HURRY UP AND WAIT.

The glassy calm continued well past midday on the fourth day of Acura Key West Race Week, but a determined bunch of race officers made it clear that they believed the weather forecasters and at noon indicated that the boats should repair to the courses.  The breeze duly obliged shortly before 1400, coming out of the north-west and the Farr 40 class prepared for a five-leg course with 1.8 mile legs in a ten-knot wind.

Massimo Mezzaroma in Nerone nailed the pin end of the start line while there was a matter of contretemps between the Prince of Denmark’s Nanoq and Peter de Ridder’s Mean Machine and the two stayed back to complete their turns before setting off in pursuit of the 23 other competitors.  Erik Maris’ Twins had a clear start in mid-line, as did the series leader, Vincenzo Onorato, with Mascalzone Latino, and Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad was hot on Nerone’s weather quarter.

At the first mark, Twins led from Mascalzone Latino with Alessandro Barnaba’s Fiamma rounding close with Nerone and Barking Mad.  The race committee extended the length of the course to 2.3 miles for the second beat and by the weather mark the second time, Twins led by a minute, and might have been relieved to hear the instruction that the course was to be shortened at the end of the run so that a second race might be run.

Twins finished first, with Mascalzone Latino second and Nerone third, with Takashi Okura’s SLED next ahead of Fiamma and Barking Mad.  But there is a protest outstanding, lodged by Barking Mad against Twins.  It would not alter the position of the leader, since Onorato’s second place kept him seven points ahead of Richardson’s Barking Mad.

The turn around was rapid, with smaller boats on the course finishing after the warning signal for the start of Race Five was given for the Farr 40s.  This time the ultra-slick starting of the series leader was the subject of a trigger happy helmsman and the bow of Mascalzone Latino popped clear of the line three seconds too soon.  After clearing himself from the boats behind, it took Onorato more than a minute to return and start correctly.

Meanwhile Barking Mad had started in clear air mid-line and Jim Richardson was making full use of the opportunity and led at the first mark from Fred and Steve Howe’s Warpath and Twins.  There was no holding back the former Key West Race Week winner, and Richardson took Barking Mad to a resounding victory after five 1.8-mile legs.   Fiamma was second and Twins third.

The series had a new leader when the erstwhile highly-consistent Mascalzone Latino could only recover to 12th.  Richardson’s win put Barking Mad four points ahead of the Latin Rascals with Twins, subject to protest, a further two points back, in turn four points ahead of Nerone. 

Results:

Race 4:
1.    Twins  Erik Maris (FRA)
2.    Mascalzone Latino  Vincenzo Onorato (ITA)
3.    Nerone  Massimo Mezzaroma (ITA)
4.    SLED  Takashi Okura (JPN)
5.    Fiamma  Alessandro Barnaba (ITA)
6.    Barking Mad  Jim Richardson (USA)

Race 5:
1.    Barking Mad
2.    Fiamma
3.    Twins
4.    Nanoq  Prince Frederik of Denmark (DEN)
5.    Warpath  Fred & Steve Howe (USA)
6.    Flash Gordon 5  Helmut Jahn (USA)

Overall after five races (subject to protest):
1.    Barking Mad  17 points
2.    Mascalzone Latino  21 points
3.    Twins  23 points
4.    Nerone  29 points
5.    Fiamma  33 points
6.    Warpath  41 points

ENDS