International Masters Regatta - Sailing legends take on San Diego Bay

by Katelyn Montero on 25 Oct 2014 2014 International Masters Regatta - Anyone heading out to San Diego Bay this weekend is likely to witness some of sailing’s most legendary skippers show exactly why they’ve earned the reputation as the best in the business. Established in 1975 by Don Trask, the International Masters Regatta features the best master sailors from around the world and is being hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club for the third time in the regatta’s history.

A maximum of 12 skippers are invited to compete in J/105 sailboats around a buoy course in the San Diego Bay. Sailors over the age of 60 are eligible to compete as skippers, while the remaining crew members are at least 45 years of age. Skippers and their crews will rotate through each of the J/105 boats in order to ensure that the playing field is evened and the best sailor wins.

The first day of racing saw extremely shifty winds with moderate pressure, making for drastic lead changes throughout the racing. Ultimately, it was skipper Augie Diaz who was able to best navigate the shifting breezes. Diaz finished the three races of the day with two third-place finishes and one first-place finish in order to take hold of the top spot on the scoreboard.

Gary Jobson and Donny Martin both led the scoreboards at different points during the day, but unable to predict the shifty breezes Jobson finished the day in fourth place with Martin trailing behind in fifth. Skippers Bob Fisher and Dennis Durgan filled the day’s second and third overall spots.

With the winds not filling in until 1:00pm, the Organizing Authority was only able to fit three races into the regatta’s first day of competition. Weather predictions show that Saturday and Sunday are expected to provide much more consistent winds.

Racing is expected to continue tomorrow at noon on the San Diego Bay. Spectators will be able to watch the races from the Embarcadero.

Complete Results:

Place	#	Skipper	Boat Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	Total
1	DIA	Augie Diaz	Coral Reef	3	3	1										7
2	FIS	Bob Fisher	Royal Lymington	4	4	2										10
3	DUR	Dennis Durgan	Newport Harbor	5	1	5										11
4	JOB	Gary Jobson	Annapolis	2	2	10										14
5	MAR	Donny Martin	Royal Vancouer	1	11	3										15
6	WRI	Jonathan Wright	New York	7	9	4										20
7	TRA	Don Trask	St. Francis	8	7	7										22
8	ENE	Dick Enersen	Golden Gate	12	5	6										23
9	NIC	Chuck Nichols	San Diego	6	10	9										25
10	AND	Jon Andron	St. Francis	10	8	8										26
11	MUN	Bruce Munro	St. Francis	9	6	12										27
12	EHM	Tom Ehman	Golden Gate	11	12	11										34