Winds arrive late again at Miami OCR

Miami, FL (January 23, 2021) – True to form this week, the afternoon breeze showed up on Biscayne Bay for day three of Miami OCR, the second stage of the 2021 West Marine US Open Sailing Series.

The Nacra 17 fleet owned the bay early this afternoon. The catamarans started racing just after 2pm ET and completed three races before the other fleets hit the course. The Nacras raced in 6-10 knots with some choppy conditions. The 49er, 49erFX, and Mixed 470 also finished three more races in later afternoon sailing that started after 3pm ET.

Samuel Albrecht and Gabriela Nicolino (BRA) extended their lead from six to eight after another strong day on the water that featured two more wins in the Nacra 17 fleet. Currently in second place is Riley Gibbs (Long Beach, Calif.) and Anna Weis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). Ravi Parent (Bradenton, Fla.) and David Liebenberg (Richmond, Calif.) were the top performing American team of the day with a 2-1-3 scoreline.

“We have not raced since March and it feels a bit new again, but we are happy to be back out on the racecourse,” said Gibbs. “We are focused on our development and the continuation of our communication on the boat, so now is the right time to practice that.”

“It’s nice to take what we have been working on in our training and apply it to a race setting,” added Weis.

Carson Crain (Houston, Texas) and Caroline Atwood (Clinton, Conn.) are also racing together this week in the Nacra 17.

“I was drawn to the Nacra 17 because I really enjoy foiling,” said Crain. “Caroline and I are excited to be able to go around the racecourse with these teams. It’s great training and a great way to check-in to see how other teams are setting up their boats and how they race.”

Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.) and Dane Wilson (Ojai, Calif.) are red hot with seven consecutive wins to pace the 49er fleet, including three more bullets today. Ian Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) and Hans Henken (Coronado, Calif.) placed second in all three races today and the trail by seven points going into tomorrow.

The 49erFX continues to be one of the most competitive fleets as Stephen Baker (Miami, Fla.) and Nicholas Hardy (Newton, Mass.) regained their lead after a strong day which featured three consecutive wins, to take a seven point lead over Lucy Wilmot (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.) and Dave Hughes (Ithaca, N.Y.) continue to lead the 470 fleet but mixed teams Louisa Nordstrom (Osprey, Fla.) and Trevor Bornarth (Stuart, Fla.), and Michelle Lahrkamp (Rye, N.Y.) and Jack Parkin (Riverside, Conn.) are staying close. Lahrkamp and Parkin finished the day with a win in Race 8.

Early morning start times are planned for the final day of racing tomorrow where light winds are again anticipated. Racing is planned for January 21-24.

US Open information – Event details – Results

US Sailing and host yacht clubs at established sailing venues in Florida and California launched the 6-stage West Marine US Open Sailing Series to provide high-quality Olympic-class racing in the USA. usopen.ussailing.org

Source: US Sailing, Scuttlebutt