Monday, September 15, 2008

Rolex Big Boat Series

Final Day on San Francisco Bay; Six Perpetual Trophies Awarded

[source: Event Media]
There's a saying in sailboat racing that if there's wind, then everyone is happy. It's safe to say that the competitors in the Rolex Big Boat Series were ecstatic with today's conditions of 8-10 knots in the morning, building to 15+ knots by early afternoon for the regatta's final race - known as the Bay Tour. The St. Francis Yacht Club (StFYC) Race Committee sent the 10 competing classes on courses ranging from 15.44 to 21.01 nautical miles. When it was all over, six of the 10 class winners were awarded one of the StFYC's Perpetual Trophies as well as a Steel Submariner Rolex timepiece in recognition of their accomplishments.

Earlier this morning, as a tribute to the late Olin J. Stephens, each boat motored past the yacht club, through the 'A' and 'B' marks which would later serve as the finish line, and tossed one single white rose into the Bay before heading out to the race course.

In IRC A class, Bill Turpin's (Santa Cruz, CA) Reichel/Pugh 78 Akela took line honors in the final race; however it was John Kilroy Jr's (Los Angeles, CA) TP52 Samba Pa Ti that won the race on corrected time and with it the St. Francis Perpetual Trophy. Dedicated in 1964, it is the only one that does not rotate among the classes each year. It was deeded to the premier handicap division, the IRC A class in this 44th annual regatta.

Vinctore, the Reichel/Pugh IRC 52 chartered by Jim Mitchell (Zurich, SUI) finished second overall, while Akela was third in the 9-boat class.

IRC A (9 boats)
1. Samba Pa Ti, John Kilroy, Jr, San Francisco, CA, 4-1-3-1-4-1-1, 15
2. Vincitore, Jim Mitchell, Zurich, SUI, 3-4-1-2-2-2-2, 16
3. Akela, Bill Turpin, Santa Cruz, CA, 2-3-4-4-1-5-4, 23, 5

IRC B (9 boats)
1. TNT, Brad Copper, Pt. Richmond, CA, 1-2-2-2-1-2-1, 11
2. Rancho Deluxe, Michael Diepenbrock, Newport, RI, 2-3-3-1-2-3-2, 16
3. Swiftsure, Sy Kleinman, Saratoga, CA, 5-1-6-3-4-1-3, 23

IRC C (8 boats)
1. TKO, Dave Kirby, Manhattan Beach, CA, 1-3-1-1-1-2-1, 10
2. Scorpio, John Siegel, San Francisco, CA, 2-1-3-3-5-1-4, 19
3. BustinLoose, Jeff Pulford, Monterey, CA, 5-2-4-2-2-3-5, 23

IRC D (13 boats)
1. White Dove, Mike Garl, San Francisco, CA, 2-1-5-1-2-1-1, 13
2. Tupelo Honey, Gerard Sheridan, San Francisco, CA, 1-4-6-2-1-2-3, 19
3. Inspired Environments, Timothy Ballard, Sausalito, CA, 5-6-4-7-6-5-5, 38

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