Winds Bring Excitement On First Day

At the first day of the 2004 Acura SORC a consistent breeze between 14 and 17 knots allowed for three races to be completed on an action-packed first day, raced just off Miami Beach.

The Farr 40s kept the action going on the Acura Course, with three different boats registering wins on Day One. Jim RICHARDSON’S Barking Mad took first place in the opening race and remains atop the class with nine points on the day. Peter DE RIDDER’S Mean Machine trails closely with 11 points, tallying second and third place finishes.

Steve and Fred HOWE’S Warpath notched a first place win in the second race, but rests in third place overnight.
Hasso PLATTNER’S Morning Glory rebounded from an 11th place showing with two third place finishes, ending the day in fourth place overall. John KILROY Jr.’s Samba Pa Ti, featuring Paul CAYARD, finished first in the final race of the day and sits in fifth place. Returning Acura SORC champion Massimo MEZZAROMA’S Nerone sits in ninth place overall.

H.M. King Harald V of Norway, racing Fram, highlighted his day with an 11th place finish in the second race of the day.

The Sailing World Course was also alive with activity as the IMS and three PHRF classes kept the action rolling. In the IMS class Marco BIRCH’S Talisman leads the way with two second place finishes and a first place finish, respectively. Daniel MEYERS’ Numbers, featuring Brad BUTTERWORTH and Ken READ, remain a close second finishing in the top three throughout the day. Returning 2003 Acura SORC champion George David’s Idler, with a win in the second race, rounds out the top three.

In the PHRF 1 competition Terrance SMITH’S Raincloud took a commanding lead with three first place finishes on Day One. Roger ELLIOTT’S Crosswave sits in first place in the PHRF 2 class with two first place finishes and a second place finish on the day. In the PHRF 3 class, competition was tight between the consistent Gordon ETTIE and Sazerac, who finish with seven points, and Lorenzo Biessani’s KASTER who knotched two first place finishes and end the day with eight points.

On Friday the J/105 class joins the action. The 2004 Acura SORC has been named as the second stop on the inaugural J/105 Southern Circuit. The J/105 President’s Southern Circuit perpetual trophy will be awarded annually to the boat with the best score in the three J/105 Southern Circuit events. Each year the trophy will be engraved with the names of the current President of the J/105 Class Association, the winner of the Circuit, and a participant who sails in all three regattas and who is deemed to promote sportsmanship and the best interests of the Class. The 2004 J/105 Southern Circuit kicked off with Key West Race Week and concludes with Charleston Race Week.

Day two of the 2004 Acura SORC commences on Friday morning with racing set to start at 10:00am.

The Acura SORC, in its 63rd year, is one of the premiere participatory race-weeks in sailing, featuring more than 60 yachts and more than 500 participants including America’s Cup sailors, business leaders and ocean navigators from around the world in a week-long lifestyle festival in Miami Beach, Florida.

Provisional results, Acura SORC, Day 1, February 26, (owner name, boat name, city, state, places, points):

Farr 40:
Jim Richardson, Barking Mad, Boston, MA, 1-4-4, 9
Peter De Ridder, Mean Machine, Monaco, 3-6-2, 11
Steve and Fred Howe, Warpath, San Diego, CA, 8-1-6, 15

IMS:
Marco Birch, Talisman, New York, NY, 2-2-1, 5
Daniel Meyers, Numbers, Boston, MA, 1-3-2, 6
George David, Idler, Hartford, CT, 4-1-3, 8

PHRF 1:
Terrance Smith, Raincloud, Isle of Palms, SC, 1-1-1, 3
American Eagle Syndicate, American Eagle, North Charleston, SC, 3-2-2, 7
Michael Brennan, Sjambok, Potomac, MD, 2-3-3, 8

PHRF 2:
Roger Elliott, Crosswave, Bryn Mawr, PA, 1-1-2, 4
Stuart Hebb, Thin Ice, Coral Gables, FL, 2-6-1, 9
John Tihansky, Le Cynge, Annapolis, MD, 4-4-4, 12

PHRF 3:
Gordon Ettie, Sazerac, Miami, FL, 2-2-3, 7
Lorenzo Biessani, Kaster, Trieste, Italy, 6-1-1, 8
Bob Berg, Love That Chicken, Miami, FL, 1-5-5, 11

For complete results see the RESULTS section.

Boats competing at the Acura SORC are racing three-day or four-day series. The Farr 40, IMS and PHRF classes are all racing from Thursday through Sunday. The J/105 class will race Friday through Sunday.

Race management is provided by volunteers from the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, the Coral Reef Yacht Club, Miami Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club and Nassau Yacht Club.