DAY 4 Highlights - SAP 505 World Championship, San Francisco 2009

San Francisco, St. Francis Yacht Club, 16-30 August 2009.
This year the 505's was holding their World Championship regatta on San Francisco Bay. Everyone came expecting big breeze and that's exactly what they've found sailing on the Berkeley Circle in this warm up to the 2009 SAP 505 World Championship. Its clear that there's a lot of talent in this class and its going to take every bit of their skill to get the job done and hold up the trophy as World Champion for 2009.
[27 Aug 2009] - HOLT / SMIT TAKE CHARGE AS MARTIN / NELSON FALTER
by Rich Roberts
Mike Holt and crew Carl Smit---formerly of the UK now living in nearby Santa Cruz---seized control from Mike Martin and crew Jeff Nelson from Newport Beach, Calif., who suffered a 12th place in the first of two races in uncommonly light wind fluctuating between 8 and 11 knots Thursday.
Martin/Nelson, previously invincible through five races in breeze as strong as 25 knots, except for the first day when their mast broke, rebounded with a second place, but by then Holt/Smit had scored a third and a fourth and now lead with 12 points to 18 for Martin/Nelson.
That means that Holt/Smit, whose worst finish has been the fourth place, may not have to sail Saturday's last race if they can hold their lead through Friday's next-to-last eighth of nine races overall. There are two throw-outs and they haven't really needed any, although Martin/Nelson can drop their 12th after today, leaving the door open a bit.
The way the week's competition has developed, Thursday's race winners were slightly surprising and are-you-kidding-me? stunning: Dalton Bergan and crew Fritz Lanzinger of Seattle by 24 seconds, climbing from sixth to fifth place, and Australia's Malcolm Higgins and crew Nick Johnston, who are in 32nd place with a previous best finish of 13th, by a startling 48 seconds.
Holt said, 'We just plugged along . . . didn't take any risks. We didn't want to get any [results] we needed to drop.'
So Friday's strategy will be . . . ?
'We've got to make sure Mike doesn't get any good scores.'
So, with two throw-outs to give, does this mean there will be some match racing going on Friday?
'There's a possibility of that,' Holt said.
Racing on the East Bay course was delayed an hour and five minutes with a light easterly wind---a headwind that prompted most boats to be towed out---that transitioned through a lull into a normal westerly from the Golden Gate Bridge seven miles away. It grew to 10 knots through the starting sequence but remained so fluky that the first start was aborted on a general recall---rare for a Gate (a.k.a. 'rabbit') Start but necessary when a wind shift scrambled the starters in front of the rabbit---in this case, Australia's Peter Chappell and crew Ian Davidson.
The second try worked, except for Martin and Nelson.
'We got pinched off by another boat and then rolled,' Nelson said.
Holt said, 'We just plugged along . . . didn't take any risks. We didn't want to get any [results] we needed to drop.'
So Friday's strategy will be . . . ?
'We've got to make sure Mike doesn't get any good scores.'
So, with two throw-outs to give, does this mean there will be some match racing going on Friday?
'There's a possibility of that,' Holt said.
Racing on the East Bay course was delayed an hour and five minutes with a light easterly wind---a headwind that prompted most boats to be towed out---that transitioned through a lull into a normal westerly from the Golden Gate Bridge seven miles away. It grew to 10 knots through the starting sequence but remained so fluky that the first start was aborted on a general recall---rare for a Gate (a.k.a. 'rabbit') Start but necessary when a wind shift scrambled the starters in front of the rabbit---in this case, Australia's Peter Chappell and crew Ian Davidson.
The second try worked, except for Martin and Nelson.
'We got pinched off by another boat and then rolled,' Nelson said.
www.mksebbe.syn...

[@RT-np5ws]

Pauls retirement is what our sport is about. Sort on the water not protest