Too Dark, Too Stormy at Viper 640 Internationals

Hamilton, Bermuda (November 17, 2016) – “Boat breaking conditions” is what competitor Nick Lounsbury labeled the second day of the Aspen Viper 640 International Championship Regatta. With the wind at noon at 32 knots, gusting to 43, sailors were put on standby until 1220 at which a final decision was made to cancel for the day.

What is it like sailing Vipers in these conditions? “We go into safety mode,” said 2015 North American Champion Luke Lawrence. “On a day like this, even Brad (Boston) and I would have flipped.”

But high winds didn’t keep everyone ashore, as the strong breeze funneling into Hamilton Harbour offered the chance for some speed runs. The top speed for the day at 16.4 knots came from Travis Yates, Mike Meighan, Dave Hillmyer, and guest Lara Dallman-Weiss who were awarded with both the daily speed record (accompanied by a bottle of Australian wine) and the entertainment of the day.

The forecast for tomorrow looks to be a beautiful day with wind in the mid-teens and sunny skies.

Racing is scheduled for November 16 to 19.

Day Two Results (Top 10 of 42 boats; 2 races)
1. Zeke Horowitz, USA – 1 -1 ; 2
2. Justin Scott, GBR – 2 -6 ; 8
3. Geoff Fargo, USA – 11 -2 ; 13
4. Bruce Mattinson, AUS – 3 -10 ; 13
5. Peter Beardsley, USA – 4 -13 ; 17
6. Rod Beurteaux, AUS – 6 -11 ; 17
7. Brian Johansen, CAN – 12 -8 ; 20
8. Tim Carter, USA – 16 -5 ; 21
9. Cole Constantineau, USA – 14 -7 ; 21
10. Somers Kempe, BER – 8 -18 ; 26

Event details – Scoreboard – Facebook

Source: Edward Padin, Viper 640 Class