The second regatta of this event, the Midwinter Championship ended on this past Friday. Three races were completed in 5-8 knots of wind giving us a total of seven to complete the second series. The top five finishers of 42 competitors were:
1. Lars Guck (A2)
2. Ben Hall (modified Waterat)
3. Pease Glaser (Waterat)
4. Jay Glaser (Auscat Flyer)
5. Andrew Landenberger (Marstrom)
The event site at the Islander Resort in Islamorada proved itself to be an excellent choice for the 2007 WC. It easily handled the 42 boats present and could handle more than twice that number if needed. The sailing in the ocean inside the outer reef was fantastic with a range of conditions including smooth water to chop with some swell. The facility offered excellent post race relaxation with a swimming pool, hot tub, and bar/restaurant for those who stayed there (the food from the restaurant was excellent and reasonably priced). The owners of the facility seemed quite happy with the A-class and we hope to continue having events there for a long time.
The event proved again that a range of A-class platforms are still very competitive. In addition to the newer A2 and Bim XJ platforms racing, there were older Waterat's, Auscat Flyers (now considered an "old" design), and Auscat Mk. IV's. The racing was very close in the Midwinter Championship with most boats finishing within 2-3 minutes of the first place boat.
Of particular interest was the new Florida built (by Vectorworks Marine) Bim XJ. For a first try, the first platform looked excellent from a finish standpoint (VMI even got rid of the hull and deck seams) and had only a few minor rigging issues that can easily be addressed. Matt Macdonald sailed the boat in the series (his first time racing an A-class) and scored two top ten finishes.
We should have a full report with detailed results on the USACA website within one week.
Bob Hodges
USACA President
USA 230
