Started in 1991, Grand Prix Sailor is a racing news publication of Sailing World Magazine (http://https://www.sailingworld.com/)2003 MASTER CARD ETCHELLS WORLDSGolfers and sun bathers have an affinity for high pressure systems. Sailors on the other hand prefer some frontal movement as therein lies the wind. Sunday morning found western Long Island Sound firmly in the grips of a beautiful high pressure system complete with a cloudless sky and a light northerly breeze, which soon died. After much setting and resetting of the course the southerly breeze filled in with enough conviction to get a race off. The sailing instructions state that no race may be started later than 1:50 p.m. and this one started at 1:40 p.m. Talk about countdowns. With the fleet half way down the first leg the wind proceeded to clock around into the west to the tune of 65 degrees. Therefore the ecstasy of those on the right side of the course and the agony of those who went left and got clobbered. The breeze continued to clock with the steam gage finally reading northwest. As the sun got lower the breeze began to lighten. The race committee let discretion be the better part of valor and shortened the final beat to the finish line.To Bill Fortenberry and all the others who did well in Race 1, we say congratulations. To those who got the worst of the capricious breeze remember that it is a long regatta with plenty of time to make good.First Race Results:1. USA1001 Bill Fortenberry, P. Murphy & N. Frizzell 2. USA1262 Ken Read, K. Anderson & S. Norris 3. NZL1184 Cameron Appleton, P. Merrington & P. Gudmunson 4. CAN1179 L. Creaser, E. Koppernaes & T. Yuill 5 CAN1231 Hans Fogh, R. Cheer & T. Fogh 6. USA1221 Judd Smith, H. Frazer & A. Wills 7. NZL991 C. Thorpe, S. Barton & B. Joyce8. USA1227 Dennis Conner, P. Burton & T. Ray9. GBR967 R. Wickens, M. Dowher & T. Martell10. USA1070 Phil Garland, D. Moffat & T. Hotchkiss Complete Day 1 results: http://www.riversideyc.org/030921-e22-results.htmSAILING WORLD TEXAS NOOD REGATTASheets of rain swept across the lawn of the Houston YC Sunday morning, at times blown horizontal by 25-knot gusts. Up went the postponement flag at 9 a.m., and almost immediately several of the 136 entries at the Sailing World Texas NOOD Regatta started hauling their boats. They rightly knew that dark squalls marching across Galveston Bay meant only one thing–this regatta was done.With the racing called off at 10 a.m., yesterdays overall standings remained unchanged–a relief for some, but a lost opportunity for those hoping to move up the standings in the 33-boat J/80 class. But that was not to be and Jay Lutz and his teammates were crowned national champions after six races. Discarding their worst finish, a 12th in yesterdays final race, Lutz never placed worse than third, and said his performance this weekend was good warm up for the J/80 World Championship next week in Forth Worth, Texas. Runner up was former Americas Cup skipper John Kolius, who recruited his crew from the ranks of the local high school sailing team. John Darden, of Fort Worth, was third, 6 points out of first.In more than a few classes, a single race could have dramatically changed the outcome today, especially in the Level 70 class where Fred Lindseys team on the J/27 TLT stood tied with David Bethencourts Viper, another J/27. Hes definitely going faster than ever, says Lindsey, who won on the tiebreaker. But trust me, if wed raced today, he wouldve been the only boat wed be focusing on. Were happy to win, but would have loved to settle it on the water. Lindsey and his crew all sail a J/22 on Canyon Lake, some 200 miles away, and borrow the J/27 every your to compete at the Texas NOOD. Its the only time we can get all my J/22 crew on one boat at the same time, says Lindsey. This is one big party for all of us. The Sailing World Texas NOOD is the final event on this years nine-event National Offshore One Design circuit, and will kick off in 2004 in February in St. Petersburg, Fla. For the rest of Dave Reeds story on the 2003 Galveston NOOD, and the complete results, see: https://www.sailingworld.com/sw_article.php?articleID=2018CADIZ WORLDS 2003With five classes finished at the joint ISAF 2003 Olympic Class World Championships in Cadiz, Spain, the U.S. Sailing Team has won two medals, and locked up three more Olympic berths. With the three berths earned at the 2002 World Championships, the U.S. has guaranteed itself spots in six of 11 classes at the 2004 Games in Athens. The U.S. should pick up a few more Olympic berths as the remaining classes finish their racing. Another medal, on the other hand, will be tougher to come by. The first American medal of the games came from Europe sailor Meg Gaillard, who finished third after a very consistent regatta. Gaillard, who finished third in the 2000 World Championships and second in the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, only had two bad races, a 21st and a 33rd. She was fourth for much of the regatta, but moved on to the podium when Czech sailor Lenka Smidova had an OCS and a DSQ in two of her final three races.The second American medal came two days later, when Hannah Swett, Joan Touchette, and Melissa Purdy won the Yngling Championship. At 41 boats, the Yngling fleet was the smallest of the championship. Swett, Purdy, and Touchette, fresh off a silver medal at the 2003 Pre-Olympic Test Regatta in Athens, struggled slightly in the first two races, but then found their rhythm. They won three races, and kept out of trouble the rest of the way to win the regatta by seven points. Three other American teams finished in the top 15, indicating that the Trials in February will be a very tight affair. Betsy Alison, who won the Yngling open world championships earlier in the summer, closed out the regatta with four top-five races.In the other keelboat class, the Star, the Americans found themselves atypically off the podium. Paul Cayard and Phil Trinter were the top U.S. team in eighth, while a trio of former Finn sailors, Xavier Rohart of France, Freddie Lööf of Sweden, and Iain Percy of Great Britain won the medals. Defending gold medalists Mark Reynolds and Magnus Liljedahl were 18th.The American finishes in the Mistral Class–Lanee (Butler) Beashel was 25th in the womens and Pete Wells was 45th in the mens–certainly werent anything special. However, both finishes qualify the U.S. for the 2004 Olympics, which will make the upcoming winter a little less stressful for whomever wins the Trials in November.In the classes that have yet to finish, the U.S. should easily pick up berths in the Laser, where Mark Mendelblatt moved himself into fourth today with a pair of strong finishes, and the 49er, where Tim Wadlow and Peter Spaulding are currently fifth, just eight points out of second. Both Mendelblatt and Wadlow/Spaulding could also come home with some more tangible hardware. With two-time Olympian John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree in 10th and Lars Guck and Jonathan Farrar in 14th, the Tornado berth seems to be well within reach. The remaining two berths, the womens 470 and the Finn will depend on how the top Americans finish the regatta and how the countries that havent yet qualified stack up in the standings. Kevin Hall was in 30th with one race remaining in the Finn class, while Katie McDowell and Isabelle Kinsolving were 29th with three races remaining in the Womens 470 class.Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnhams sixth place finish at the 2002 Mens 470 Worlds was more than good enough for an Olympic berth. The duo produced a flurry of strong international results last summer, but have struggled in Cadiz, where theyre currently 23rd.–Stuart StreuliFor complete results, visit http://www.cadizworlds2003.comYngling (11 Races)1. USA Hannah Swett/Joan Touchette/Melissa Purdy (54)2. GER Ulrike Schuemann/Wibke Buelle/Winnie Lippert (61)3. DEN Dorte O. Jensen/Helle Jespersen/Rachel Kiel (67)28. CAN Lisa Ross, Deirdre Crampton, Chantal Leger (240)Star (11 Races)1. FRA Xavier Rohart / Pascal Rambeau (21)2. SWE Fredrik Lööf / Anders Ekström (28)3. GBR Iain Percy/Steven Mitchell (42)6. BER Peter Bromby / Martin Siese (73)8. USA Paul Cayard / Phil Trinter (77)Mens Mistral (11 Races)1. POL Przemek Miarczynski (22)2. GRE Nikolaos Kaklamanakis (53)3. ISR Gal Fridman (57)39. CAN Alain Bolduc (266)45. USA Pete Wells (291)Womens Mistral (11 Races)1. ISR Lee Korsitz (55)2. NZL Barbara Kendall (56) 3. FRA Faustine Merret (63)25. USA Lanee Beashel (262)47. CAN Dominique Vallee (380)Europe (11 Races)1. NOR Siren Sundby (54)2. FIN Sari Multala (62)3. USA Meg Gaillard (81)32. CAN Magalie Bonneau-Marcil (228)49er (Through 11 Races, as of 3 p.m. today)1. GBR Christopher Draper / Simon Hiscocks (21)2. NOR Christoffer Sundby / Frode Bovim (45)3. GER Marcus Baur / Max Groy (47)5. USA Timothy Wadlow / Peter Spaulding (53)59. CAN Andrew McCorquodale / Hunter Lowder (223)Womens 470 (8 Races, updated today at 3:30 p.m.)1. GRE Sofia Bekatorou / Emilia Tsoulfa (9) 2. NED Lisa Westerhof / Margriet Matthijsse (31)3. AUS Jenny Armstrong / Belinda Stowell (31)29. USA Katie McDowell / Isabell Kinsolving (77)30. CAN Jen Provan / Nikola Girke (82)Mens 470 (8 Races, updated today at 3:30 p.m.)1. ITA Gabrio Zandona / Andrea Trani (22)2. ESP Gustavo Martinez Doreste / Dimas Wood (31)3. POR Alvaro Marinho / Miguel Nunes (32)23. USA Paul Foerster / Kevin Burnham (75)63. CAN John Russell / Brent MacDonald (144)Tornado (8 Races, updated today at 3:45 p.m.)1. GBR Leigh McMillan / Mark Bulkeley (26)2. AUS Darren Bundock / John Forbes (32)3. ARG Santiago Lange / Carlos Espinola (43)10. John Lovell / Charlie Ogletree (82)21. Oskar Johansson / John Curtis (162)Laser (8 Races, updated today at 3:50 p.m.)1. POR Gustavo Lima (10)2. BRA Robert Scheidt (16)3. AUS Michael Blackburn (25)4. USA Mark Mendelblatt (31)30. CAN Bernard Luttmer (85)Finn (10 Races, updated today at 4 p.m.)1. GBR Ben Ainslie (41)2. ESP Rafael Trujillo (46)3. GBR Andrew Simpson (51)20. CAN Richard Clarke (174)30. USA Kevin Hall (257)MOËT CUPSaturday dawned with the promise of an exciting conclusion to the Moët Cup and it didnt disappoint. Both the Pro-Driver and Owner-Driver series would take a final, winner-takes-all race to determine the ultimate victor.Sailing on his home waters of San Francisco Bay, Larry Ellison and his Oracle BMW Racing team sailed a flawless final race in the Pro-Driver division, winning the start and protecting well, to defeat the defending Americas Cup holders, Alinghi.The Oracle BMW team followed that up by winning the final Owner-Driver race as well, sweeping both series of the Moët Cup.Ellison enjoyed the home support of over 300 spectator boats on a glorious day on San Francisco Bay. Under bright sunshine, the two America’s Cup boats danced across the bay, to the thrill of the weekend crowds on the shoreline.For photos, quotes, and reports from each race of this first-ever ACC showdown on San Francisco Bay, http://www.ggyc.comGrand Prix Sailor is compiled by the editors of Sailing World magazine. If youd like to subscribe, see http://https://www.sailingworld.com/ Contributing Editors: Tony Bessinger (tony.bessinger@sailingworld.com), Dave Reed (dave.reed@sailingworld.com), Stuart Streuli (stuart.streuli@sailingworld.com), John Burnham (john.burnham@sailingworld.com)
