March 26, 2004 — Rain squalls seemingly disrupted paradise Friday as hundreds of sailors on 91 boats started their three-day competition at the International Rolex Regatta 2004. In actuality, however, the dramatic changes in weather merely tested the preparedness of participants and race committee members. At the end of the day, both groups were pleased with the results.
Hosted by the St. Thomas Yacht, the International Rolex Regatta is celebrating its 31st consecutive year and is one of the islands' oldest and most popular regattas, attracting sailors from the Caribbean, the United States and Europe.
"We went through all four seasons today," said local sailor Jennifer Firestone, who skippered Viola through five races on the IC-24 course. "It was hot, it was cold, it was windy, it was dead," Firestone said.
After all was said and done, Viola wound up at the back of the 14-boat fleet in overall standings, while Robert and Michael Hirst of Roadtown, Tortola, B.V.I., co-skippered Seahawk for the best scoreline to lead. Two perennial local favorites — Chris Rosenberg and John Holmberg — both of whom have won this regatta several times in other classes before switching to the IC-24, sit in third and fourth, respectively.
"The Race Committee did a great job," said Holmberg. "I loved the conditions…. These boats are underpowered so they are a blast in 20 knots, and in light air you really have to work to keep them moving, but they are very evenly matched."
On the other end of the size scale, the Spinnaker Racing ("Over 50 ft.") Class relished the fast conditions and waited patiently at times for wind to arise — in particular, during the two-hour interlude between today's two races. Tactician Peter Holmberg (brother of John) positioned Tom Hill's Titan XII, from Puerto Rico, perfectly for two good starts and as many wins. In race one, the boat hit all the correct shifts and stretched a lead at the first windward mark before the wind died and left much of the back of the fleet in dire straits. Titan, at 75 feet, is the largest boat in the seven-boat fleet. "Yes, we owe the others time, but we did get pretty far ahead," said Holmberg.
"Every time a squall came through, the wind shifted 40 degrees," said Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio. "Thankfully, winds in the second race were more reliable."
Tony Bessinger (Newport, R.I.), sailing to two victories aboard Bill Dockser's (Bethesda, Md.) Farr 65 Team Atlantic in Spinnaker Racer/Cruiser Class 1, wasn't bothered at all by the rain that accompanied the winds. "It's so warm, it's heaven. But the best part is that no bad stuff happened. We've been practicing for three days, and everything came together beautifully. In the second race, we were going 13 1/2 knots in 26-30 knots of breeze!"
Clearly the boat to beat in the Beach Cat class, Enrique Figueroa's MoviStar/Suzuki/Red Bull blasted to the lead in today's first race and finished second in race two despite capsizing–an unusual mishap to have befallen this 2004 Puerto Rico Olympic Sailing Team member. "You had to make a decision whether to follow the rain. That was where the wind was, but I paid the price when I flipped," said Figueroa.
Racing continues through Sunday when Rolex watches will be awarded to the winners in each class.
Complete results, photos and competitor lists can be found online.
Day One Race Results
Spinnaker Racing ("Over 50 ft.") (7 boats)
1. Titan XII, Tom Hill, San Juan, P.R., 1-1; 2
2. Equation, Bill Alcott, St. Clair Shores, Mich., 2-4, 6
3. Flirt, Richard Matthews/J. Alvarez, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK, 4-3, 7
Spinnaker Racing 1 (8 boats)
1. Abracadabra, Carlos Camacho, Guaynabo, P.R., 2-2, 4
2. Cosmic Warlord, Mick Shlens, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., 3-1, 4
3. Caccia Alla Volpe, Carlo Falcone, Antigua, 1-4, 5
Spinnaker Racing 2 (15 boats)
1. J-Bird, Dave Janes, Newport Beach, Calif., 3-1, 4
2. Mistress Quickly, Guy Eldridge, Roadtown, Tortola, B.V.I., 1-4, 5
3. Lost Horizon II, James Dobbs, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., 4-2, 6
Spinnaker Racer/Cruiser 1 (9 boats)
1. Team Atlantic, Bill Dockser, Bethesda, Md., 1-1, 2
2. Pipe Dream, Peter Haycraft, Roadtown, Tortola, B.V.I., 2-2, 4
3. Lazy Dog, Sergio Sagramoso, San Juan, P.R., 3-3, 6
Spinnaker Racer/Cruiser 2 (7 boats)
1. Dehlerious, Bungie Flynn, Roadtown, Tortola, B.V.I., 1-2, 3
2. Trouble, Geoffrey Pidduck, Falmouth, Antigua, 2-1, 3
3. Tempest, John Haracivet, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., 3-3, 6
Non Spinnaker Racing (13 boats)
1. Monhegan, J/44, Norwalk, Conn., 1, 1
2. Affinity, Jack Desmond, Marion, Mass., 2, 2
3. Zing, Chris Thompson, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., J/30, 3, 3
J/24 (6 boats)
1. XX Tu, Juan Jose Mari Agustini, San Juan, P.R., 2-1, 3
2. Orion/Coors Light, Fraito Lugo, Ponce, P.R., 1-3, 4
3. Urayo, Gilberto Rivera Morales, Guaynabo, P.R., 5-2, 7
IC-24 (14 boats)
1. Seahawk, Robert/Michael Hirst, Roadtown, Tortola, B.V.I., 2-1-2-8-3; 16
2. Brand New Second Hand, Christopher Curreri, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., 6-6-1-2-2; 17
3. Old & Gray, Chris Rosenberg, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., 4-2-4-7-1; 18
Beach Cats (12 boats)
1. Movistar/Suzuki/Red Bull, Enrique Figueroa, San Juan, P.R., 1-2, 3
2. Exodus/Ensysa, Enrique Figueroa, San Juan, P.R., 4-1, 5
3. HF Mortgage Bankers, Ibraim Mustafa, San Juan, P.R., 2-5, 7
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