18
Skiff International Regatta - Hamlin Wins Way
Into First Place As Skiffs Flip Like Pancakes
St. Francis Yacht Club
Aug.
30-Sept. 3, 2004
Sep.
1, 2004
SAN
FRANCISCO, Calif.---California's Howie Hamlin,
with his world-class crew of Mike Martin and Rod
Howell regrouped, won both races on the wildest
day yet of the Skiff 18 International Regatta
Wednesday to move into a first-place tie with
Australia's John Winning after 6 of 9 scheduled
races.
 |
|
Australia's
Omega Smeg charges downwind in 22 knots
of wind against an ebb tide. Photo ©
Rich Roberts
|
Their
boat West Marine was the only one of the eight
that stayed upright all day as 18 to 22 knots
of wind, with gusts to 25, blew up a mean chop
straight into the face of an ebb tide flowing
out the Golden Gate past the host St. Francis
Yacht Club.
Hamlin
has said of the volatile 18s, "The only stable
position is upside down," and everyone else
found themselves in that posture at least once---"six
or seven times for us," said skipper Fred
Eaton of Canada 1, the entry from Toronto's Royal
Canadian Yacht Club who couldn't wipe the smile
off his face.
Flipping
like pancakes, only six boats finished the first
race and four the second, but only because of
gear breakage, not because they were discouraged.
However,
the forecast for Thursday for winds up to 35 knots
left principal race officer John Craig considering
whether to run the Bridge to Bridge race as scheduled
late in the afternoon when the ebb tide is strongest.
The
wind opposing the tide creates chop "like
speed bumps," Craig said. "The boats
keep tripping over themselves."
They'll
try to sail the scheduled buoy race at 1 o'clock
today, then return to the beach and measure the
conditions. The Bridge to Bridge race, five nautical
miles from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge,
could be run on the last day Friday.
 |
|
Trevor
Barnabas' Omega Smeg from Australia was
leading the race and the regatta until losing
their grip at the windward mark. Photo ©
Rich Roberts
|
Whatever
the decision, Eaton, who is sailing with Dan Cunningham
and Rod Patterson, will be ready to go.
"It
was a good day for sailing," he said, "and
you're learning all the time. We're upside down
a lot but it's a lot of fun. It was a fun day."
At
least it was until they broke their mast a hundred
yards from the last leeward mark of the second
race and were forced to pack it in. Earlier, they
had to be towed away on their side from the rock
jetty in front of the neighboring Golden Gate
Yacht Club.
Australian
Grant Rollerson's Fisher & Paykel had a similar
brush with disaster in the same place on an even
worse day before the St. Francis rescue boat tossed
it a tow line. Crew member Chris Cleary said,
"We were standing on the rocks pushing the
boat off."
Their
day started badly on the first tacking attempt.
Middle crew David Cunningham, holding the broken
main sheet block on shore later, said, "This
turned into a cleat. We couldn't release [the
main]."
Worse,
out of control, they took Trevor Barnabas' Omega
Smeg out with them when the boats locked their
12-foot bowsprits, leaving both dead in the water
until Barnabas' son Trent swam out to the end
of the sprits to untangle the mess.
Barnabas
still managed a pair of fourth places, despite
flipping twice and suffering a broken jib track,
but dropped to third place overall.
"Broke
our boat, broke our hearts, broke everything,"
he said.
Kevin
Richards, forward crew on Dalton Bergan's Vodka
Surprise, showed a one-inch cut alongside his
right eye. "Not sure how it happened,"
he said. "Just came out of a tack bleeding."
The
hometown entry---Patrick Whitmarsh with Paul Allen
and Chad Freitas as crew---didn't escape the flip
fate but enjoyed the day more than most with third-
and second-place finishes that lifted them into
fourth place, 10 points off the lead.
 |
|
Toronto's
Canada 1 (foreground) and Australia's Fisher
& Paykel take a double dip -- one of
six or seven for Fred Eaton's team and another
setback in a tough day for the Aussies.
Photo © Rich Roberts
|
"Those
guys were great," Hamlin said. "They
sail 60 or 70 days a year here."
Everyone
discarded his worst finish after the fifth race.
Hamlin
had to sail Tuesday without Howell, his veteran
bowman who twisted his left knee Monday. After
giving up his spot for a day to St. Francis junior
sailor Trevor Bozina, 20, Howell limped back into
place.
Martin
said, "The knee still hurt, but I think it
was more painful for him to watch."
The
switch back gave West Marine 40 extra pounds of
ballast, plus Howell's experience in sailing as
crew on more JJ Giltinan (world) Championship
boats than anybody.
"You
could see the difference with that extra weight,"
Hamlin said. "Plus, Rod's one of the best
[crew] there is. We needed it all today."
The
regatta is one of the class's three international
events, along with the European International
Championship and the JJ Giltinan Trophy Championship,
the class's premier event contested annually in
Australia since 1938.
Standings
(after 6 of 9 races, one discard):
1.
West Marine, Howard Hamlin/Mike Martin/Rod Howell,
Newport Harbor YC, Newport Beach, Calif., 2-2-(6)-4-1-1,
10 points.
2.
Computer Associates, John Winning/Euan McNicol/Jack
Young, Australian 18 Sailing League, Australia,
3-3-1-1-2-(3), 10.
3.
Omega Smeg, Trevor Barnabas/Trent Barnabas/Rob
Greuter, Australian 18 Sailing League, Australia,
1-1-3-2-4-(4), 1.
 |
|
Fisher
& Paykel crew members are visible in
the water (center) as a St. Francis YC rescue
boat tows them away from the rocks in front
of the neighboring Golden Gate YC. Photo
© Rich Roberts
|
4.
Sunrise, Patrick Whitmarsh/Paul Allen/Chad Freitas,
St. Francis YC, San Francisco, 5-(7)-2-5-3-2,
17.
5.
Fisher & Paykel, Grant Rollerson/David Cunningham/Chris
Cleary, Australian 18 Sailing League, Australia,
6-4-5-3-9-(9), 27.
6.
Vodka Cruiser, Dalton Bergan/Jeff Nelson/Kevin
Richards, Newport Harbor YC, Newport Beach, Calif.,
4-5-4-9-5-(9), 27.
7.
Emery Worldwide, Dana Jones/Jon Bell/Campbell
Rivers, Ventura (Calif.) YC/St. Francis YC, 9-6-7-7-9-(9),
38.
8.
Canada 1, Fred Eaton/Dan Cunningham/Rob Patterson,
Royal Canadian YC, Toronto, 9-9-8-6-6-(9), 38.
More
information: www.stfyc.com
and www.18footers.com
ST.
FRANCIS YACHT CLUB
Race
Office
(415)
820-3713
PUBLICITY
Rich
Roberts
cell
phone (310) 766-6547
richsail@earthlink.net
