Winds
Bring Excitement On First Day Of 2004 Acura SORC
MIAMI BEACH, FL, February 26, 2004 - 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.
The
Acura SORC is managed by Octagon, an international
event marketing company headquartered in Stamford,
CT.
Additional
event and registration information is available
at www.acurasorc.com
