2018 Miami Star Winter Series - Levin Memorial - Day 1
by Paul Cayard 6 Jan 2018 21:06 PST
6-7 January 2018
2018 Star Midwinter Championship-Levin - Day 1 © Marco Oquendo / imagesbymarco.com
A brisk and chilly northerly greeted the Star fleet for the first regatta of 2018. Winds on the race track ranged between 8 and 18 knots with a few rain showers. Three races were held for the 19 boat fleet. The wind was very shifty, not oscillating predictably but rather randomly shifting. This made for a game of "shoots and ladders" especially rake in the races when the fleet was tightly bunched.
Magnus and I were sailing a new boat, so we had a bit of famiarization to get through and race one was toughest for that. In that first race Larry Whipple and Austin Sperry led around the first lap and then Jack Jennings with Frithjof Kleen crewing took over for the win. Magnus and I battled with Augie Diaz and Jim Buckingham and finally settled in fifth.
After getting a few things sorted out, we hit the start line of race two at pace and led wire to wire for the win. Andy MacDonnald with Brad Nichol crewing gave us a good run for our money with Augie Diaz and Bruno Prada crewing in third. Jennings/Kleen finished fifth so Magnus and I were tied for the lead at that point.
In the third and final race of the day, Andy MacDonnald was the early leader but Magnus and I were able to capture the lead just before the first mark. We rounded the right gate at the end of the first run in the lead with Augie Diaz hot on our heels at the right hand gate while Jennings and MaxDonnald rounded the left hand gate. The first shift of the next leg went to the right so we were disadvantaged but with good speed we caught up and were leading 300 meters before the last mark of the race. Just after we crossed ahead, a large wind-shift favored Jennings/Kleen and the we able to slip through to the mark, beneath us.
With the large windshift, the final leg was a fetch so no positions were changed down to the finish.
At the end of day 1, Jennings/Kleen are leading, one point ahead of Cayard/Liljedahl. There is a six point gap to Whipple/Sperry in third, Buckingham/Strube are fourth and Diaz/Prada round out the top fifth.
Two races are scheduled for tomorrow with an 11:00 start.
For complete results go to www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=4455