Struntje Light maintains lead after another intense day of racing off South Beach

MIAMI BEACH - Bill Hardesty was amazed by what he saw during Thursday's action at the Miami Beach Invitational Regatta. Just after the fleet of Farr 40s rounded the first weather mark during Race 5, Hardesty looked around and it appeared all seven boats were dead even.

"All seven boats were lined up in a row. It literally looked like a seven-way tie," said Hardesty, tactician aboard Flash Gordon 6. "This fleet is amazingly tight. If you make even the slightest error, you're going to the back of the pack."

Wolfgang Schaefer, owner-driver of overall leader Struntje Light, discovered that reality in Race 5. Struntje Light was in second place coming into the leeward mark and thought the boat ahead was going to round the left gate. So Schaefer took his boat to the right gate, only to realize when it was too late that the competition changed its mind.

"We got kicked out and had to make a circle and of course after that we were in last place," Schaefer said.