One Design fleets dominate Rolex Big Boat series

by Rob Kothe on 16 Sep 2005 The 2005 Rolex Big Boat series, sailed out of St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, started its' second year with Rolex sponsorship today. While the glamour and media attention was on the IRC Big Boats, the back-bone of the regatta is the One Design fleets.

The largest One Design fleet is the 31 boat J105 class, there are eight ID35’s, ten J120’s, 11 Express 37’s and six Sydney 38’s, - 66 one design yachts - in a 101 boat fleet.

Today indeed managed good One Design racing, on another cold Fall day on San Francisco Bay. The heavy marine layer over the Bay delivered the same excellent sailing conditions enjoyed last week by the 2005 Etchells Worlds fleet.

Inland the temperatures were higher and as a result, the weather was heavy and overcast, fog pumping in over the Golden Gate National Park, with winds starting at six to eight knots and building to 20 knots as the afternoon progressed.

Very 'un-Sydney like conditions', on the first day of racing for the Sydney 38 One Design fleet.

Corinthian Yacht Club members', Heather and Andy Costello’s Double Trouble, won the double, taking the gun in both races today.

The Costellos' have a strong team. Their tactician is Jim Bob Barton, who along with fellow crew member Kent Massey, sailed to a Soling Olympic Bronze, with another San Francisco local Jeff Madrigali, in the 1996 Olympic Games.

Costello commented, ‘we had ordinary starts both races. In the first race we were slow off the line but we wanted the right and did well out of that, and we were well positioned for another win.

'It's going to be a tough week. It was very tight racing, boat speed across the fleet is very close .. it all came down to tactics today.’

Chris Busch’s Wild Thing, leads the ID 35’s after two races in the Rolex Big Boat series, with a second in the first race and a win in the second race.

Busch is a strong campaigner, from his early years on Stars and Stripes, and is certainly no stranger to San Francisco Bay. Last week he crewed with Jeff Pape in the 2005 Etchells Worlds.

San Diego sailmaker Vince Brun called tactics and he was all smiles dockside. ‘It was great racing, a lot of fun.

'The current was always tricky, no change there .. and the breeze was tricky, a little right, a little left, you could easily be quite frustrated.

'The St. Francis Yacht Club does a great job with this series. When I first saw the sailing instructions, I thought this is kinda complicated, but when you actually do all the races, it’s a lot of fun seeing all the other classes.

'It was good to race within our own class, but at the same time take a look at Genuine Risk and Morning Glory and the other big boats.'

Steve Maderia, who won the 2004 J120 Rolex Big Boat series, started well today.
His green hulled Mr. Magoo, leads the series with a third behind Mark Bowman’s Jolly Mon and Don Payan and Dennis Jenkins, Dayenu and a first ahead of Barry Lewis’ Chance and John Sylvia’s Oui B5.

Maderia commented dockside; ‘Close racing as always. This is a great place for One Design racing. In the second race we had a barge come through the fleet.

‘We were all together at the top mark, only four boat lengths between the top five, we did a nice gybe in and out down the city shore line and got away. We kinda got wiped-out by Pegasus, who were going to another mark.

‘We rounded third, but we went left and that was the right way in the current. We were dueling with Chance, there were only four boat lengths in the top five at the end. It was pretty exciting racing today. I’ve still got shaky hands.'

Full results will be published when available on Sail-World.com along with news on the IRC divisions, and today's action photos from Chuck Lantz at: www.ChuckLantz.com and Sean Downey's Sail-World galleries.