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Stark Raving Mad III, Rosebud and Magnitude
80 (l-r) converge on a downwind leg with
spinnakers full |
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Rosebud enjoying
the ratings game in FT
Regatta
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June
9, 2007
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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Sailboat racing
is not always as
it appears to be, like when hundreds of spectators on Newport
Pier and a flock of private boats see high- tech racing
machines such as Magnitude 80 and Stark Raving Mad III
running away with races and 15 young adults trouncing their
elders, all without their success showing up on the
scoreboard.
So it's been for the first two days of the First Team Real
Estate Invitational Regatta for the Hoag Cup where the
trophies will be awarded Sunday night not necessarily to
those who finished first but to those who correct out best on
handicap time.
That's how the game is played with unequal boats,
theoretically rewarding the ones that were sailed nearest their
potential, regardless of where they finished.
One excerption through the first four of five races has been
Roger Sturgeon's new STP 65, Rosebud, which has been
pushing Doug Baker's Mag 80 and Jim Madden's Stark Raving
Mad III hard enough to lead Class A by two points over Mike
Campbell and Dale Williams' Kernan 68, Peligroso.
But Roy E. Disney, the event's honorary chairman,
doubts that any boats have been sailed better than his
Transpac 52, Morning Light, with a crew ranging from 18
to 23 in age that has beaten all but the four Class A
boats in three of the last four races, yet stands only fifth
in Class B.
Disney, getting his first look at his team under fire this
weekend, said, "I'm amazed, but it's frustrating. They're
beating all of the Santa Cruz 70s boat for boat and
losing to them on [handicap] time-- - a little 52- footer!
I'm so proud of these kids, they're handling the boat so
well and thinking their way around the course. You can't
fault their sailing or boat handling."
The team has been selected and trained to sail the
Transpacific Yacht Race next month, a process that is
being recorded for a documentary feature film to be
released next year. So far it looks more than promising.
Disney's son Roy Pat, also a Transpac veteran, said,
"What took us 35 years they've done in four months."
And yet they lost ground Saturday when race officials
discovered an error in their handicap rating, meaning
they'll now be giving even more time to their rivals.
No matter, says Jeremy Wilmot, the 21-year-old skipper
from Australia.
"I'm just thrilled with the performance of the crew,"
Wilmot said. "The guys behind me [tactician Charlie
Enright and navigator Piet van Os] are putting me in the
right places around the course, and I could go on
through the whole crew. There hasn't been one slip-up.
Everybody on the team is having a lot of fun. It's great to
be sailing against such good sailors . . . some real pros.
I don't know what they expected--- maybe, oh- oh, here
come the kids, put the fenders out."
Mag 80 continued to finish first in every race, although
it had
to come from behind both Stark Raving Mad III and Rosebud
to win Saturday's second race. Nevertheless, Rosebud, with
Jack Halterman on the helm, officially swept the day on
handicap time to extend its string to 2-1-1- 1, despite losing
the hydraulic power so important for trimming the sails under
the boat's heavy loads, even when the breeze is only 6 to 10
knots as it was Saturday.
Rosebud, launched only this past week, had limited
hydraulics for the first three races but then it all blew out,
spewing fluid around the boat and leaving the crew to perform
strictly on manpower.
Tactician Kevin Miller said, "It's a good boat. We're going well
and we don't even have our hydraulics going. When they went
completely out we thought about dropping out, but Roger said,
'No, let's finish it,' and then we got this huge wind shift and
won our class in the race."
Various reports measured the shift from 30 to 40 degrees,
shuffling the results dramatically.
Madden said, "It was unbelievable---all over the place."
As for the ratings, Madden said, "That doesn't matter. We're
having fun out there, anyway."
The final race will start at 1 p.m. Sunday, conditions
permitting.
First Team Real Estate is the title sponsor. Other sponsors
include Accretive, Bank of America, Countrywide, Warmington
Homes, Wells Fargo Bank, Mellon Bank and MKA Capital.
West Marine is also a supporter.
Standings
(by corrected time, after 4 of 5 races)
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Roy E. Disney tracks the
Morning Light team
Westerly sails past Newport Pier
Westerly leads charge to the starting
line
(starting Friday night)
Event information
Visit
the title sponsor
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Class A
1. Rosebud (STP 65), Roger Sturgeon, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,
2-1-1-1, 5 points.
2. Peligroso (Kernan 68), Mike Campbell/Dale
Williams, Long Beach, 1-2-2-2, 7.
3. Stark Raving Mad III (Reichel/Pugh 66),
Newport Beach, 3-4-3-3, 13.
4. Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker,
Long Beach, 4-3-4-4, 15.
Class B
1. Grand Illusion (SC 70), Patrick O'Brien/Ed
McDowell, Redondo Beach, Calif., 1-1-2-2, 6.
2. Holua (SC 70), Brack Duker, Marina del
Rey, Calif., 2-4, 6.
3. Westerly (SC 70), Tim and Tom Hogan,
Newport Beach, 4-5-3-1, 13.
4. Skylark (SC 70), Doug Ayres, Newport
Beach, 3-4-5-3, 15.
5. Morning Light (Transpac 52), Jeremy
Wilmot, Waikiki, H.I., 5-2-6-4, 17.
6. Pendragon IV (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin,
Encino, Calif., 6-6-4-6, 22.
7. Trader (Transpac 52), Fred Detwiler,
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 8-7-7-7, 29.
8. It's OK (Andrews 50), Tres Gordos Sailing
LLC, Balboa, Calif., 7-8-8-8, 31.
Class C
1. Valkyrie (DK 46), Andy and Camille Rasdal,
San Diego, 1-2-2-1, 6.
2. Chayah (1D48), Oscar Krinsky/Chris Redman,
Long Beach, 3-1-1-2, 7.
3. Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport
Beach, 2-3-3-3, 11.
Click for…
Results with
elapsed/corrected times
Photo
gallery
Longpre photos
Video highlights
About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
(www.hoaghospital.org) is a 511-bed, not-for- profit, acute care hospital located in Newport
Beach, Calif. Fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
(JCAHO) and designated as a
Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Hoag offers a comprehensive mix
of health care services,
including Centers of Excellence in cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, orthopedics and women’s
health services. A
recent study released by HealthGrades placed Hoag among the top 5% of hospitals in the nation and a
recipient of the 2007
Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag
as Orange County’s
most preferred hospital for the past 10 consecutive years. And for an unprecedented 11 years, residents
of Orange County
have chosen Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey.
About First Team Real
Estate
As the number one independent in California,
First Team Real Estate is one of the largest privately held real estate companies in
the country. According to the last National Real Estate and Relocation Magazine Power Broker Report,
First Team is the #11
independent real estate company in the nation for overall sales. Founded in 1976 with five agents in
one office, First Team is now
home to over 2,000 sales associates and over 300 employees in 38 offices across the region.
General Media Contact
Amy McKibbin, Hoag Hospital
949/244-3234
Rich Roberts, Press Officer
310/835-2526
cell 310/766-6547
richsail@earthlink.net
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TRANSPAC RACE STATUS
