Looking good in the beach cat class

In stark contrast to the weather-beaten St Croix International Regatta, first leg of Cape Air CORT (Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle) the Puerto International Regatta hit the start with gentle seas and typical 15-20 knot trades. Each of the 11 classes got three races under their belts in perfect conditions for the windward-leeward course.

Throwing their sailing instructions with a five-boat class minimum out the window the race committee allocated the Olson 30s, J/29s, J/105s and Melges 24s their own one-design classes of 3-boats.

The windward-leeward course had a couple of twists. The windward mark had an offset mark 300 hundred yards away giving the crews a little more time to get their kite up while the leeward end of the course was a gate with the option to round either mark. For some it was tactics and for others it was fate mandating the decision, as poor spinnaker dousings forced some boats to change their mind at the last minute.

In racing A, Riot, a Farr 40 on a training mission in the Caribbean for the US Farr 40 race season romped home against nothing but its rating as it made mincemeat of the course and Mumm 30 Red Fever and Antrim 27 Rhumb Squall. Fellow racers can seek solace in the fact that Terry Hutchinson, fresh from the Louis Vuitton Cup with Conner's Stars & Stripes was calling the shots. However this is owner Mark Ewing's first racing boat and today's races were his first three ever. Mark, looking a little fresh-faced for what I considered to be a Farr 40 owner, on questioned what he does replied :Sails:. On further questioning, Mark 'elaborated' t hat he was something software and is now in semi-retirement. BVI boat Mermaid II has not made an appearance this season and the much-anticipated Titan 12, Tom Hill's Reichel-Pugh designed 75-footer is now not expected to make an appearance until Antigua Sailing Week.

Lost Horizon II in unusual territory with a spinnaker snafu

Jamie Dobbs and his Lost Horizon II crew got off to a slow start but soon found their racing feet against Willy T and Kosa Loka in the Olson 30 class. Willy T got "a great start" in the first race while a sheet over-wrap just after the second start slowed them down.

Despite the light-ish winds the first day was not incident-free. Melges 24, Mistress Quickly dumped its crew in the water when a stanchion broke while another BVI boat, Dehlerious, lost a crewmember overboard in a tack.

Puerto Rico's Efrain "Fraito" Lugo is back in the J/24 class after a brief but dominating dalliance with the Melges 24. If today's performance of straight bullets is anything to go by, he will be once again be top of the pile in this class. However, the Puerto Rican fleet is probably now the largest fleet in the Caribbean as other J/24 fleets shrink, slowly turning into the more user-friendly IC/24s.
In the Melges 24s Don Q Limon and St Maarten's 2 Contact Carib are one point apart in Don Q's favor. Umakua bulleted the J/105s and St Croix's Broken Drum took the J/29s. John Foster's Magnificent 7 is leading class D with Sorceress second and Guilt Tripp third.

Arch rivals Cold Beer II and Pipe Dream neck and neck after their second start

For full results click here.

For more photos click here.

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