2003
Rolex Farr One Design Invitational - Virago And
Off The Gauge Hold Top Spots
MIAMI,
FLA., U.S.A. (November 20, 2003) - With two days
of racing completed and two more to go at the
Rolex Farr One Design Invitational in Miami, the
international competitors assembled here are at
a critical junction. Every one of the 11 scheduled
races count toward the overall score. Similar
to their Olympic class cousins, there are no throwouts
in this regatta. That's OK with Stuart Townsend
and his Virago team who currently lead the highly
competitive Farr 40 class with 21 points.
"Very
seldom does the class use a throwout race,"
said Townsend of Chicago, Ill. "It's been
tried before, but we didn't want it. There are
an awful lot of good boats here and we want every
race to count. Look at Barking Mad. They came
out of the middle of the fleet and now they're
second by nine points, which is a lot in this
class. But, really, we're only one bad race away
from losing our lead."
Virago
tactician Chris Larson credited crew work as the
key to success. "Although this is my first
time sailing on Virago, pretty much all the guys
have sailed together before," said the Rolex
Yachtsman of the Year. "Darren Jones and
Paul Westlake, our trimmers, are doing a great
job. We're always going fast and it is so much
easier for me because I don't have to worry about
rig tension or how the sails are trimmed. Also,
it keeps Stuart at the right target speed and
going the right way."
Barking
Mad, owned by past world champion Jim Richardson
of Boston, Mass., scored a 5th and 8th and then
came back to win the third race of the day. Richardson
credited his crew which includes America's Cup
sailors Terry Hutchinson calling tactics and trimmers
Dave Scott, Morgan Trubovich and Skip Baxter.
John
Kilroy's Samba Pa Ti of Los Anglese, Calif., is
in third place, three points behind Barking Mad,
with Nerone, owned by Massimo Mezzaroma and Antonio
Sodo Migliori of Rome, Italy, in fourth.
It
seems only fitting that on North Sails Race Day,
Ken Read should guide the winning boat in the
Mumm 30 class to victory. The America's Cup sailor
and two-time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year is calling
tactics onboard Jack Lefort's Off the Gauge. The
Stuart, Fla. entry scored a fourth and two firsts
for a total of 13 points overall. David Pyles
and USA65 holds second, with Dan Cheresh's Team
Intermec close behind in third place.
Peter
Davidson and the Farr 395 Shades of Gray continues
to lead the Open Class.
Racing
continues through Saturday and is run by the venerable
Storm Trysail Club.
Title
sponsor is Rolex Watch U.S.A. Organizers include
the Storm Trysail Club, Mumm 30 and Farr 40 Class
Associations. Avalon Majestic Hotel is the official
hotel. North Sails and Lewmar are supporting sponsors.
Daily
reports, photos and results will be posted to
www.farrinternational.com/rolexinvite03.
Rolex
Farr One Design Invitational-Day 2
Farr 40 / Mumm 30 NA Championship
South Miami Beach, Florida
Preliminary Results: November 20, 2003
FARR
40 (Top 5 of 17)
Place,
Boat Name, Owner, Hometown, Race 1- 2- 3, Total
1.
VIRAGO, Stuart Townsend, Chicago, Ill., 3-4-2-2-4-6,
21 points
2.
BARKING MAD, Jim Richardson, Boston, Mass., 1-11-4-5-8-1,
30
3.
SAMBA PA TI, John Kilroy, Los Angeles, Calif.,
2-1-12-6-9-3, 33
4.
NERONE, Mezzaroma/Sodo Migliori, Rome, Italy,
4-7-6-10-3-4, 34
5.
SHADOW ROCK, Geremia /Stoneberg, Orinda, Calif.,
13-2-1-14-1-9, 40
MUMM
30 (Top 5 of 9)
Place,
Boat Name, Owner, Hometown, Race 1- 2- 3, Total
1.
OFF THE GAUGE, Jack Lefort, Stuart, Fla., 4-2-1-4-1-1,
13
2.
USA65, David Pyles, Easton, Md.,1-3-7-1-2-5, 19
3.
TEAM INTERMEC, Dan Cheresh, Holland, Mich., 2-6-4-6-5-2,
25
4.
TURBO DUCK, Bodo/Nick von der Wense, Annapolis,
Md., 5-4-6-5-3-3, 26
5.
TRAMP, Tom Ritter, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., 6-1-5-2-8-6,
28
FARR
395
Place,
Boat Name, Owner, Hometown, Race 1, Race 2, Race
3-Total
1.
SHADES OF GRAY, Peter Davidson, 1-1-1-1-1-1, 6
points
2.
SPINAL SHOCK, Gordon Donald, Fairhaven, N.J.,
DNC-DNC-DNC-DNC-DNC-DNC, 18
Dana Paxton
Media Pro International
Daily
reports, photos and results will be posted to
www.farrinternational.com/rolexinvite03
