|
SCUTTLEBUTT No. 527 - March 15, 2000Guest Editor's Note: A bit of a truncated 'Butt today, the Curmudgeon's computer has the sniffles and is out of commission until tomorrow.CANADIANS SAIL TO VICTORY AGAIN AT BACARDI CUP REGATTA MIAMI, FL. By the time Canada's Ross Macdonald and Kai Bjorn got used to their week-old Star-Class boat, the 1992 Olympic Bronze medalists knew they put themselves in position to sip rum from the prestigious Trofeo Bacardi. On Friday afternoon on Miami's Biscayne Bay, Macdonald skippered his 22-foot keel boat across the finish line in first place - good enough to win the 74th Annual BACARDI Cup Star-Class Regatta. Soon after the victory, the Vancouver-bred skipper found himself sipping Bacardi rum from the trophy for the second straight year. "After the first two days, we were tentative and conservative and really just happy to get off the line," said the 35-year-old Macdonald, who entered Friday's final race third overall. "We were testing out things on our new boat. But when we looked at the standings after yesterday's race, our fighting instincts came out. We are so happy to win the BACARDI Cup again. It doesn't get old." After Sunday's first race was abandoned because of shifty conditions, conditions proved ideal for racing during the six-day event. Friday's competition featured easterly winds ranging from 10 - 12 knots. Macdonald, who has now won four BACARDI Cups (1994 and 1995), finished the first two races in 11th and 15th places, respectively. But he came on strong with a 3rd, 1st, 5th and a 1st -- good for 21 points. (Racers are allowed to discard their worst finish.) "Everyone in this class respects the dedication and support of BACARDI, which has sponsored the event for many decades," Macdonald added. "It says a lot about the company and event that brings out the best racers in the world." The competition, which had a record-setting 96-team field, featured the world's best sailors, including Olympic teams from England, Germany and Spain, among others. One of those Olympic teams, Britain's Ian Walker and Mark Covell, entered Friday's race one point behind Thursday's overall leader Marc Pickell and Thomas Auracher from Germany and three points ahead of Macdonald. But a poor start hurt the Brits' chances of wining the Cup. They were 17th after the first mark and finished Friday's race in sixth, giving them 23 points - two points behind Macdonald. "We were dead-heat on two races and that was the difference," Walker said. "You have to hand it to Ross. He had to go out and win the race and he did it like a true professional." After the race, Auracher, who finished in 11th in Friday's race, said he misread the wind. "We took too much of a risk by playing the right side," said the 28-year-old skipper, who finished 4th overall. "We thought the breeze was shifting to the right but it turned against us and other boats started to pass us." The BACARDI Cup originated in Havana, Cuba, in 1927 and is the only Cuban-born sporting event to survive in the United States. The regatta has been held at the Coral Reef Yacht Club and Marina in Miami since 1962. BIGGER, BETTER, BRIGHTER Who do you call when you want custom sail graphics to make a statement?? Easy. See who the leaders in racing like Sagamore, Sayonara, Samba Pa Ti, Playstation and Stars&Stripes have in common. They entrusted their sail graphics to North Graphics. And better yet, they can do the same for you on your Catalina 27, 1D35 or J/105. Try calling Whitney Gladstone and find out how affordable it is to put custom sail graphics on your boat:. (619) 224-8667, http://www.northsails.com/graphics/ LAST CHANGE LASER QUALIFIER Held at the California Yacht Club this past weekend, the top thirteen qualifiers will be invited to attend the Laser Olympic Trials being held on April 6-16 at the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere CA. Carl Buchan elected to withdraw from the Trials, the rumour mill has it that he may be planning a Star campaign. Top thirteen qualifiers: Benjamin Richardson (Gloucester, MA) Steve Bourdow (Stanford, CA) Jack Dreyfuss (Miami, FL) Streett Silvestri (Little Silves, NH) Zach Conrad (San Francisco, CA) Bob Falk (Fullerton, CA) Andrew Lewis (Honolulu, HI) Chuck Tripp (Long Beach,CA) Kevin Morgan (Burlington, VT) Vann Wilson (Long Beach, cA) Chad Wilson (Bridge City, TX) Kimbal Hall (Medford, MA) Chase Culeman-Beckman (Port Chester, NY) TESTING - 1, 2, 3 Testing means different things to different manufacturers of foul weather gear. And you can be assured there arent many of them testing their products in the Southern Ocean. But thats exactly what Douglas Gill did. Working with the crew of Chessie Racing in the last Whitbread Race, they pushed their products to the limits, and then listened to the sailors about modifications. As a result of this interaction, Gill has increased the comfort and protection for everyone who sails. For the full story: http://www.douglasgill.com THE CURMUDGEON'S CONUNDRUM: If you ate pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry? |
