Read PDF - Southwinds Magazine

Chris Bulger and his crew from Brookline, MA, attempt to get some breathing room as they work downwind ahead of a tight pack of J/80s.Photo by Priscilla Parker.the regatta, complementary lodging, new sails, and numerousother perks, including new Sperry Top-Sider shoes forthe entire crew.Dumas and his fellow Floridians won the first fourraces, taking full advantage of the 16-knot southeasterlies,while King’s crew on board Quintette had to settle for secondeach time. But as the regatta wore on, the scales tippedand the locals beat the Floridians in Races 5 and 6. Goinginto the finale, only one point separated the two. That lastcontest, staged in light and shifty northerly winds, didn’tfavor either boat, but Quintette, which is nearly equal inlength and displaces 2,000 pounds more than the Beneteau,had the greater disadvantage. She finished third while theBeneteau took the bullet and the overall win.Despite the less than inspiring conditions that finalday—light winds, overcast skies and occasional drizzle—most of the sailors throughout the venue were smiling. Themajority of the boats had logged at least nine races. In addition,the shoreside entertainment had offered a couple ofsurprising gems. On Saturday evening, there had been arousing visit by the America’s Cup trophy. The previousevening, the sailors were feted by a Dixieland band staginga Mardi-Gras-like parade with the College of Charlestoncheerleaders distributing floral leis.At the final awards on Sunday afternoon, EventDirector Randy Draftz mounted the stage and called out thewinners in each of the 17 classes. Then, he and his helperspresented the perpetual trophies: the Palmetto Cup for thebest performance by a PHRF entry went to Bob Moran andhis J/111 crew out of Herndon, VA.; the Charleston RaceWeek Cup for the winning boat in the most competitive onedesignclass went to adopted Charlestonian Greg Fisher inthe J/22 class. Draftz looked around at all the flags, the tentsand the sponsor banners adorning the regatta village. “Thisevent has always been a little bit different in what we offerour participants, but above all, we’re sailor-centric. Theamazing thing is that the regatta is run almost entirely byvolunteers, and every year they want to make it better. Wait‘til you see what we’re planning for 2013.”For full scores, photos and updates from the event, logon to www.charlestonraceweek.comNews & Views for Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS June 2012 45