CHARLESTON, S.C. (April 22, 2012)
—The heavy weather forecast for Charleston failed
to materialize on Sunday, and unsettled conditions
meant different challenges throughout the three race areas of Sperry
Top-Sider Charleston Race Week 2012. Within a 10-mile radius, both the
offshore and inshore racing classes sailed between 0 and 3 races for
the final, deciding day of the country’s largest keelboat regatta.
“These were some of the most challenging conditions we’ve seen ever at
Race Week in Charleston, and it’s a credit to these race committee
workers, the vast majority of them volunteers, that we got so many
races in this week,” said Event Director Randy Draftz. “This event
couldn’t be run without the nearly 300 volunteers that so generously
donate their time, their energies, and their boats to this event, and
we want to give all of them a special thanks for making Sperry
Top-Sider Charleston Race Week one of the best regattas anywhere.
One of the most competitive fleets in town, with America’s Cup sailors
and World Champions on numerous of the boats was the Melges 20 fleet,
and that competitiveness was certainly on display this morning for Race
9 of the series. Detroit racer Marc Hollerback scored the victory,
while overnight leader Russ Lucas and his crew of Harry and Hans Melges
on board Shimmer had one of their worst results of the event, an eighth
place. Second place Layline Race Team finished just ahead of Lucas,
while 2011 Charleston winner Michael Kiss got a second place in the
race.
With the top four spots separated by just three points, the stage was
set for an epic battle. Principal Race Officer Hank Stuart started the
fleet, only to call them back for a general recall. Another start
resulted in a recall, and as a line of rain clouds moved over the
harbor, the breeze disappeared completely, leaving Shimmer with the
class victory.
Layline skipper Travis Weisleder said the final race was a blast. “All
of the leading boats were neck-and-neck the entire way around the
track,” he said. This was Weisleder’s 10^th Sperry Top-Sider Charleston
Race Week in 12 years, and he’s never enjoyed a second place so much.
“If we had to lose, I’m sure glad we lost to a long-time friend and
rival like Russ.” For his part, Weisleder guarantees he’ll be back in
2013, and will never miss another Charleston regatta again. “I’m
convinced that this is, quite possibly, the best event in sailing.”
Another huge rivalry came down to the wire on Sunday in the J/24 class,
where Travis Odenback led Mike Ingham until the final race of the week.
Both teams are from Rochester, NY, and both skippers are preparing for
the huge J/24 World Championship in Rochester later this summer.
“We’ve been racing against each other for a decade, and we’ll probably
be racing against each other for a decade more,” said Odenback, whose
Honey Badger took second place by a 2-point deficit. “Going into the
last race today we were down by a few points, and we got the start we
needed,” explained Ingham. Odenback didn’t stand a chance. “Mike got
ahead, and every tack, he slammed us back, just as he needed to,” he
said. This is Ingham’s second consecutive victory at Sperry Top-Sider
Charleston Race Week, and he says he’ll be back to go for the hat
trick. “Where else would I want to be in April?” he exclaimed.
Keith Ziegler brough his Ultimate 20 Dream Killer all the way from
Michigan to compete here in Charleston. Ziegler was disappointed to see
just five Ultimates on the starting line, though he said it was a tight
battle for first, which he won by just one point over North Carolina’s
BJ Jones. “Next year we don’t have a huge National Championship just a
couple of weeks later in Pensacola, and I expect we’ll see a great
fleet here in Charleston Harbor.”
Greg Fisher took the 15-boat J/22 class by nine points, earning the
College of Charleston’s Sailing Director the Charleston Race Week
Perpetual Trophy for top one-design performance. A huge cheer went out
from the crowd for the adopted Charlestonian, who sailed with wife
Jo-Ann, College of Charleston freshman and varsity sailor Allie
Blumenthal and longtime crew Jeff Eiber. The regatta's other perpetual
award, The Palmetto Cup, which is given to the top performing boat in
the PHRF classes, was awarded to Bob Moran and his crew on board the
J/111 Ragin' out of Herndon, Va. Moran and his talented crew competed
in PHRF Class B, in which they also won class honors.)
The J/80 class rounded out the J/Boat one designs, and Bill Rose on
Kicks continued his dominant performance, clinching the victory with a
race to spare. Brian Keane’s Massachusetts based Savansana took second
place.
In the 41-boat Viper 640 Class, Jason Carroll, John Baxter, and Chad
Corning won overall honors aboard Argo, beating Ontario-based Brad
Boston, Eric Vigrass, and Katie Abbot on Jackpot. Carroll and company
also won the Atlantic Coast Chamionship with their victory. Boston had
won every Charleston Viper event until this one, and he was visibly
disappointed. “We didn’t start well, we didn’t sail the beats well, and
the competition level in the Vipers has grown to the point where you
just can’t do that and still win,” he said. “Argo sailed a great
regatta and we didn’t, and that’s about the size of it.” For Argo
tactician John Baxter, this was the first visit to Charleston since his
college sailing days. “This town has really grown up, and I’ve been
seriously impressed with the great destination it’s become,” said
Baxter. Two boats tied for third place, with John Girling winning on a
tiebreak over 24-year-old Sara Fox. More amazing than the tie was the
fact that both Girling and Fox are newcomers to the fleet.
The Melges 24 fleet saw the conclusion to an epic battle between 2011
Charleston winner Kristen Lane (Brick House) and 2010 winner Bora
Gulari (New England Ropes/West Marine Rigging). These two boats are
crewed by some of the world’s top professional racers, and Gulari said
the pre-start in the finale was a fight to the death. “None of us are
afraid to engage, and we both were buried deep at the start after some
exciting maneuvering,” he said. Gulari credits his crew with the
final-race performance that earned him a second place for the race and
the overall victory. “With Brad Funk finding the pressure, Troll
[Jeremy Wilmot] finding the lanes and shifts, and John [Casey] and
Meredith [Nordhem] always getting the boathandling spot on, I honestly
felt like we couldn’t lose.” Brick House tactician Charlie McKee was
philosophical about his loss. “We gave it our all and we came up
short,” he said.
Detroit sailor Paul Hulsey (Hoodlum Racing) won the Corinthian trophy
for the top non-professional Melges 24 team, finishing 9^th overall in
the class. Tactician Geoff Kimmel was satisfied with their result
despite what he called ‘an intensely frustrating week.’ “The wind was
very different from what we’re used to sailing when we race in
Charleston, which is a tough enough race course even when everything is
typical,” he said.
The local favorites aboard the J/120 Emocean were overjoyed at their
victory in PHRF C. “We put the band back together and everything just
fell into place,” said helmsman Will Hanckel. “Eight of the original 11
Emocean crew were with us this week, and their skill and our
communication level aboard made things almost easy."
Mt. Pleasant sailor Joseph Hanna took the overall award for the
Cruising Division, which raced a single, 26-mile course each day rather
than the short courses raced by the rest of the fleets. “We loved the
challenge and the pursuit starts, and I am convinced that there are
dozens and dozens of cruising skippers that would love to sail next
year’s event on this course,” said Hanna. “In fact, I just told Randy
[Draftz, Event Chairman] a few minutes ago that when word gets out,
this will become the fastest-growing fleet at the event. Bring ‘em
on!”
As the men and women who set the courses for the fleets, the Principal
Race Officers have possibly the toughest jobs of anyone at Sperry
Top-Sider Charleston Race Week, and this year saw a new PRO join the
veteran race officers who have been running the regatta for years. It
was Rochester-based International Race Officer Hank Stuart’s first
visit to the Sailing Capital of the South. “It’s definitely not the
easiest place to set a course, but I am absolutely blown away by this
venue,”
Stuart said. “It has to be one of the world’s best racing locations.”
Steve Lesniak (aka Superman) might not have won his class aboard his
Beneteau 510 Celadon, but he did win the hearts of numerous onlookers
with his super-hero regalia.
Photo credit: Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week/Meredith Block
Bob Moran of the J/111 Ragin' accepts the Palmetto Cup trophy from
Julia Winkler of Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week.
Photo Credit: Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week/Meredith Block
Boats in the PHRF B Class get ready to start their final race in the
lumpy conditions off the coast of Charleston, SC.
Photo Credit: Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week/Meredith Block
Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week took place April 19 - April 22.
It was open to all monohull sailboats 20 to 80 feet in length. The
event is owned and managed by Charleston Ocean Racing Association and
is supported by its title sponsor, Sperry Top-Sider, as well as the
Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina, Vineyard Vines, and Gosling’s Rum.
Additional sponsors include The Town of Mt. Pleasant, Gill, Coral Reef
Sailing Apparel, Newport Shipyard, North Sails, Marlow Ropes Ltd.,
South Carolina State Ports Authority, and Interlux/Awlgrip, along with
West Marine, Pierside Boatworks, College of Charleston Community
Sailing, Other Brother Entertainment, Orbis, Harken Yacht Equipment,
B&G Simrad, Azalea Moving and Storage, Photoboat.com, Charleston
Community Sailing, Sail Charleston, Orbis, Zip 2 Water, and Lewmar
Navtec.
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