Please select your home edition
Edition
SOUTHERN-SPARS-AGLAIA-SPARS_728X90 TOP

2020 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta at St. Petersburg Yacht Club - Overall

by Laura Muma / Sailing World 16 Feb 2020 22:31 PST 14-17 February 2020
2020 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta St. Petersburg © Paul Todd / Outside Image

First-time Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta St. Petersburg skipper David Starck and his teammates on TeamPatStrong closed the regatta with a six-point overall lead in the Lightning fleet, winning the 23-boat class and earning a berth in the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean Championship.

"We are a really competitive international fleet, but at the same time, it's very much a family class," said Starck, of Amherst, NY. "My crew this weekend was my brother Tom, and Jenna Probst. We raced against Jenna's parents and her brother, Tanner [who finished sixth and third in the class, respectively]. Plus, I'm competing against my 13-year-old daughter Sabrina. I love it."

Stark and his teammates had been locked in a tight series with Lightning class runner up, Bill Faude's Blue Light Special, but in today's moderate breeze they easily won both races. He attributed their performance to good communication on the boat and patience with the weekend's variable conditions. "We felt good across all the ranges," said Stark, "which ranged from drifting to blowing 15 to 20."

Another first-time St. Petersburg NOOD skipper winning top honors was David Jannetti in the J/70 class. With a 1-5 scoreline today, Jannetti and his teammates on Very Odd cemented their lead. While they finished fifth in the final race, Jannetti said it was the result of a strategic decision to ensure no surprises from Dave Kerr's second-place USA 1516. "We were keeping tabs on them and doing a loose cover," said Jannetti. "While that was our worst finish, it was still the right thing to do."

Jannetti, of Miami Beach, Fla., said he is already planning his return. "St. Pete is such a fun and vibrant city. We enjoyed great sailing all weekend; and it has been a great way to warm up for next weekend's J/70 Midwinter Championship."

Peter Duncan's Melges 24 USA 829 was the only team of the regatta's 193 competitors to finish the series with a perfect scoreline, winning all seven races. Duncan's team used the regatta to train for the upcoming Melges 24 World Championship. Duncan's tactician, Victor Diaz de Leon, said the regatta was beneficial for familiarizing themselves with their new boat.

"Our goal was to learn and to work together," said Diaz de Leon. "Matteo [Ramian], who has won two Melges 24 World Championships, has been helping us get up the learning quickly. Tactically, one thing I learned was that a little bit more wind makes a big difference in these boats, so it's more important to jibe and stay in the breeze more than we might on a J/70."

For A-Class Foiling Catamaran's Bruce Mahoney, of La Porte, Texas, this weekend's regatta was especially valuable as he looks ahead to the A-Class North American and the World championships, hosted by St. Petersburg YC in October. With a 10-knot breeze for this morning's first race, Mahoney was fully foiling and noticeably faster, but when the wind died later in the morning the racing was much closer.

Michael Quaid, of Williston, Vt., skipper of the J/24 Ice Cube is a longtime NOOD competitor, and while his team finished third in 2019, this was his year. "To win feels great," said Quaid, praising his longtime crew and its light-air sailing skills. "We scored four firsts when it was light, but when the breeze came up like in Saturday's first race, it was our worst finish [fourth place]. The mid-range conditions today were my favorite; it made for a lot closer racing. It was very tactical and exciting."

Iris Vogel and her team on Deviation finished on top of the six-boat J/88 fleet with five first-place and two fifth-place finishes. She said the key to her team's success was not to panic, especially after a few bad starts. "This fleet is so competitive," said Vogel, of New Rochelle, NY. "There are no favors in this fleet; all the racing is very close and every little move counts.

"What saved us was good crew work, making the right calls and keeping our head out of the boat. The conditions were constantly changing all weekend."

For full results across all fleets, visit Yacht Scoring here.

For more information on the NOOD events, visit www.sailingworld.com/helly-hansen-nood-regattas.

Related Articles

Sailing World Regatta Series: Chicago Overall
Gnarly conditions on Lake Michigan make it unsafe for racing on the final day Inside Chicago Harbor, the northerly wind blowing through the protected mooring field was deceiving. Conditions appeared benign enough to send the sailors out for the final day. Posted on 12 Jun 2023
Sailing World Regatta Series: Chicago Saturday
Distance racers battle the wind and the clock For Daniel Koules' team on the Beneteau First 40 Badge, that was the difference between finishing and not finishing after navigating a patience-testing 30-mile distance race on the second day of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Posted on 11 Jun 2023
Sailing World Regatta Series: Chicago Friday recap
With winds on the tamer side, conditions were ideal for teams to reacclimate While Daniel Floberg was at work on a glorious summer Friday in Chicago, he turned the family J/88 Misty to his friend Will, who started in high gear on opening day of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Posted on 10 Jun 2023
Sailing World Regatta Series: Chicago preview
The annual Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series kicks off the action When the calendar in Chicago finally rolls over to June, the entire city, from the Lake Shore to the West Side comes alive with an unmistakable urgency and hustle: like, hey man, summer's too short, so let's get to it, and make the most of it. Posted on 8 Jun 2023
HH Sailing World Regatta Series Annapolis overall
One point. That was the winning difference for Bruce Irving's teammates on his J/30 Shamrock One point. That was the winning difference for Bruce Irving's teammates on his J/30 Shamrock, champions of the J/30 East Coast Championship at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in Annapolis. Posted on 8 May 2023
HH Sailing World Regatta Series Annapolis Day 2
Scoreboard shuffle The second day of a three-day regatta is referred to as "moving day," where competitors weigh greater risk and reward to advance up the leaderboard, and as a result, there's often quite a bit of shuffling in the standings. Posted on 7 May 2023
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series preview
Ready, set Annapolis The first weekend of May is reserved for the big start of the Annapolis sailing season, so here comes the 2023 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series. Posted on 3 May 2023
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series overall
J/24 Wharf Rat team exceed their expectations Christian Seidel and his teammates on the J/24 Wharf Rat, had no expectations of winning their division at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in San Diego. Posted on 20 Mar 2023
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series day 2
A day of dominance The question of the morning around the San Diego Yacht Club as racers waited out an hour postponement for the morning fog to burn away was, "Who here can actually beat Chick Pyle?" Posted on 19 Mar 2023
Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series day 1
Smooth start to sailing in San Diego The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series San Diego got under way on Friday with the fleets of San Diego's South Bay circles enjoying a slowly building west breeze that allowed four races to be completed in most classes. Posted on 18 Mar 2023
Selden 2020 - FOOTERHenri-Lloyd - For the Obsessed2024 fill-in (bottom)