- Day 1 and 2
The second day of the 29er Mids was a fantastic equalizer on the scoreboard. Billy Gooderham and Dan McTavish, leading handily after day one had some trouble in the light and shifty breeze, which opened the do back in the hunt for first.
Sailing with Jeff Beck, Yngling World Champion Deb Capozzi won the day with three bullets and a 5th, demonstrating both their ability to pick out shifts and their ability to figure out winning speed after two days in the boat. Also having a solid day were University of Miami 29er rookies Fred Moffat & Michael Carcaise with three seconds and a third. The other race winners on the day were Brock Hope-Morely and Jason Hearst, who despite a tough day, hopped into first with the narrowest of margins. Ten points separate 1st through 6th after nine races, which is a testament to both the skill of the sailors and the Race Committee - thanks to John Westbrook and his crew for two fantastic days of racing (Campbell Rich will be PRO tomorrow and Sunday).
Each day has been followed by a full race debrief, which has added a good learning component to the great racing here at US Sailing Centre Martin County. The weekend forecast is for big breeze, so tune in for tomorrow's report.
- Day 3
Saturday's racing has been pretty exciting. Five races in 12-16kts saw Billy Gooderham and Dan McTavish re-establish their spot on top of the 29er Midwinters fleet, but only barely! Trading blows with Brock Hope-Morely and Jason Hearst, Gooderham/McTavish found some consistent starting and tactical positioning later in the day to eke out a narrow 2-point lead after fourteen races. The team of Dimitri Cherniak and Todd Ulbinas were the only other team to consistently break into the top-3 today. Winning the middle race Cherniak/Ulbinas have an outside shot of winning the event, but still have to watch over their shoulders for Deb Capozzi and Jeff Beck, who struggled a bit with the breezier boathandling today.
Thanks to Campbell Rich and crew for taking over the RC duties for the weekend.
- Final Day
Overall it was a great regatta.Ê For 2007 We are expecting to go to the same venue but with the rumor that it will be hosting the ISAF youth trials for both Canada and US we are looking to have a lot more teams.
Look forward to seeing more action this summer.
Rob Fox
29er Mids 2006 Coach
