2009
North Sails Regatta
Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships
Markku Harmala Wins 2009 North Sails Regatta June 21, 2009-St.Maarten, Netherlands AntillesThis past weekends ever changing winds created a challenge for competitors during the 8th annual North Sails Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships. With 12 teams competing for 1st place the competition was intense, and in the end the point difference between first and second place was only 0.7. A total of 18 races were sailed over the course of two days with a one pool format, with 12 teams competing in eight boats thus allowing four teams to take a break in between races. Both regatta organizers and the main sponsor were thrilled with this weekends results, and according to Ernst Looser, owner of Tropical Sail Loft, agent for North Sails St.Maarten it went very well, very enjoyable as the racing was closer than normal. North Sails is proud to be part of such high quality event with much credit going to the volunteers, especially Cary with organizing the event and Race Officer Andrew Rapley's excellent work, which kept all competitors happy.
Teams competing from around the Caribbean, with sailors such as Simon Manley of St.Maarten, Markku Harmala of St.Barths and Frits bus of St.Maarten battled it out over two days, twelve races each and eighteen total races for the fleet which allowed for the first time ever, each team the opportunity to drop one race from their results. The winner was decided by 0.7 of a point leaving Markku Harmala, Team St.Barth Libre, with the win of 27 total points, and Frits Bus, Team Aqua Mania, placing second with 27.7 points. Third place went to Simon Manley, of team Scuba Shop with 33 points overall. Speaking to Markku after the event, he stated fun, very fun. Nice people to race with, good organization even with the shifty conditions. It was perfect one design racing!
The teams raced on the Sun Fast 20s over the course of two days in the Lagoon, using a raft up using floating dock and change boat SANTINO courtesy of Aqua Mania and a Lagoon 41 as the committee boat. Together teams watched their fellow sailors battle it out each race and the overall atmosphere was total joy being able to be out on the water in such splendid conditions, and although they were competing against each other, those who were resting on the change boat were cheering and rooting for their fellow competitors. The camaraderie was outstanding to say the least.
When asked how he felt the weekends racing went, Frits Bus, of team Aqua Mania stated Interesting!! With the wind shifts and the ups and downs of wind strengths. It was good sailing conditions for this regatta, lots of different types of weather; light, breezy, shifty then steady! Racing was finished by 1:00pm on Sunday and once all the boats were back at the dock at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club, sailors sat down to a fantastic BBQ lunch and the prize giving ceremony. Yacht Club board member and competitor Simon Manley thought It was a fantastic event, and a really great weekend. The wind shifts were challenging along with the quality of the other crews.
The points score was more compact than in most regattas. In spite of the leaders pulling away on points overall. Each of them spent many moments in the pack trying to break out. The first positions were to be found on the score card as low as 10th place. A great many sailors had a place in the top three at different times.
The rules knowledge of sailors was high which resulted in very little contact and dissension, in spite of the very short course. Starts were consistently high level with boats lined up right across the line showing an elevated level of starting.
So now that the sails are put away, the boats neatly tied to the docks and the competitors on their flights back home, its fair to say that the sailing conditions in St.Maarten are ideal for one design racing and regardless of the constant wind shifts, all the competitors had a great time and look forward to returning to St.Maarten in 2010 to battle it out once again.
FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2009
|
Name |
Team |
R.1 |
R.2 |
R.3 |
R.4 |
R.5 |
R.6 |
R.7 |
R.8 |
R.9 |
R.10 |
R.11 |
R.12 |
R.13 |
R.14 |
R.15 |
R.16 |
R.17 |
R.18 |
TOTAL |
1 |
Markku Hamala |
St Barth
Libre |
3 |
- |
1 |
2 |
- |
3 |
- |
2 |
3 |
- |
4 |
5D |
1 |
- |
3 |
3 |
- |
2 |
27 |
2 |
Frits Bus |
Aqua Mania
St Maarten |
4 |
- |
5D |
- |
3 |
2.7 |
- |
4 |
2 |
- |
1 |
1 |
4 |
- |
4 |
- |
1 |
1 |
27.7 |
3 |
Simon Manley |
Scuba Shop
St Maarten |
- |
2 |
3 |
- |
7 |
4 |
- |
1 |
1 |
- |
2 |
7 |
- |
2 |
1 |
- |
8D |
3 |
33 |
4 |
Robbie Ferron |
Budget Marina
St Maarten |
- |
1 |
2 |
- |
2 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
- |
7D |
6 |
- |
- |
1 |
2 |
- |
4 |
6 |
37 |
5 |
Bernard Sillem |
Dutch Connection
St Maarten |
- |
6 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
- |
3 |
3 |
- |
1 |
3 |
- |
- |
4 |
7D |
2 |
5 |
- |
39 |
6 |
Paul Solomon |
Emzyme
Trinidad |
2 |
3 |
- |
1 |
1 |
- |
2 |
5 |
- |
6 |
7 |
- |
2 |
7 |
- |
6 |
7D |
- |
42 |
7 |
Benoit Meesemaecker |
St Barth
Attitude |
6 |
5 |
- |
6 |
4 |
- |
7D |
- |
6 |
5 |
- |
2 |
3 |
6 |
- |
1 |
3 |
- |
47 |
8 |
Guy Redmile |
Last Minute
St Maarten |
1 |
- |
6 |
8D |
- |
5 |
1 |
- |
5 |
4 |
- |
6 |
5 |
- |
5 |
4 |
- |
7 |
49 |
9 |
Chris Marshall |
Budget Marine/Gill
St Maarten |
5 |
7 |
- |
4 |
- |
7 |
4 |
- |
4 |
3 |
- |
3 |
6 |
5 |
- |
8 |
- |
8D |
56 |
10 |
Luc Knol |
St Maarten |
- |
4 |
7 |
- |
8 |
1 |
- |
8 |
7 |
8 |
8D |
- |
- |
3 |
6 |
- |
6 |
4 |
62 |
11 |
Bernie Evan-Wong |
Antigua |
7 |
8 |
- |
5 |
6 |
- |
8 |
7 |
- |
2 |
- |
4 |
8 |
8D |
- |
7 |
2 |
- |
64 |
12 |
Paul Johnson |
Saga Boy ll Racing
BVI |
8 |
- |
8 |
7 |
- |
6 |
6 |
- |
8 |
- |
5 |
8 |
7 |
- |
8D |
5 |
- |
5 |
73 |
===========================================================
|
2007
North Sails Regatta
Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships
Chris Rosenberg comes out on top once again. The North Sails Caribbean Keelboat Championships proved once again to be an event like no other. With competitive sailing and great camaraderie between competitors this event was a complete success.
The morning started out with competitors, and committee members heading out to the spectator boat Explorer which served as a floating observation point for the weekend.
A total of 18 races were sailed over the weekend and by the end of the day on Saturday the 18 teams were divided into two fleets, Gold and Silver. In the gold fleet Chris Rosenberg from team Vertical Yachts gave an outstanding performance with 4 first places out of 6 total races. Chris, who was the 2006 winner of the North Sails Regatta, was pleased to be at this event once again and during his acceptance speech thanked the organizers of the even for another wonderful year. Local St.Maarten sailor, Frits Bus, placed second with his team Carib. Third place in this fleet was awarded to the Stanton brothers Chris and Peter from St.Croix.
In the Silver fleet first place went to Donald Stollmeyer and team Bachannal Boys from Trinidad. Second and third place were awarded to Team Scuba Shop of St.Maarten and lead by Simon Manley and Team Wadadli Too lead by Bernie Evan-Wong of Antigua. The all womens team, and womens regatta winners for the past three years, which was lead by Emma Paull was unable to repeat their win at this North Sails Regatta. They placed 2nd during their first race and made it into the gold fleet, but were unable to place high enough land them in the winners seat.
The conditions on the water were ideal. Spectators aboard the floating observation point Exploror got to see some fantastic sailing by some of the Caribbeans best sailors. The shouts of the spectators, a mix of resting competitors and sailing enthusiasts, could be heard each time one of the boats made another maneuver in attempts to better their opponents. Teams were able to use the floating dock alongside the Explorer to switch boats and teams with very little difficulties, which allowed the races to keep a steady pace for most of the day. This unique vantage point gave those participants who were not sailing at the time a great spot to watch the races and rest in between races.
The North Sails Regatta has been considered an innovative regatta model and this event has been copied by other territories. This year besides the general competition format, the regatta introduced an umpiring model that may also turn heads. The island is fortunate to have a senior international judge in the person of David de Vries and by sheer coincidence and good fortune another senior judge and umpire, Mr. Rob Overton from the USA happened to be on the island.
Together these two designed a penalty system which builds on the existing rules and allows a combination of the existing penalty system that is initiated between competitors as well as one initiated by the on the water judges . The penalty levels are designed in such a manner that there is an incentive for compliance by participant initiated penalty calls. In this first try out the system worked very well and the overall consensus was that this highly competitive event with very close racing was saved from the possible antagonistic relations that sometimes occur in regattas at this level .
Between the on the water judges the floating observation point and the incredible racing by all 18 team, this event was unquestionable a success and will be one event that these sailors will add onto their schedule for the 2008 racing season.
Article by Heather Tackling, photographs by Jolyon Ferron
FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2007
Championship Gold Fleet
Name |
Team |
Race 2 |
Race 4 |
Race 6 |
Race 8 |
Race 10 |
Race 12 |
TOTAL |
1 |
Chris Rosenberg |
St Thomas |
1 |
3 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
14 |
2 |
Frits Bus |
St Maarten |
3 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
23 |
3 |
Chris Stanton |
St Croix |
6 |
6 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
24 |
4 |
Luc Knol |
St Maarten |
7 |
1 |
8 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
27 |
5 |
Markku Harmala |
St Barths |
5 |
5 |
6 |
2 |
8 |
4 |
30 |
6 |
Paul Amon |
Trinidad |
4 |
9 |
2 |
8 |
6 |
5.8 |
34.8 |
7 |
Robbie Ferron |
St Maarten |
8 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
9 |
7 |
37 |
8 |
Emma Paull |
Tortola |
2 |
8 |
9 |
7 |
4 |
8 |
38 |
9 |
Shag Morton |
St Maarten |
9 |
4 |
4 |
9 |
7 |
6 |
39 |
Silver Fleet >
Name |
Team |
Race 1 |
Race 3 |
Race 5 |
Race 7 |
Race 9 |
Race 11 |
TOTAL |
1 |
Donald Stollmeyer |
Trinidad |
1.8 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
10.8 |
2 |
Simon Manley |
St Maarten |
8 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
3.4 |
20.4 |
3 |
Bernie Evan-Wong |
Antigua |
2 |
9 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
21 |
4 |
Mark Solomon |
Grenada |
4 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
1 |
27 |
5 |
Bernard Sillem |
St Martin |
5 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
28 |
6 |
Jack Bishop |
St Thomas |
1 |
4 |
6 |
7 |
9 |
4 |
31 |
7 |
Robbie Yearwood |
Grenada |
3 |
1 |
7 |
8 |
6 |
7 |
32 |
8 |
Nick Forsberg |
St Lucia |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
5 |
6 |
41 |
9 |
Ben Jelic |
St Lucia |
7 |
8 |
9 |
6 |
8 |
8 |
46 |
===========================================================
2006
North Sails Regatta
Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships
Rosenberg rules at North Sails Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships.
ST. MAARTEN Sailed over the weekend of June 17th, the fifth regatta to carry the famous sail makers name was blessed with near perfect conditions. Sixteen teams, making up some of the Caribbeans best sailors, competed in two pools to decide which teams would eventually go forward into the Gold and Silver fleets.
From the beginning racing was tight and whatever mistakes were made were due to an over abundance of enthusiasm than to lack of skill.
By mid morning Saturday, one man was beginning to dominate the event. Champion IC 24 sailor Chris Rosenberg from St. Thomas was immediately at ease with the boats and revelled in the conditions. Being a champion one-design sailor helped, yet surprisingly Rosenberg claimed it didnt help much. Sailing IC 24s doesnt give you an edge when sailing the Sun Fast 20s, but being a champion dinghy sailor like Karl James from Antigua, does, he said.
Olympic Laser sailor Karl James, who pushed Rosenberg hard, said he wasnt sure about that.
You have more people on board and its a heavier boat, he remarked. Its more the dinghy instinct that helps.
The regatta, which is organized by the St Maarten Yacht Club and Lagoon Sailboat Rentals, and sailed aboard their fleet of Jeanneau Sun Fast 20s, eschewed the use of a shore-side base and this year ran the event from a floating HQ in the form of the two decked, motorized catamaran Explorer.
This bold move was successful beyond all expectations. A floating dock alongside Explorer allowed for rapid rotation, with crews hopping in and out of boats like clockwork. Explorers bar and restaurant, manned by friendly staff, helped to keep the sailors fueled, but it was the upper deck that came in for the most praise.
Watching from 15-feet above water is like watching motor racing from the stand. With the fleet often tacking and jibing within a booms length of the catamaran, crews waiting their turn to race could check out the competition while being thoroughly entertained.
Sailors are vocal whether shouting for water at the mark or roaring out disparaging remarks from afar. Thus the cheers and jeers went up at the start of the second race when Robbie Ferron, the man responsible for one-design racing in St. Maarten, crossed the line early and was forced to restart.
Sun Fast 20s are resilient boats, however, race three of Saturdays qualifying rounds saw Phillip Shannon puzzled when his rudder sheared off and the boat suddenly rounded up.
Thanks to superb organization, the maintenance team soon had another rudder in place and the next race started with little delay.
It became obvious early on that the gate at the end of the downwind leg would play a major role. This decision to round to port or starboard was often a simple one, yet occasionally, in the slight yet ever changing Lagoon winds, the choice determined the outcome of the race.
With such close racing the protest flag occasionally took flight, but with Judge David de Vries patrolling the marks by dinghy, things remained calm and, as in previous regattas, the protests were settled in a gentlemanly way.
By 1.00 pm the qualifying races were over and the Gold and Silver fleets decided. With barely a break the regatta rolled on, and tough luck to those who dallied over lunch.
Of the local teams, Simon Manley, Luc Knol and Frits Bus joined visitors Chris Rosenberg (St. Thomas), Markku Harmala (St. Barts), Karl James (Antigua), Phillip Shannon (St. Thomas) and Fraito Lugo (Puerto Rico), in the Gold fleet.
In the Silver Fleet, the local teams of Robbie Ferron, Bill Gray and FKG, sailed against Jeb Beaudin (St. Croix), Nick Forsberg (St. Lucia), Bernie Even-Wong (Antigua), Mark Plaxton and Vincent De Maynard (Guadeloupe).
By now the posted results were highlighting changes in fortune. Its nice to start a regatta like this, noted St. Maarten sailor Frits Bus after winning the first race of the day. Yet ultimately Bus was lucky to scrape into the Gold Fleet, where he finished in eighth place. Bus wasnt the only one with problems; Vincent De Maynard sailed hard in the Silver Fleet but never climbed higher than sixth place.
Conditions on Sunday mirrored those of the previous day with sunshine and winds from the southeast at 10 to 12 knots.
Following three consecutive bullets on day one Rosenberg needed a race to warm up, but he was soon on form and went on to win with 12 points.
Markku Harmala squeezed out Karl James to secure second place, but it could have gone either way as both had the same amount of points going in to the final race.
St. Maartens, Simon Manley, finished a creditable fourth.
Top honors in the Silver Fleet went Jeb Beaudin and his crew of girls from St. Croix. St. Maartens Robbie Ferron secured second place ahead of Nick Forsberg of St. Lucia.
The kudos flew thick and fast at the Sunday afternoons awards ceremony.
This regatta is always a great regatta and the competition is tough, noted Chris Rosenberg, who went on to credit his crew with the win. Like most other competitors, he also said he would return next year.
Both North Sails Representatives, Ernst Looser of Tropical Sail Loft, St. Maarten, and Regional Manager Andrew Dove said they were delighted with the regatta and confirmed North Sails future commitment.
You watch people sailing here and it is high level sailing with people having fun in simple boats, which are all the same. If we think things are positive for sailing in the Caribbean, then we do our best to support it any way we can, Dove said.
A grinning Ernst Looser summed up the weekend for everyone. The regatta went smoothly and the weather was perfect. It was challenging with the wind shifts but the courses worked out really nice. Nobody complained, the races were fair and the competition was brilliant, he said.
Article & photos by Gary Brown, Docktalk Marketing & Media.
More photos available at www.docktalksxm.com
FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2006
Championship Gold Fleet
|
Name |
Team |
Race 2 |
Race 4 |
Race 6 |
Race 8 |
Race 10 |
Race 12 |
Race 14 |
TOTAL |
1 |
Chris Rosenberg |
St Thomas |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
2 |
Markku Harmala |
St Barths Libre |
2 |
3 |
7 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
27 |
3 |
Karl James |
Budget Marine, Antigua |
4 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
8 |
31 |
4 |
Phillip Shannon |
Magic Bus |
7 |
7 |
8 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
32 |
5 |
Simon Manley |
Scuba Shop, St Maarten |
3 |
5 |
3 |
6 |
8 |
4 |
5 |
34 |
6 |
Fraito Lugo |
Orion Sail Team, Puerto Rico |
8 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
38 |
7 |
Luc Knol |
St Maarten |
6 |
4 |
5 |
8 |
7 |
5 |
3 |
38 |
8 |
Frits Bus |
Carib, St Maarten |
5 |
6 |
6 |
3 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
40 |
Silver Fleet
|
Name |
Team |
Race 1 |
Race 3 |
Race 5 |
Race 7 |
Race 9 |
Race 11 |
Race 13 |
TOTAL |
1 |
Jeb Beaudin |
Gone Cruzan, St Croix |
2 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
2.5 |
1 |
16.5 |
2 |
Robbie Ferron |
Budget Marine, St Maarten |
4 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
23 |
3 |
Nick Forsberg |
Team St Lucia |
1 |
3 |
4 |
8 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
27 |
4 |
Bill Gray |
Island 92, St Maarten |
5 |
1 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
3 |
29 |
5 |
Bernie Evan-Wong |
Team Waddali, Antigua |
6 |
2 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
3 |
7 |
30 |
6 |
Mark Plaxton |
INTAC, Tortola |
6 |
5 |
8 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
5 |
34 |
7 |
FKG |
FKG, St Maarten |
3 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
7 |
6 |
35 |
8 |
Vincent De Maynard |
Zoo Regatta, Guadaloupe |
8 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
8 |
51 |
===========================================================
2005
North Sails Regatta
Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships
The BVIs Team Latitude 18 Tops Fourth Annual North Sails Regatta
Simpson Bay Lagoon, St Maarten, June 19, 2005- Sixteen teams from throughout the Caribbean battled it out on the waters of Simpson Bay Lagoon in St Maarten this weekend (June 18/19) in the fourth annual North Sails Regatta, the Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championship. After three qualifying races and seven championship races in the Gold fleet, the British Virgin Islands Robby Hirst, with brother Mike and Chris Haycraft as crew, won with 13 points. Robby Hirst also won the event in 2002 with the same crew.
Puerto Ricos top racer, Fraito Lugo (Team Orion), was eight points behind and second. Third place by a slimmer margin of three points went to Markku Harmala from Team St Barths Libre. Luc Knol and his Team Enerserve topped the Silver fleet.
The race committee added a leeward gate this year and the first day of racing saw light and shifty sub-10 knot conditions with two pools of eight teams vying for the top four slots in each to qualify for the gold fleet. After the qualifiers, Hirst and co. cleaned up the first day of racing in the Gold fleet with three bullets giving them a nine-point lead going in to the second day.
According to Robby, the key to their success was crewwork, boat speed and avoiding the pile ups. Of all the people Ive sailed with, we are pretty good together and that really makes a difference. We also had a strategy which we were allowed to pursue by our competitors - race after race - which was starting at the committee boat end and controlling the fleet for the crucial first beat which was very short.
After the more tactical light first day, the second day - which saw heavier, and steadier winds with periods in the 18-knot range - was more of a brute strength day.
Although Hirst and co. racked up a win for the first race, two seconds and a fifth place followed. They [the other competitors] closed down our strategy, said Haycraft. Its psychological too, added Robby. When you have nothing to lose you do better because you take more chances and you push yourself harder whereas when youre winning you want to hold onto it and not take chances. So you end up with not quite as good a start which puts you back in the fleet a little bit. You cant win without coming off the line well. They relaxed a little too.
After a slow start Harmala finished up with the last two wins in the gold fleet. For Lugo, who was relegated to the silver fleet last year, a second in the Gold fleet this year was welcome. Last year is a long story but this year we are having fun. We have more knowledge of the boat, more time sailing the boat and I think, year by year, its going to be better.
Knol and crew from St Maarten won the silver fleet by one point with Kwame Hinds Team Infinity from Barbados, second. Knol finished the first day one point behind Hinds and was able to rack up a first and second in the first two races of the last day with good starts and clean air while Hinds got two third places. After that we were only really looking for him [Hinds], said Knol. We were looking for winning the regatta not winning the races. Tactically that changed everything.
However, while Knol and crew were concentrating on Hinds, Shag Morton took three of the last days races to finish two points behind Hinds.
Despite the sea of red protest flags that were seen on the water throughout the last day, all protests were withdrawn when it came time to sit round the table. However, a lively, impromptu rules clinic was held instead.
The racing, in the Jeanneau Sun Fast 20s supplied by Lagoon Sailboat Rental, was fast and furious off Uncle Harrys Bar on Simpson Bay Lagoon where spectators would have eight boats heading at them as the bar was on the layline for the windward mark.
This event is unique in the sailing world of the Caribbean in that it allows the top sailors from all Caribbean territories to compete on a level playing field without the huge expense that is attached to racing campaigns in the large traditional events, said event organizer Robbie Ferron.
The event is sanctioned by the Caribbean Sailing Association as the Caribbean Keelboat Championships and teams from Antigua, Puerto Rico, Martinque, the US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, St Barths, Barbados and Guadeloupe competed against eight teams representing St Maarten/St. Martin.
Last years winner, John Holmberg from the USVI, was unable to attend.
Dates for the 2006 event are June 17/18.
Press Release by Alastair Abrehart, Broadsword Communications 19 June 2005
For further information or high resolution photos please contact:
Robbie Ferron, North Sails Regatta E-mail: rob@budmar.an
Ernst Looser Tropical Sail Loft E-mail: ernst@tropicalsailloft.com
Alastair Abrehart Broadsword Communications e-mail: alastair@broadswordcommunications.com
FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2005
Championship Fleet
|
Name |
Team |
Race 2 |
Race 4 |
Race 6 |
Race 8 |
Race 10 |
Race 12 |
Race 14 |
TOTAL |
1 |
Robby Hirst |
Latitude 18, BVI |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
13 |
2 |
Fraito Lugo |
Orion Sailing Team, Puerto Rico |
3 |
2 |
8 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
21 |
3 |
Markku Harmala |
St Barths Libre, St Barths |
7 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
24 |
4 |
Frits Bus |
Carib HiHo, St Maarten |
5 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
34 |
5 |
Karl James |
Budget Marine, Antigua |
6 |
8 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
36 |
6 |
Tim Pitts |
Racing Crucians, St Croix |
8 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
8 |
7 |
3 |
40 |
7 |
Phillippe Herve |
O Plongeoir, St Martin |
4 |
7 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
41 |
8 |
Mathieu Moures |
Martinique |
2 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
7 |
8 |
6 |
43 |
Silver Fleet
|
Name |
Team |
Race 1 |
Race 3 |
Race 5 |
Race 7 |
Race 9 |
Race 11 |
Race 13 |
TOTAL |
1 |
Luc Knol |
Team Ennerserve, St Maarten |
1 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
22 |
2 |
Kwame Hinds |
Infinity, Barbados |
4 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
23 |
3 |
Shag Morton |
FKG, St Maarten |
8 |
7 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
25 |
4 |
Simon Manley |
Scuba Shop, St Maarten |
2 |
5 |
8 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
30 |
5 |
Philippe Quere |
Ecodec-Orange-Dell, Guadaloupe |
7 |
3 |
1 |
7 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
31 |
6 |
Didier Rouault |
W.I.A.Architects, St Martin |
5 |
4 |
7 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
5 |
33 |
7 |
Peter Gramnetia |
Island 92, St Maarten |
3 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
43 |
8 |
Doug James |
St Maarten |
6 |
8 |
2 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
45 |
===========================================================
2004
North Sails Regatta
Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championships
USVIs John Holmberg Tops St Maartens North Sails Regatta
Simpson Bay Lagoon, St Maarten, June 27, 2004 It came down to the last boat lengths of the last leg of the last day of the third annual North Sails Regatta, the Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championship held this weekend (June 26,27) in St Maarten; four boats were in contention to win with myriad permutations for winning.
The USVIs John Holmberg crossed the line finish line first but it was Antiguan Karl James second place and Rosenbergs third place that secured his overall win by putting two places between Holmberg and Green. Excruciatingly, Green had been second to Holmberg around the course until the last seconds of the race. The USVIs Chris Rosenberg needed the same permutation as Holmberg to win. The BVIs Robbie Hirst needed a win and two boats between him and Green. Green needed a second place to win overall. However, Green did claim second overall and Rosenberg was third. Last years winner, Robbie Hirst, was fourth having been punished by some silly mistakes particularly on the first day.
Green, the favorite coming into the second day having notched up three first on the first day saw what some thought was an assured victory start to erode with a fifth place finish on the first race of the day after a bad start. If you get a bad start in this fleet you just get buried very quickly, lamented Green. A third, followed by a victory-killing seventh place, broke the field wide open. Having taken the left side of the course, which as a rule was the right move to make throughout the weekend, Green was shut out at the windward mark coming in on port. It was one of those horrible situations where you just get stuck. I should have not taken the risk, gone behind everybody and settled for fourth place. It would have saved me three points, said Green.
However in the crucial final race, Green once again headed deep left chasing some breeze on the first beat while Holmberg shadowed him closer to the middle of the course. This move put Green in second place at the mark. On the second beat it was James going left that brought him out of nowhere to come in under the wire for second while Holmberg, Green and Rosenberg tussled on the right hand side of the course. James move gave Holmberg the place separation that he needed to win the regatta.
I just got on my knees and prayed a moment ago for first and someone between me and Mike Green, said Holmberg before the last race and thats exactly what he got. It was one of the most competitive regattas Ive been in for a while, said Holmberg on his victory. Actively disengaging was the Holmberg team game plan for the day. Anytime we saw a situation approaching with two or three or four [boats] together we were actually disengaging and sailing clear and fast because you can win a spot on a mark rounding or lose four. So its better to come around and keep your position on the rounding and make your passes on the long legs up and downwind where youre not liable to get penalized.
Although his skills were not so evident on the second day, Green was credited with having an uncanny knack for spotting shifts that others dont. I spend a lot of time looking outside the boat not inside the boat especially on this piece of water where the shifts that are coming look like a lift and then are not a lift as they are coming all over the place around the mountains. So its very critical looking not at the one youre on but whats coming after that and even two and three shifts ahead because you can see where theyre coming from up the course
Fourteen teams from throughout the Caribbean battled it out for the silverware at the third annual North Sails Regatta, the Caribbean One Design Keelboat Championship, which started Saturday morning with a sudden death best of three races to decide the Gold and Silver fleets.
The big news of the first day was Puerto Ricos Efrain Fraito Lugos failure to qualify for the Gold fleet. At the end of the three-race shootout John Holmberg, Mike Green, Chris Rosenberg, Robbie Hirst, Bernard Sillem, Karl James and Shag Morton were Gold fleet. Fraito Lugo, Claude Thelier, Luc Knol, Carlos Skov, Garth Steyn, Simon Manley and Vassil Beyazov made up the silver fleet. Despite his surprise at being in the Silver fleet, Fraito racked up three firsts in the fleet and won by seven points over second-placer Claude Thelier who won on a tiebreak over Luc Knol, third. Ill be back next year, said Fraito even before his last race of the regatta.
The shifty winds in the 10-20 knot range proved challenging where oscillations could be as much as 25 degrees. After a dismasting in the last race of the first day and with the spare boat called into action, reefs were the order of the second day which were shaken out for the Gold fleets last race.
No recent Caribbean regatta has pitted so much Caribbean-wide sailing talent against each other since the inception of this one-design event three years ago. The racing, in the Jeanneau Sun Fast 20s supplied by Lagoon Sailboat Rental, was fast and furious off Uncle Harrys Bar on Simpson Bay lagoon where spectators could touch the boats as they headed upwind with the start line off the bars deck.
It was an excellent weekend with excellent racing, enthused race director Robbie Ferron. This regatta is about bringing all the best sailors of the Caribbean together without them having to ship equipment and still with a level playing field. We were very pleased with the field we were able to bring together and pleasantly shocked at the intense competiton. Press Release by Alastair Abrehart, Broadsword Communications 27 June 2004
FINAL RESULTS - North Sails Regatta 2004
Championship Fleet
|
Name |
Team |
Race 2 |
Race 4 |
Race 6 |
Race 8 |
Race 10 |
Race 12 |
Race 14 |
Total |
1 |
John Holmberg |
Claims Paid, USVI |
3 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
20 |
2 |
Mike Green |
Lucians, St Lucia |
1 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
22 |
3 |
Chris Rosenberg |
Micro W*nkers, USVI |
5 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
22 |
4 |
Robbie Hirst |
HIHO, BVI |
2 |
6 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
25 |
5 |
Bernard Sillem |
L.ile Marine, St Martin |
7 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
4 |
7 |
32 |
6 |
Karl James |
Budget Marine, Antigua |
6 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
32 |
7 |
Shag Morton |
FKG, St Maarten |
4 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
43 |
Silver Fleet
|
Name |
Team |
Race 1 |
Race 3 |
Race 5 |
Race 7 |
Race 9 |
Race 11 |
Race 13 |
TOTAL |
1 |
Fraito Lugo |
Orion, Puerto Rico |
2 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
15 |
2 |
Claude Thelier |
Gwada Team, Guadaloupe |
4 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
22 |
3 |
Luc Knol |
Knol / Bernaz, St Maarten |
3 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
22 |
4 |
Carlos Skov |
Cruzans, USVI |
1 |
3 |
6 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
23 |
5 |
Garth Steyn |
Buccaneer Bar, St Maarten |
5 |
5 |
1 |
6 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
33 |
6 |
Simon Manley |
Scuba/Sunsail, St Martin |
7 |
7 |
5 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
34 |
7 |
Vassil Beyazov |
Gerena, St Maarten |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
47 |
===========================================================
|