Battling for the BVI Bonanza

Marblehead, MA (July 25, 2015) – Cloudy skies and cooler temperatures rounded out the second day of sailing at the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in Marblehead. Nine classes raced on the New England waters competing in four different racing circles. This is the fifth and final event of the 2015 NOOD tour, and the final opportunity for a team to get selected for the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Championship in the British Virgin Islands.

The largest class, the Rhodes 19, have 33 boats in the fleet and completed four races. Jeff Shoreman’s, McLovin, sits in first place with 46 points, followed by Ken Cormier’s, Ripple, in second place with 47 points, and David Nelson’s, 3172, with 52 points.

“Today was a challenging day,” said Shoreman. “Winds were 10-15 knots, more on the upper end of that starting out, and it was challenging to get out and keep the boat moving due to the waves that were building up. Winds were left early in the day, and shifted to the right later on. Our goal on the course was to get to the next shift.”

Noting the amazing fleet with many local sailors, Shoreman added that the class is not an easy one. “Marblehead has great sailors, and tomorrow we need to go out and sail well and fast – they’re not going to give us anything. Sailing consistently is what got us into this position and consistency is key for an event like this.”

Shoreman said, “I’ve sailed here for eight years, and we have one-design sailing every weekend, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and this weekend so far has summed it up – we had really light conditions yesterday, and today we had big waves and bigger wind. No doubt, tomorrow will be challenging so we need to be consistent again.”

As a fun aside, he noted that his boat, McLovin, was named after the movie Super Bad, and it stuck with the team because it was something that made them all laugh.

The J/105 class, with 18 boats in the fleet, is led by Fred deNapoli’s, Allegro Semplicita, with 12 points, followed in second place for a tie by Mark Masur’s, Two Feathers, and Mark Lindquist’s, Sterling, with 20 points.

“Today’s racing conditions were a lot like last year’s in the New England regatta, so the team knew which side of the course to go on,” said deNapoli. In relation to his team he added, “We have a new tactician, Hugh Greville, better known as “Cookie,” and it was his first race with the boat, crew, and overall class. He had never been on a J/105 before. The entire crew is awesome – we have the best boat handling out there and it makes my job very easy.”

“In 2003, I borrowed a J/105 and came in second by a point or two. Last year I again came in second by a point or so. We’ve always been the bridesmaid, and never the bride. It would be nice to win, but anything could happen with a seven point lead.”

He finished saying, “It isn’t over until it’s over. We need to keep our head in the game and do well tomorrow.”

In addition to leading the J/105 class, deNapoli’s boat wins a black Wilmington Trust Spinnaker, signifying the winning boat in each day’s heat. The “leader spinnaker” will be given away one last time tomorrow, and will go home with the overall winner as a keepsake.

To recognize exceptional individual performances in each boat class, NOOD Premiere Sponsor, North Sails, presented daily awards for the top three daily crews in each class. Additionally, North Sails presented the best performing local boat with an award for today’s best racing. The final awards for the Helly Hansen NOOD will be presented tomorrow evening at the culmination of the event.

The overall winner of the Marblehead NOOD will join Ron Buzil and his crew of the Beneteau First 40.7 Vayu, Grant Dumas of St. Petersburg, Fla., and his crew of the Tripp 38 Warrior and John Laun’s caper crew of San Diego, Calif., along with Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Terry Hutchinson, winner of the Annapolis NOOD and other victors in the British Virgin Islands to compete in the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Championship hosted by Sunsail. Each overall winning team will be outfitted with new sailing gear, compliments of Helly Hansen.

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