Yachting Cup endures calm winds before tequilla storm

San Diego, CA (May 3, 2014) – In the “you can’t have it all” theme, the racing today at the 42nd running of the Yachting Cup Regatta fell one item short. The day had full sun and a dry heat, the mariachis were passionately playing, and the evening beverages were in synch with the Cinco de Mayo celebration. If only the wind came to the party.

For the two ocean venues, the fleets on the Near Roads Course, closer to Point Loma, got enough wind for three races. “It got up to 11 knots,” noted Rick Goebel, who is currently second in the J/105 with his Sanity, “but it was far from steady. Huge shifts during the day, with the wind dropping to about 4 knots in the last (third) race.”

Conditions at the Far Roads Course, closer to the Mexican border, were clearly on siesta. When the wind got down to 2 to 3 knots during the second race, that was it for the day. However, mastering the spotty winds was Chuck Nichols, whose CC Rider posted two bullets in the J/120 fleet.

“The first race reversed itself about three times, where we went from first to sixth to first to sixth a few times,” noted Nichols. “Lucky for us we got to the finish line with us again in the lead. We were more consistent the second race despite the spottiness. Keeping the boat quiet and keeping the crew weight smartly positioned all helped to maintain speed through the wind patches.”

Leading their fleets after Saturday were Jay Steinbeck’s TP52 Margaritaville (Fast 50), Viggo Torbensn’s J/125 Timesaver (Fast 40), Drew Belk’s Beneteau First 40 Precepts II (Fast 45), David Boatner’s J/35 Rival (PHRF C), John Harrop’s Justice (FT-10), John Shulze’s Linstar (J/109), Hurlburt/Driscoll’s Blow Boat (J/105), Ted Butterfield’s Adventure (B36.7), Kownacki/Jenkins’s DFZ (J/70), and Curt Johnson’s Avet (J/80

Racing concludes Sunday.

Results: http://sdyc.org/events/yachtingcup/results/
Event website: http://sdyc.org/events/yachtingcup
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdyc/sets/72157644487420524/