Dark Star leads, but comes back to the pack
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).