Long Beach, California, USA: Jeff Janov's West Coast fleet champion Dark Star looked to be romping away to the 2011 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship in winning the first two races Saturday when---surprise!---a new threat popped up out of the turbulent Pacific Ocean.
Viva La Vida, just in from Australia, where it was known as Goombay Smash, won its first race in the hands of new local owners Bill Durant and Jeff Shew to steal some glory of its own.
The double-blue boat---dark on starboard, light on port---is tied for sixth in the 10-boat fleet, with Dark Star (1-1-5) still on top, but suddenly it was a different regatta. Dark Star finished fifth, hanging on to a one-point lead over perennial contender Dave Voss's Piranha (2-3-3).
Results after Saturday's first day of racing, 3 races sailed:
Place | Sail | Boat | Skipper | Club | Total | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 |
1 | 80808 | Dark Star | Janov,Jeff | CYC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
2 | USA51483 | Piranha | Voss,David | CYC | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
3 | 51044 | Skian Dhu | Freeland,Dirk | ABYC | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
4 | USA37 | Far Niente | Scheer,Frederic | CYC | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
5 | 40050 | Temptress | Godwin,Ray | LBYC | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 |
6 | USA131 | Viva La Vida | Jeff Shew/Bill Durant | LBYC | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
7 | USA40046 | Twisted | Pohl,Tony | StFYC | 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
8 | 46957 | Jo Ann | Murphy,Steve | SlBYC | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 |
9 | USA888 | White Knight | Katinszky,Zoltan | CBYC | 24 | 5 | 10 | 9 |
10 | 50060 | Radical Departure | Joe Carter/Dennis Rosene | BYC | 27 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
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Saturday's weather forecast: Sunny, 72F., wind 12k WSW
Long Beach, California: Farr 40s need no introduction to Long Beach, but their racing here over Memorial Day weekend will be more serious than ever. The 2011 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship Saturday through Monday will be the first on the West Coast since the series was launched in 1998, a year after the boat was introduced to the world.
Bringing the only Rolex-sponsored event to Southern California in many years is a significant statement about the strength and competitiveness of the West Coast Farr 40 fleet.
The class has global popularity with 152 boats in 17 countries and, locally, "the fastest growing Farr 40 fleet in the world," said David Voss, president of the West Coast flotilla. "Rolex stands for excellence and the select events they sponsor annually all over the world represent the pinnacle of sailboat racing."
A maximum of eight races will be run, starting at 1 p.m. each day. The forecast for Saturday is a sunny 72 F., with a classic 12 knots of offshore breeze from west-southwest down the San Pedro Channel funnel between Santa Catalina Island and the mainland.
Confirmed Entries
Boat Name | Owner | Sail # | Tactician |
Dark Star | Jeff Janov | USA 80808 | Morgan Larson |
Far Niente | Frederic Scheer | USA 37 | Marty Kullman |
JoAnn | Steve Murphy | USA 46597 | Mike Priest |
Piranha | David Voss | USA 51483 | Eric Doyle |
Radical Departure | Joe Carter & Dennis Rosene | USA 50060 | Harry Pattison |
Skian Dhu | Dirk Freeland | USA 51044 | Jeffrey Grange |
Temptress | Ray Godwin | USA 40050 | Scott Bimberg |
Twisted | Tony Pohl | USA 40046 | Norman Davant |
Viva La Vida | Jeff Shew & Bill Durant | USA 131 | Jeff Thorpe |
White Knight | Zoltan Katinsky | USA 888 | Tod Downey |