Great Britain’s Lucy MacGregor and the USA’s Sally Barkow in the Women’s Division and the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Taylor Canfield in the Open Division went undefeated after completing five races in the first flight of competition in day one of the Carlos Aguilar Match Race(CAMR).
Barkow, who has sailed this regatta twice before as crew before taking the helm this year and who is hoping to qualify to represent the USA in Women’s Match Racing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, said, “It was tough, really shifty. We had a few leads cut short and some close finishes. Technically, though, we sailed well.”
Shifty conditions also proved challenging for Canfield, a senior at Boston College. “We were far ahead in some matches and in some less than a boat length ahead. None of the matches were easy. We just tried to keep our heads out of the boat, sail the shifts and sail our own race.”
On Friday, Canfield will race against the USA’s Dave Perry and fellow Virgin Islander Peter Holmberg to complete the first flight of races. The match between Canfield, the college sailor, and Holmberg, the America’s Cup winning helmsman, should prove exciting. Holmberg bested Canfield for the division win in this event last year by winning two races in the best-of-three finals.
This four-day regatta, sailed in Inter-Club (IC)-24s, will continue on Friday with the completion of the first flight and start of the second flight of competition. Semi-finals will take place Saturday and the finals on Sunday.
The match race is presented by Ulysse Nardin/Trident Jewels & Time. Up for grabs is an Ulysse Nardin Lady Diver and Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver precision timepiece for the top Women’s and Open skippers, respectively. In addition, the Open winner receives an invitation to the prestigious Stena Match Cup Sweden, in Marstrand, July 4-10, 2011. The CAMR is an Official World Tour Qualifier (WTQ) for the 2011 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) (www.worldmatchracingtour.com)
Spectators are invited to watch the racing under tented bleacher seating where there will be live narration provided by America’s Cup-sailor-turned-commentator Geordie Shaver. Armchair viewers around the world can watch via a live webcast on www.carlosmatchrace.com. Racing starts at 9 a.m. (GMT – 4 hrs) daily.
The St. Thomas Yacht Club (STYC) and the Virgin Islands Sailing Association (VISA) are the organizing authority for the Grade 2 CAMR, namesake for the late Carlos Aguilar, who was an avid sailor and match racer. The U.S. Virgin Islands is no stranger to hosting world-class match racing events, having hosted six major regattas of this type in the last twelve years. Match racing pits one identical boat against another on a short course oftentimes near to shore. The most recognized example of match racing is the America’s Cup. On-the-water umpires make instant calls and enforce the rules. The result is very exciting racing up and down the Charlotte Amalie waterfront.
A Youth Regatta will take place on Saturday between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (GMT – 4 hrs).
Day One Results (Number of Wins-Losses)
Women’s Division:
Lucy MacGregor, GBR, 5-0
Sally Barkow, USA, 5-0
Genny Tulloch, USA, 3-2
Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 3-2
Renata Decnop, BRA, 2-3
Julianna Senfft, BRA, 1-4
Sandy Hayes, USA, 1-4
Kelly O’Brien-Uszenski, USVI, 0-5
Open Division:
Taylor Canfield, USVI, 5-0
Peter Holmberg, USVI, 4-1
Dave Perry, USA, 4-1
Alvaro Marinho/Seth Sailing Team, POR, 3-2
Colin Rathbun, BVI, 3-2
Stratis Andreadis, GRE, 1-4
Laurie Jury, NZL, 0-5
Chris Van Tol, USA, 0-5
