Marina del Ray, Calif. (July 20, 2015) – Race 5 of the Cal Cup provided a perfect example of why the Farr 40 class has survived and thrived for nearly two decades. It is one-design racing at its purest and the boats continue to be incredibly evenly matched, making crew work and tactics the key to success.
Upwind mark roundings during Hotel MdR Race Day were the tightest they have been in this regatta with the entire 13-boat fleet converging at the same time and no fewer than eight boats following bow to stern in procession.
“It has been a great regatta so far with very tight racing,” veteran owner Helmut Jahn said. “The second race today was very, very close. I am not allowed to look back during roundings, but I was told it was a real mess behind us. A lot of boats were coming into the mark at the same time. Some boats could not make the mark and there were a bunch of lee-bow situations.”
Jahn has been part of the class since the early days and is now racing his sixth boat named Flash Gordon. The Chicago-based architect can remember times when pileups at marks led to crashes and was impressed that there were none on Thursday.
Marina del Ray, Calif. (July 20, 2015) - Competition in the Cal Cup got off to a rousing start with strong winds and sunny skies combining to produce superb conditions and allowing organizers with the Farr 40 class to get off three starts on Quantum Race Day.
In typical Farr 40 fashion, the on-course action was extremely tight and the depth of the fleet was evidenced by the fact three different boats won races.
"It was an absolutely beautiful day of sailing. Sunny southern California lived up to its reputation," Estate Master skipper Martin Hill said.
Enfant Terrible, which captured the Midwinter Championship and the West Coast Championship, has continued its momentum in this third event on the 2015 International Circuit. Skipper Alberto Rossi steered the Italian entry to victory in Race 1 then tacked on a pair of seconds to take the early lead with a low score of five points.
In typical Farr 40 fashion, the West Coast Championship will come down to the final day with at least four boats in contention for the overall victory.
Groovederci passed two boats on the last two legs to get the gun in Race 9 on Friday and that win moved skipper John Demourkas into first place in the standings. Renowned professional John Kostecki is calling tactics on Groovederci, which is clinging to a one-point lead over the Australian entry Estate Master.
Enfant Terrible, the Italian entry owned by Alberto Rossi, holds third place - just four points astern of the leader. Plenty, skippered by Alex Roepers of New York City, is only nine points out of first place.
When organizers announced there would only be one race on Saturday, the crew aboard Enfant Terrible did not think there was any chance they could capture the West Coast Championship.
The Italian entry entered the day in third place, four points behind overall leader Groovederci. Tactician Tommaso Chieffi had hoped there would be two races as planned.
"When word came there would be one race, we figured we would not be able to win," he said. "Our goal going into the last race was to just hold onto third."
Quantum Sail Design Group Day at the Farr 40 West Coast Championship proved quite interesting. Principal race officer Peter Reggio held the 15-boat fleet at the dock for an hour then delayed for another hour out on the water waiting for the sea breeze to fill in.
For the sailors, the wait was well worth it as things got wild once racing finally got underway. Southwesterly winds that steadily built to 15-17 knots provided some thrilling competition and resulted in a shakeup in the standings.
"After a long pause to get going, the day ended with a real vengeance," Groovederci skipper John Demourkas said.