Today’s vacation lesson: Auto-Tack

Virgin Gorda, BVI (October 30, 2014) – The seven skippers invited to compete in the Bitter End YC’s Pro Am Regatta were treated to yet another day of Chamber of Commerce weather. However, with the Caribbean trade winds today coming off island, to describe the breeze as ‘steady’ on the North Sound would have been totally inappropriate.

Throughout the morning there were huge puffs, significant voids, and enough wind shifts to continually shake up the fleet of matched IC24s. Many of the guests of BEYC who were crewing for pro skippers had never heard the term “auto-tack” before, but it’s now a concept with which all are totally familiar and highly skilled.

Zach Railey won the day with a 1-4-2-3 series which moved him into second place – just four points behind Regatta leader Dave Perry. Those two along with Taylor Canfield and Anthony Kotoun will match race on Friday for the regatta championship.

The scene shifted in the afternoon, as the guests of BEYC took center stage – racing in the finals of the Gill Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship double-handed in Hobie Wave catamarans. Although the conditions moderated somewhat, staying in phase with the shifts and the voids and the puffs was still all important.

No one figured it out better than two-time defending champion Ron Boehm, an I-14 sailor from Santa Barbara, CA. Sailing with Spencer Dellenbaugh, they posted an impressive 1-1-2 series to score a five point victory over last year’s runners up, George Huntington and his crew, Pro Am regular Tom Story. Shark sailor Rob Lander took third place, just three points further back.

Pro Am Results – Qualifying Round
1. Dave Perry, 37
2. Zach Railey, 41
3. Taylor Canfield, 45
4. Anthony Kotoun, 46
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5. Dave Ullman, 47
6. Alec Anderson, 60
7. Stephanie Roble, 60