Close racing in the triple race format used at the Bitter End Pro Am

Once again America's Cup and around the world Racers, Olympic Gold medallists, world champions, and “Joe Blow” amateurs will be competing with and against each other at the annual, and unique, Dry Creek Vineyard Bitter End Pro Am Regatta in the British Virgin Islands, November 2-9.

Using the unique triple-racing (see below) and junior/master team format in which the combined points for a junior/master pairing count for the overall championship, skippers slated to attend are (in the Junior division): Ed Baird, three-time Pro Am winner; Mark Reynolds, Olympic Star Gold Medallist; Marie Bjorling, top-ranked Women's match racer from Sweden; Dawn Riley, America's Cup and Around the World veteran.

In the masters are Lowell North, the legendary "Professor;" Rod Johnstone, 2000 Winner; Butch Ulmer, 1999 Winner; Keith Musto, the U.K.'s best known dinghy sailor and Tom Leweck, 2001 winner and the famed "Curmudgeon' of the Scuttlebutt newsletter.

The Curmudgeon and Ed Baird shared the winner's rostrum at the 2001 event. Between them they racked up seven wins out of a possible twelve with the masters and juniors sailing six races each.

The Scuttlebutt Sailing Club will be holding their 2nd annual Championships (inshore and offshore) during the Pro Am.

Virgin Islander Peter Holmberg who, paired with Rod Johnstone, won the 2000 event is otherwise occupied in New Zealand at the moment as is Russell Coutts. However, I wonder if Mr Cayard’s golden handcuffs with the Oracle BMW Racing syndicate (where he was put on gardening leave) stretch to the Caribbean…

Accommodation packages for seven nights start from $3,150. Special pricing is available for yacht club groups and individual racing teams of six or more persons entering the Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Offshore Championships. For more information visit www.beyc.com.

2001 Final Results: 1. Ed Baird (4) & Tom Leweck (3) 7 points; 2. J.J. Isler (2) & Rod Johnstone (3) 5 pts; 3. Peter Isler (1) & Butch Ullmer (3) 4 pts; 4. Robbie Haines (3) & Lowell North (0) 3 pts; 5. Marie Bjorling (0) & Keith Musto (1) 1 pt.

For the full report on last year's event click here

What is triple racing?

Originally developed by Paul Elvstrom and simplified by the BEYC, it's a cross between match and fleet racing (with three boats only) with a gate start. This format could be used as a gentle - pre-start maneuver-free - introduction to match racing and gives racers a lot more opportunity for coming to blows around the course.

How it works...

The course is start-windward-leeward-windward-finish. Each windward leg ends with two windward marks where the racers can round either the left mark, leaving it to starboard, or the right mark, leaving it to port, and then pass between the left and right marks heading down towards the leeward marks. The middle windward marks will ideally be large yellow tetrahedrons. The other windward and the leeward gate marks are small orange tomatoes. If there is a large wind shift, the committee can change the windward marks to either (L) or (R) with a of combination visual and sound signals as the racers approach the leeward gate. The leeward leg ends at a gate (two marks) where competitors pass between the marks, and round one of them (i.e. inside to outside)

A rotation system is developed for boats and the gate or “rabbit” boat. Using a three-minute start sequence the designated rabbit (green boat) must start by passing the left-hand gate mark (now the starting mark) within 20 seconds of the start signal and sail close-hauled on starboard tack at full speed until released (two short whistles) by the umpire boat. If the rabbit does not achieve this, the race will be abandoned and if the rabbit again fails, she will be penalized immediately after she is released. The rabbit will be released approximately one minute after the starting signal or after both of the other boats have started, whichever occurs first. After being released, she may tack, but is not required to do so.

As soon as the rabbit has started, the other two boats may start by sailing on port tack between the starting mark and the rabbit. A boat that has not started when the rabbit is released may be penalized. After starting, no boat shall tack until the rabbit is released. A boat that does may also be penalized. The finish line will be between the leeward gate marks.

The winner of each match will receive one point while the others receive none. The highest total score wins. It certainly works well at the BEYC and has potential for club racing locally.

And the big advantage for race committees? You don't have to anchor the committee boat and can follow the racing around the course...

© Copyright 2001/2002/2003/2004/2005 caribbeanracing.com