J/44 crushes SORC Palm Beach Race
by J/Boats 13 Dec 2020 10:37 PST
5 December 2020
SORC Palm Beach Race © sorcsailing.org
The second event of the 2020-21 SORC Islands in the Stream Series on December 5 was a revised course when it was deemed the traditional Wirth M Munroe Palm Beach Race course could not be held due to COVID-19 regulations.
Instead, a round-trip 80.0nm course from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach and return to finish off Fort Lauderdale attracted 15 teams in ORC.
As you can tell from the photos, this was light airs affair for most of the race. Virtually all boats went off the starting line with Code Zeros flying and crew sitting on the leeward rail. Occasional "puffs" (more like big zephyrs) would waft gently across the course and crews would slowly move to the windward side!
In the end, J/Crews did quite well. Winning the fleet in ORC Overall was Chris Lewis' J/44 Kenai, crushing the fleet by literally one hour corrected time. Finishing second behind them in ORC Class 2 was Ashley Maltempo and Bill Wiggins J/121 Wings. The Wings team sailed well considering it was their first time on the boat, taking sixth ORC Overall behind a few TP52's. Taking fifth in ORC Class 2 was Brad Stowers' J/92 HillBilly and sixth place went to Andy Wescoat's J/109 Harm's Way.
The winter plan for the 2020-21 Islands in the Stream Series in south Florida and the Bahamas has evolved due to COVID-19 restrictions. See updates below.
2020-21 Islands in the Stream Series
- January 21, 2021: The series then heads south for some island time with the Ft. Lauderdale to Key West Race. The tropics in January provide the perfect spot to unwind with the Conch Grinder Race, and to enjoy the treasures and pleasures of Key West before the awards party at First Flight Island Bar and Restaurant (formerly Kelly's Caribbean). More information here.
- February 17, 2021: It all wraps up with another trip to the Bahamas with the second annual Eleuthera Race, starting off South Beach, Miami and finishing at the Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marina. More information here.
More information at sorcsailing.org