Virgin Gorda, BVI, November 4, 2004 – A less-than-stellar
first race did nothing to deter Tom Story and crew from racking up three straight
bullets, en-route to an overall victory at the 4th Annual
Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championship. After a disappointing first race 5th,
the suburban Chicago native got the hang of the Bitter End’s matched fleet of
Hunter 216s.
But Story did not go unchallenged. Another Midwesterner,
Wisconsinite Mary Jordan pushed hard, winning the final race. Since Story was
able to discard his fifth, that left Jordan one point shy. The co-helm team of
John Gardner and Jennifer Marks tied with Jordan, but lost the tie-breaker on
Jordan’s last race win. Just a single point separated the top three teams.
"It
just doesn’t get any better than this," declared Olympian Carol Cronin as
she stepped ashore after the finals. And there was no one to disagree. Warm
water, brisk Caribbean tradewinds, the unbeatable venue provided by the Bitter
End Yacht Club and world class race management headed by the former head of US
Sailing’s Race Management Committee, Tom Farquhar.
Cronin
did not win the regatta. Instead of sailing in the finals of the pro class, and
in a twist mimicked throughout the fleet, she called tactics for amateur sailor
Mary Jordan. Tom Story had Andy Burdick trimming the main and calling tactics.
Team Gardner/Marks had Peter Isler aboard, while last year’s winner Paul Faget
had Brad Dellenbaugh sorting out the traffic.
The
amateur victory is much coveted, as Story and his wife earned a free return
trip to the Bitter End for next year’s Pro-Am Regatta and Scuttlebutt
Championships, while his entire crew collected Musto yacht timers for their
victory. This is Story’s 2nd Pro Am, and following the awards
ceremony he said he “looks forward to many, many more.”
In the
professional division, sailed in Bitter End’s new and improved fleet of Hobie
Waves, defending champion Ed Baird once again was simply too smooth for the
competition and ran away to a seven point victory over former UK silver
medalist and event sponsor Keith Musto. Canadian Olympic Yngling sailor Lisa
Ross finished just a point further back in third place.
Baird’s
son, 12-year old Max, was the only double-handed entry in this weight-sensitive
class, with Russell Coutts calling tactics for him for most of the regatta.
Ultimately, Russell realized his weight was hurting too much so he jumped
overboard and swam ashore after four races. In the fifth and final race, Max
led his dad around the course for much of the race only to be ground down on
the final weather leg. Wait until next year!
Amateurs
Tom
Story, 8 pts.
Mary
Jordan, 9 pts.
John
Gardner/Jen Marks, 9 pts.
Nadine
Francyk, 12 pts.
Paul
Faget, 16 pts.
Gibby
Rachleff, 20 pts.
Pros
Ed
Baird, 5 pts.
Keith
Musto, 11 pts.
Lisa Ross,
12 pts.
Betsy
Alison, 14 pts.
Jim
Gelenitis, 15 pts.
Nigel
Musto, 19 pts.
Butch
Ulmer, 23 pts.
Max
Baird/Russell Coutts, 28 pts.
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