 pts in 12 races. Starting off with three bullets must've been a bit
mind-numbing for their fellow J/105 sailors. Nevertheless, taking a
beating early but closing with a vengeance in the last six races as Erik
Kristen's JUBILEE, snapping off four 1sts and two 3rd in the end to
score 29 pts total to take a solid second overall. Third was Eric
Hopper's FREE BOWL OF SOUP, fresh off their most excellent performance
in the Oregon Offshore Race. The balance of the top five included Jim
Geros's LAST TANGO in fourth and Lorenzo Migliorini's ALLEGRO VIVACE in
fifth. Sailing Photo credits- TimWilkes.com. For more Sperry Topsider Seattle NOOD Regatta sailing information
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