VIRGIN
GORDA, BVI, November 1, 2004—Sailmaking genius Lowell North paired up with
tactician and two-time Olympic medalist JJ Isler to win the 10th
Annual Defiance Day Regatta, and 3rd Annual Scuttlebutt Offshore
Championship hosted by the Bitter End YC on Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin
Islands.
Sailing
the scratch boat in the fleet, the twin wheeled crewed-charter Jeanneau 52 “Add
to Life,” North took line honors, and corrected out first on the off-the-wind
leg to The Baths (the Spring Bay Sprint), and then took second elapsed and
corrected on the upwind return trip later in the day (the North Sound Shuffle).
North’s
victory was not without a few hair-raising moments, particularly at the start
of the race to the Baths, where North and Isler tangled with one of three
Bavaria charter yachts, on hire from Horizon Yacht Charters. It seems everybody
wanted the pin end of the line, and while Butch Ulmer port-tacked the fleet for
a perfect start (albeit 10 seconds early), North and Rod Johnstone battled for
a clear lane, with North squeaking ahead.
Midwest
Melges 24/Scow sailor Andy Burdick, with Peter Isler doing trim and tactics,
took second overall with one of the BEYC’s venerable Freedom 30s. Ed Baird
captured the final spot on the podium with the Express 37 Cosmic Warlord.
Warlord, typically a downwind flyer, ironically won the upwind race back to
Bitter End, having slipped to 6th on the run to the Baths. While
master and junior participants in the Pro Am used the Defiance Day race to
prepare, Russell Coutts chose to let his all-girl crew of guests do all the
work aboard his boat, even the driving. He coached them to 5th on
the sprint to the Baths before handing off coaching duties to Tom Leweck for
the return race.
d for Sir Francis Drake’s
attack flagship, HMS Defiance, this one-day regatta commemorates
Drake & Sir John Hawkin’s visit to North Sound in 1595. Bitter End was
purported to be the last official landfall for both famous British naval
heroes. The annual race is open to charterboats (mono and multihull), as well
as local racing and cruising boats.
At the awards ceremony following,
Mount Gay rum and Mount Gay red hats were as popular as the Kaenon sunglasses,
Musto Yacht Timers, Ultimate Sailing Calendars, and Dry Creek Vineyard magnums
handed out as prizes.
1. Add to Life/Lowell North/J.J.
Isler: 1, 2, 3pts.
2. Freedom 3/Andy Burdick/Peter
Isler: 2, 4, 6 pts.
3. Cosmic Warlord/Ed Baird/Tom
Leweck: 6, 1, 7 pts.
4. Freedom 4/Carol Cronin: 4, 3, 7 pts.
5. Freedom 1/Betsy Alison: 3, 7, 10 pts.
6. Winds of Peace/Keith Musto: 8,
5, 13 pts.
7. Freedom 2/Russell Coutts: 5,
8, 13 pts.
8. Brown Eyed Girl/Rod Johnstone: 7,
6, 13 pts.
9. Dawn Raider/Butch Ulmer: OCS,
9, 18 pts.
10. Allegro Too/Moorings 462: 10,
10, 20 pts.
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