Tight racing at the Etchells World

The lead established by San Diego boat Bill Hardesty and crew in Monday and Tuesday’s racing has kept them in first place even after a 39th place finish today. Peter Duncan, Thomas Blackwell, and William Barton of Biscayne Bay grabbed third place in the overall standings after starting at the right end and tacking out onto port immediately to lock in a 5th place finish in the race.

Vincent Brun, Ben Mitchell, and Jeff Pape of San Diego suffered a 51 point finish and slipped from second to third, with 65 points, while fourth place boat of locals Aaron Housten, Daniel Somers, and John Harford and fifth place boat Jud Smith, Henry Frazer, and James Poter nip at their heels with 66 points and 67 points respectively. With a tight point spread, large fleet size, and tricky conditions producing inconsistent scores, no teams have established a decisive lead and the World Championship title is still very much up for grabs.

After an onshore postponement until noon, competitors headed out under overcast skies and scattered showers in a moderate SSE breeze. However early into the first beat Race 4 began to look a lot like Race 1; a continuous right shift filled in as a large portion of the fleet worked their way out to the left side of the course.

The substantial righty paid off enormously for the small number of boats that tacked out onto port immediately after the start, but it became a game of catch-up for many of the regatta’s leaders stranded out on the left. Yesterday’s top three boats, Bill Hardesty (USA 979), Vincent Brun (USA 1227) and Graham Bailey (GBR 1352), found themselves below mid-fleet at the first windward mark. With the separation established by the shift, they had to fight hard for every point as they attempted to battle their way back up through the fleet.

The race ended with the wind building and moving even further right. A large number of boats significantly overstood the starboard layline to the finish after many had played the right side in anticipation of the consistent right shifts.

A few of teams favored before the start of the event were happier with today’s scores including 2007 World’s runner-up Jud Smith and crew Henry Frazer, and James Poter who locked in a 2nd and Dave Dwyer, Andy Beadsworth, and Simon Fry who took a 4th. “That’s more like it,” 2007 World’s champion Beadsworth commented upon returning to the dock.

Meanwhile, the separation proved a benefit for the winning team of Race 4, Senet Bischoff, Colin Gordon, and Ben Kinney out of New York Yacht Club in Newport, RI. The team led the fleet around every mark and gave a hearty cheer as their boat, KGB, crossed the finish line for their first bullet of the regatta. Today’s win bumps this team up to 7th in the overall standings.

The Etchells World Championship runs June 23-28, with the 29th as a reserve day.

ABOUT THE CHICAGO YACHT CLUB
The Chicago Yacht Club is one of the oldest and most respected yacht clubs in the world. Today, the club boasts a membership of nearly 1,500 boating enthusiasts and is one of the preeminent organizers of regattas, races and predicted-log events in the United States. The club offers an array of spectacular off-the-water amenities, including fine dining and full-service catering at both its Monroe and Belmont stations.