Day One: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

2013 northam1df sPhoto by Daniel ForsterEdgartown, Mass., Martha's Vineyard: Patience paid off today, allowing the Rolex Farr 40 North American fleet to complete two opening day races on Vineyard Sound after waiting more than two and a half hours for the breeze to wake up, yawn, and stretch its legs. In the end, it was Nico Poons’ (Monaco) Charisma to whom good things came in the wakeful southwesterly that built from 8-10 knots to as high as 14 by day’s end. The team posted finishes of 2-1 to claim three points and best the 11-boat fleet in overall scoring while leading Kevin McNeil’s (Annapolis, Md.) Nightshift (4-3), in runner-up position, by four points.

After what Charisma tactician Morgan Reeser (Miami, Fla.) called a dismal start in race one, the team “weaseled out of that nicely” by choosing to go right in a heavily favored wind shift to lead at the top mark. On the first run of the windward-leeward twice around course, however, it was Wolfgang Schaefer’s German entry Struntje Light that impressed by immediately jibing for the left side of the course (while Charisma stayed right) and improving its position from next-to-last to first at the gate. By the second weather mark, Struntje Light had five boat lengths on Charisma and handily maintained that position to the finish line. 

“They (Struntje Light) played it well,” said Reeser. “Then in the second race, we had a lovely start, three up from the pin, and hit the line at speed. In that race the thermal had filled in - it was a lot more stable.”

Jim Richardson’s (Boston, Mass.) Barking Mad, which leads in points on the class’s 2013 U.S. Circuit Championship, started closest to the pin in race one and punched out handsomely, but the right-hand shift was the team’s ticket to the back of the fleet on the first leg. “We were looking good; we just didn’t need the wind to go 30 degrees to the right on the first beat,” said the team’s tactician Terry Hutchinson (Annapolis, Md.), explaining that it came back 25 degrees on the run. True to its winning pedigree, however, Barking Mad reclaimed four positions to salvage seventh in that race and powered on to finish second in the second race, claiming a very respectable fourth overall, tied on points (9) with Struntje Light, which took eighth in its second race and is in third overall, and John Demourkas’ Groovederci, which posted a 3-6 today and is in fifth.

One of the more spectacular scenes today was a spinnaker entanglement in race one, where Mexican entry Flojito y Cooperando’s (Bernardo Minkow/Julian Fernandez) takedown at the first gate went awry and snagged the top of Plenty’s rig. The spinnaker finally had to be cut away and retrieved from the water by Flojito y Cooperando while the fleet sailed away. Tomorrow’s winds are expected to be northeasterly at 16-22 knots. When asked how he thought Charisma would do in the heavy air, Morgan Reeser replied, “Lord knows.”

Daily race reports and photos will be available online at www.farr40.org. Follow the event via Twitter or on Facebook

About Rolex
Leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its OYSTER watches, all certified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence, performance and prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the OYSTER, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the PERPETUAL rotor self-winding mechanism introduced in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities as well as philanthropic and patronage programs.

Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship
July 24-27, 2013
Day One

1. Charisma, Nico Poons , Monaco, MON - 2, 1, ; 3
2. Nightshift, Kevin McNeil , Annapolis, MD, USA - 4, 3, ; 7
3. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer , Lueneburg, GER - 1, 8, ; 9
4. Barking Mad, James Richardson , Boston, MA, USA - 7, 2, ; 9
5. Groovederci, John Demourkas , Santa Barbara, CA, USA - 3, 6, ; 9
6. PLENTY, Alexander Roepers , New York, NY, USA - 6, 4, ; 10
7. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi , Ancona, ITA - 5, 5, ; 10
8. Asterisk Uno, Hasip Gencer , Istanbul, N/A, TUR - 8, 7, ; 15
9. Oakcliff Farr 40, Seth Cooley, Oyster Bay, NY, USA - 10, 10, ; 20
10. Flojito y Cooperando, Bernardo Minkow/Julian Fernandez , Mexico, Distrito Federal, MEX - 12/DNF, 9, ; 21
11. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut Jahn , Chicago, IL, USA - 9, 12/DSQ, ; 21