Charleston Race Week - Successful Melges 20 Kiss defense

by International Audi Melges 20 Class Association on 18 Apr 2011 Charleston Race Week defending Melges 20 champion Michael Kiss on Bacio has retained his title.

Tactician Chris Rast and crewmember Jamie Kimball sailed an awesome regatta, conquering the 23-strong fleet by a substantial margin. Kiss won the event in 2010, kicking off one of the most successful Audi Melges 20 compilations ever. 'Sailing with Chris and Jamie is really awesome. It's fun. We are preparing for Gold Cup this upcoming December,' said Kiss. 'We'll be doing the Newport Sailing Series for sure. We would not miss that.'

Sailing a solid event is fellow Macatawa Bay Yacht Club member Tony Tabb on Elevation Racing. Steve Sisson and Melges Representative Justin Hood have been steady crew as of late. In just a short period of time, Tabb and team have come a long way in terms of improvement. He sailed all three Miami Winter Series events, only to finish third in the overall rankings behind Paul Reilly on Red Sky (who finished third in Charleston) and Kiss in first.

The last day of the Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week regatta was nothing short of spectacular. Sunny skies and fickle breezes presented the last opportunity for the race committee to squeeze in one more race, adding a fifth to the four completed on Friday. All racing was cancelled on Saturday because weather forecasts predicted excessive winds and possible tornadoes, due to an incoming front.

The start of the first race on Sunday was late. The breeze faded fast, which didn’t make the situation any easier, in fact, it just made it all the more challenging. The Audi Melges 20s were anxious to get in at least one more heat. With the breeze flowing out of the North, everybody went racing. Gradually, the wind disappeared.

As the fleet approached the first weather mark, it was obvious the wind had shifted drastically. Some teams were spread half way down the first run, others were still trying to round the mark as they came to an almost dead standstill. Realizing that the breeze had made a big shift to the Southeast, the race committee chose to abandon.

The Race Committee worked hard to put one more race in the bag, by moving the fleet almost center of the harbor. Just past one o'clock in the afternoon, the fleet went racing again as Charleston's famous afternoon building sea breeze did its thing. A steady 8-10 knots pumped out of the Southeast filling in nicely.

The fleet had a clean start with Brian Hill on Atlas rounding the top mark in first, followed by 20-year old Luke Lawrence on Vaya Con Dios. Hill held onto the lead, extending ever so slightly with the completion of each leg of the race, taking the win. Lawrence held on to finish second, and overnight leader Kiss sailed conservatively to finish third.

Thanks to the race organizers at Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week as the fleet appreciates all the fine southern hospitality and excellent race management, in particular, a very special thanks to Danny Havens and Randy Draftz.

,b>Top Ten Results (Provisional, after four races)

1.) Michael Kiss, Bacio; 3-1-3-1-3 = 11
2.) Tony Tabb, Elevation Racing; 2-6-2-2-7 = 19
3.) Paul Reilly, Red Sky; 1-2-6-4-8 = 21
4.) Luke Lawrence, Vaya Con Dios; 10-5-1-6-2 = 24
5.) Mary Anne Ward, M and M Sailing; 8-3-10-5-4 = 30
6.) Russell Lucas, Shimmer; 7-7-4-3-11 = 32
7.) Chris Hamilton, Big Booty; 4-12-7-14-14 = 51
8.) Kent Haegar, Mach Schnell; 16-14-5-7-10 = 52
9.) Jim Allsop, Moxie; 6-16-9-8-13 = 52
10.) John Arendshorst, Blink 20/20; 13-11-8-12-9 = Charleston Race Week