Augie Diaz leads International Masters Regatta

San Diego, CA (October 24, 2014) – Anyone heading out to San Diego Bay this weekend is likely to witness some of sailing’s most legendary skippers show exactly why they’ve earned the reputation as the best in the business. Established in 1975 by Don Trask, the International Masters Regatta features the best master sailors from around the world and is being hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club for the third time in the regatta’s history.

A maximum of 12 skippers are invited to compete in J/105 sailboats around a buoy course in the San Diego Bay. Sailors over the age of 60 are eligible to compete as skippers, while the remaining crew members are at least 45 years of age. Skippers and their crews will rotate through each of the J/105 boats in order to ensure that the playing field is evened and the best sailor wins.

Today’s opening races saw extremely shifty winds with moderate pressure, making for drastic lead changes throughout the racing.

Gary Jobson and Donny Martin both led the scoreboards at different points during the day, but unable to predict the shifty breezes, Jobson finished the day in fourth place with Martin trailing behind in fifth.

Ultimately, it was skipper Augie Diaz who was able to best navigate the shifting breezes. Diaz finished the three races of the day with two third-place finishes and one first-place finish in order to take hold of the top spot on the scoreboard. Skippers Bob Fisher and Dennis Durgan filled the day’s second and third overall spots.

With the winds not filling in until 1:00pm, the Organizing Authority was only able to fit three races into the regatta’s first day of competition. Weather predictions show that Saturday and Sunday are expected to provide much more consistent winds.

Event website – Complete results – Photos

Report by event media. Photo by Cynthia Sinclair.