Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship preview

by Dana Paxton on 18 Sep 2009
Next week the Farr 40 Class takes to the waters of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois for the Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship.

Scheduled for September 24-27, the regatta will be preceded by the Windy City Match Race, September 22-23. At the conclusion of the Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship, the winning helmsman will receive a specially engraved Rolex timepiece. Racing is organized by the Farr 40 Class, Chicago Yacht Club, the Farr 40 Great Lakes Fleet and run by Principal Race Officer Sue Reilly, and can be viewed in the waters off Belmont Pier on Lake Michigan.

As the premier owner/driver one-design class, Farr 40 owners annually determine the group’s racing schedule, and it was unanimous that the North Americans take place in Chicago, known for its pleasant late-September weather and easy access to great racing courses. Any of the nine Farr 40s competing have a chance at winning in this very competitive one-design Class, including Helmut Jahn’s Chicago-based Flash Gordon 5. One of the original owners in the Class, joining in May, 1999, Jahn has consistently placed in the top five at major Class regattas, most recently finishing 5th at the Rolex Farr 40World Championship, held June 24-27 at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in Porto Cervo, Italy, and winning class line honors at the 2009 Race to Mackinac.

'We want to win the event,' said David Gerber, Flash Gordon 5’s team manager and crew member. 'Helmut is a long-standing member of the Farr 40 Class, and has traveled to the Worlds in Italy, Denmark, Bahamas, San Francisco, Newport, and Miami, as well as competing in Class events at Key West Race Week, Miami Race Week and more. The North Americans coming to Chicago is a tribute to his support, travels and successes in the class.' Evan Jahn, Helmut Jahn’s son, trades helming duties on Flash Gordon 5, and both are expected at the North Americans.

As Flash Gordon 5’s record attests, consistency is the key to placing well among the accomplished programs. 'The fleet is tough,' continued Gerber. 'Bob Hughes with Heartbreaker, Don Wilson with Convexity, Phil Dowd with Inferno, all are plenty quick. This event will put a premium on boat speed and good, solid tactics. Personally, I think it will go to the end; the winner will get decided on Sunday the 27th, the last day of the event.' Hughes, with Heartbreaker, won both the 2001 and 2005 North American championships, also held in Chicago.

Defending North American champions Goombay Smash, owned by Doug Douglass (New York, N.Y.), and the 2009 World Champion Barking Mad, owned by Jim Richardson (Boston, Mass.), are unable to compete due scheduling conflicts. 'This year’s Rolex Farr 40 North Americans marks the third occasion our Class has held a major competition in Chicago,' said Richardson, the Farr 40 Class President. 'The Class has enjoyed a strong partnership over the years with our title sponsor, Rolex Watch, and with them we have planned for a week of exciting racing and shore side fun. I plan to join all of my Farr 40 friends for a few days in Chicago. Although I won’t be at the helm of a Farr 40, I will see you on the water.'

There will be plenty of Olympic and America’s Cup talent throughout the competitive fleet, serving as tacticians and filling key roles for professionals, including Bill Hardesty, who returns to his tactician role on Flash Gordon 5 after an inaugural season running the Chicago Match Race center. Talented sailors in the fleet include Eric Doyle on Donald Wilson’s Convexity (Chicago), Mark Mendelblatt on Phillip Dowd’s Inferno (Chicago), and Scott Nixon on Hot Lips, fresh from calling tactics for the winning Melges 32 at the Rolex Big Boat Series, held September 10-13 in San Francisco. Making their debut in one design racing will be class newcomer Grant Hood from Toronto, Ontario, Canada with his Farr 40 Defiant.

With an active West Coast fleet and 25 competing Farr 40s at the 2009 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, the international Class continues to attract passionate sailors since its founding in 1998. In addition, the Farr 40 Class has sought out aligning match racing with fleet racing events, and endeavors to precede championships with such an opportunity for the Class members. The third-annual WCMR will benefit the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation. For more information about the 2009 Rolex Farr 40 North Americans, please visit http://www.farr40.org.

2009 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship - Preliminary Entry List:

Farr 40, Owner, Tactician, Owner’sHometown
1. Convexity, Donald R. Wilson , Eric Doyle, Chicago, Ill.
2. Virago, Stuart Townsend , Tom Roop, Chicago, Ill.
3. Inferno, Phillip Dowd, Mark Mendelblatt, Chicago, Ill.
4. Spaceman Spiff, Rob Ruhlman, TBD, Cleveland, Ohio
5. Pendragon, Brian Jackman, TBD, Chicago, Ill.
6. Heartbreaker, Robert Hughes, Steve Hunt, Ada, Mich.
7. Hot Lips, Christopher Whitford, Scott Nixon, Chicago, Ill.
8. Flash Gordon 5, Helmut Jahn, Bill Hardesty, Chicago
9. Defiant, Grant Hood , Rossi Milev, Toronto, Ontario, Canada