Sally Barkow and Dave Ullman take early wins at Pro Am Regatta

Virgin Gorda, BVI (October 26, 2015) – Sally Barkow may have spent the past 24 months training and racing on a 65-foot keelboat for her lap around the planet on the Volvo Ocean Race, but she proved today that she’s lost none of her small boat skills as she won the IC-24 Class in the 21st Annual Defiance Day Regatta.

As part of Bitter End Yacht Club’s 29th Annual Pro Am Regatta, Sally’s victory is a coup for her trophy cabinet. While this two-time world champion and two time US Yachtswomen of the Year has won five Rolex watches over the course of her impressive racing career, this was the first time she’d ever gotten one of those sought after red, Mount Gay Rum baseball hats.

Taylor Canfield took second place in the IC-24 Class on the breezy, 9-mile race from the BVI’s North Sound to The Baths, with Annie Haeger close astern in third place.

Dave Ullman’s Leopard 47 took line and corrected time honors in the competitive multihull class, correcting out 45 seconds ahead of Tom Leweck sailing the Leopard 45, Jet Stream, with Anthony Kotoun in third place on a very quick Sunsail 384.

The normally reliable trade winds took the afternoon off so the return race to the North Sound was abandoned. The BEYC’s Pro Am regatta begins tomorrow (Tuesday) for the six invited skippers – Sally Barkow, Taylor Canfield, JJ Fetter, Annie Haeger, Anthony Kotoun and Dave Ullman. Both morning and afternoon fleet races are scheduled in IC-24s, with the BEYC guests forming the crew pool. Event website.