Morning Glory line honours in race 6

by Rob Kothe on 18 Sep 2005 Another offshore experience for the IRC A fleet in the 2005 Rolex Big Boat series in San Francisco, as the race started down the Berkeley end of the Bay, winds were already gusting 18-20 knots at the Cape Bonito top mark on the tip of the Golden Gate National Park.

Randall Pittman’s Genuine Risk started slowly again and on the right, underneath Hasso Plattner’s Morning Glory, with Kiwi sailing star Russell Coutts on helm, the leaders pushed hard towards the San Francisco Piers.

There was less pressure there but less adverse current with the centre of the Bay still in flood. Morning Glory was a boat length ahead of Genuine Risk off Fort Mason and the two boats pushed towards the centre of the Bay.

Morning Glory in the controlling position, had Genuine Risk locked outside, when the 90 footer suffered more in the current.

Next in the fleet, Beecom sailed straight from Alcatraz wide in the Bay. Following closer to the leaders line Peligroso was coming up fast. Behind them Pegasus led Flash with Money Penny and Staghound. Pegasus pushed hard to the Park cliffs lifting along the shoreline.

Morning Glory led her larger rival under the Golden Gate sliding past the South Tower into the building breeze. Genuine Risk kept sailing right, while Morning Glory split left.

Coming back down from Cape Bonito, Morning Glory was still leading her larger rival by 28 seconds as they blasted towards Alcatraz.

A surprise as Peligrosio lead Beecom down the Bay by 500 yards with Pegasus an equal distance back in fourth place. Beecoms spinnaker was back up the course.

Round the leeward mark and back up the course, Morning Glory lead by 10 lengths, a large steel barge being towed down the Bay presented an immovable obstacle for Genuine Risk who had to throw an extra tack.

At the finish line Morning Glory received the gun, crossing 68 seconds ahead of Genuine Risk.

The breeze coming down from the Golden Gate Bridge continued to build and it was surfing time for the racing fleet. Seventeen minutes after the leaders crossed, Peligroso crossed the line for her best result in the series. Beecom was another 81 seconds later. Next came Pegasus, gybling just before crossing 55 seconds later.

A giant an very inelegant broach 60 yards short of the finish line by Jim Swartz' Swan 60 Money Penny. Loud cheers from the watching crowd as 180 degrees from the course and close to the rocks, she tacked away from the shore line before crossing four minutes later.


On handicap Pegasus won from Morning Glory with Genuine Risk third.

Phillipe's Kahn's Transpac 52 is now leading the series, with 11 points from Beecom on 15, with Flash third with 24 points.
Full results later.