Javier Conte extends at Lightning Winter Championship

St. Petersburg, FL (March 25, 2018) – After light winds allowed just one race yesterday, day 2 of the Lightning Winter Championship started out slightly cooler and breezier and the 51-boat fleet was able to sail three races with gradually higher wind velocity in each on a race course of classic Tampa Bay seabreeze and chop.

The Race Committee elected to schedule today’s start for 11:30, and while the fleet was able to get off on time, some teams were jumpy and a number of general recalls ensued. Todd Wake and his team of wife Kristine and son Doug won the first race after sparring with Steve Kirkpatrick all the way around the course. With his finish, however, Kirkpatrick claimed the regatta lead after this race.

The second race of the day saw slightly more breeze, two general recalls, and the first black flag start of the day. Marvin Beckmann had a strong start at the pin end, tacked to cross, and did not relinquish his lead for the rest of the race. Beckmann and his team of Jimmy Barnash and Becca Jordan continued this style, winning the pin and the third race of the day. This took them to second in the regatta.

It was the Argentine trio of Javier Conte, Julio Alsogaray, and Paula Salerno who proved to be most consistent, scoring a 5,5,2 on the day. Though they did not find their way to winning any races, they held onto their lead from day 1, and managed to extend their lead to a formidable 18 points.

This will all change, tomorrow, with a throwout potentially coming into play after race 6, and a deep fleet with the potential to shift positions at any time.

The Winter Championship is the first of two events that form the Lightning Southern Circuit. Racing for the Winter Championship concludes tomorrow, and leads into the Midwinter Championship coming up on March 28-30.

Day Two Results (Top 10 of 51; 4 races)
1. Javier Conte / Julio Alsogaray / Paula Salerno , ARG – 1 -5 -5 -2 ; 13
2. Marvin Beckmann / Jimmy Barnash / Becca Jordan , USA – 11 -18 -1 -1 ; 31
3. David Starck / PJ Schaffer / Kelly Barnash , USA – 4 -6 -2 -21 ; 33
4. Mark Allen / Skip Dieball / Emily Simon , USA – 5 -9 -16 -3 ; 33
5. Steve Kirkpatrick / Neal Fowler / Hillary Noble , USA – 2 -2 -3 -27 ; 34
6. Bill Mauk / Rafael Melendez / Lars Osell , USA – 8 -4 -10 -12 ; 34
7. Tito Gonzalez / Trini Gonzalez / Alberto Gonzalez Jr , CHI – 16 -11 -4 -9 ; 40
8. Josh Goldman / Jackson Benvenutti / Monica Trejo , USA – 13 -15 -13 -4 ; 45
9. Ched Proctor / Jeff Eiber / Abigail Preston , USA – 7 -16 -21 -5 ; 49
10. Thomas Allen / Jennifer Millar / Eleanor Walters , USA – 3 -13 -7 -30 ; 53

Event details – Results – Facebook

2018 Lightning Southern Circuit
• March 24-26 – Winter Championship – St Petersburg, FL
• March 28-30 – Midwinter Regatta – Miami, FL

Source: Doug Wake