Field starts strong at International Masters Regatta

San Diego, CA (October 21, 2021) – It’s no secret that the skippers invited to San Diego Yacht Club’s International Masters Regatta (IMR) come with a decorated sailing resume and outstanding accomplishments on the water, and their talents were put to the test today in South San Diego Bay for the first day of racing.

If you look at the scoresheet, you’ll find bullets in the top, middle and bottom of the fleet. The four races sailed were there for anyone to take, but one sailor in particular made day one of the regatta a real “field day.”

Alan Field came out strong, showing his competitors what to expect from the first race. Field pushed into first place in race one, and then sped up even more in race two, finishing with a solid lead against the rest of the fleet. In race three, he was able to stay on the podium and finished in third place.

“I got lucky twice,” joked Field. “The crew did a phenomenal job today. The conditions were beautiful and allowed a lot of passing lanes. Our start in the second race wasn’t very pretty so to find ourselves at number one at the top mark was pretty interesting. Tomorrow is another day, we have two more days of racing, and the team is looking forward to more fun!”

The current standings have Alan Field in first place with 12 points, Bill Campbell in second place with 18 points tied with Rod Davis in third place, also with 18 points.

Race one seemed to set the tone for the scoresheet. Bill Menninger (4th) and Bill Campbell (2nd) both earned their places in the current standings from the start. Menninger finished race one in second place in front of Campbell who finished third. Other than Campbell’s OSC and 9th place recovery in race two, his scores keep him in a position to also be a regatta leader.

The SDYC Race Committee shifted the course from 255 degrees in race one to 265 degrees in race two. The shifts apparently worked in Field’s favor and gave Craig Healy a nudge into 3rd place after finishing the first race in 11th. Race three proved that many teams might have just needed a little warming up. Carl Buchan sailed an exceptional race finishing first. Don Jesberg was close behind in second.

“The competition was really good. There are some great guys in last and first, and every race is upside down,” said Bill Menninger.

The final race of the day, race four, continued to see more shifts in the breeze and in the scoresheet. The Race Committee saw shifts of up to 20 degrees, but settled on a course axis of 280 degrees. Scott Harris started the day with a 12, 10 and 8, and finished race 4 in first. Campbell followed behind him in second, and Rod Davis sailed his best race of the day taking third place. Finishing the day, places four through seven are only four points apart.

Racing is planned for October 21-23.

Race details – Entry list – Results

Day One Results (4 races)

Source: SDYC