SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15
When Grant Dumas, of St. Petersburg, Fla., damaged his 38-foot sailboat boat two years ago, he took it as a blessing in disguise: a reason to haul it to dry land and tackle an extensive work list he’d been neglecting over years of hard racing. After fourteen months of continuous labor on his Tripp 38 “Warrior,” Dumas showcased the boat on Tampa Bay this weekend for its first major regatta of the season, the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta. The boat was fast, the crewwork impeccable, and “Warrior” emerged as the top finisher in its PHRF 1 division.
Grant Dumas Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in St. Petersburg–Overall Winner
Dumas’s notable performance as skipper then earned he and his teammates the St. Petersburg NOOD Regatta’s overall trophy—awarded to the winner of the most competitive class, as determined by race organizers. There were nine classes in all, 133 boats, and thousands of sailors vying for the overall award—a berth at the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean Championship in October in the British Virgin Islands.
Speaking to the challenges of winning his PHRF 1 division, Dumas said his goal on the final day, which started with him only 1 point ahead of Allen Thomas’ “Wired,” was to not make any mistakes. That’s easier said than done in sailboat racing.
“It was fantastic this week because the boat really lights up when it’s windy,” said Dumas. “We’ve had a lot of light wind regattas so far with this boat so this was fun. It’s a bunch old friends from Annapolis, Chicago, Miami, and locally, and we really put it all together out there.”
There’s some real talent in the PHRF fleet in St. Petersburg; there was a lot of crossing tacks, and tough starts. We tend to point a couple of degrees higher because we have a deeper keel, so pointing is part of our game. We went into today and had a quick crew meeting and said we needed to be smart and not do anything stupid, but then, of course, in the first race we were over early and had to restart, but we recovered well and the rest of the day went smoothly.”
Dumas’ closes rivals in his fleet tend to be faster in the lighter winds that typify racing on Tampa Bay, but the weather surely fell to the team’s advantage; three days of racing with winds averaging 10 to 15 knots marked one of the best and most memorable St. Petersburg NOOD Regattas in its 18 years running.
“My prediction for next year is more of the same,” said Dumas. “We put on an incredible show, especially for the out-of-towners, and I’m hoping they remember this and will want to take a winter break and come down here to the palm trees and sunshine next year.”
For more information on the 2015 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta series, click here.. For more information on Helly Hansen, click here.
Sonar (One Design – 7 Boats)
1. Valiant, Rick Doerr, Clifton, NJ, USA – 2 -4 -1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 ; 16
2. Bandit, Andrew & Melissa Fisher , Greenwich, CT, USA – 1 -1 -3 -1 -2 -2 -4 -2 -1 -3 ; 20
3. Pingrrrrr, Susan Davidson , Palmetto, FL, USA – 3 -2 -2 -3 -4 -4 -2 -3 -3 -2 ; 28
VX One (One Design – 6 Boats)
1. VX Racing, Brian Bennett, Yemassee, SC, USA – 1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -7 -3 -2 -2 -1 -1 ; 22
2. Flash Rider, Michael Norris, Plymouth, MA, USA – 3 -4 -3 -2 -1 -7 -2 -1 -1 -2 -2 ; 28
3. Commando, Andrew Walford, St Petersburg, FL, USA – 2 -3 -4 -4 -4 -1 -1 -3 -3 -3 -3 ; 31
Ensign (One Design – 10 Boats)
1. Salt Life, Sean Adams, Atlanta, GA, USA – 1 -1 -2 -2 -5 -1 -2 -2 -2 ; 18
2. Vision, Zeke Durica, Dunedin, FL, USA – 2 -5 -1 -4 -2 -3 -3 -3 -1 ; 24
3. Tiburon, Richard Anderson, Marquette, MI, USA – 7 -3 -3 -3 -1 -7 -1 -4 -6 ; 35
Lightning (One Design – 12 Boats)
1. Geoff Becker, Arnold, MD, USA – 1 -1 -2 -3 -3 -1 -3 -2 -1 ; 17
2. Allan Terhune, Jr, Arnold, MD, USA – 2 -2 -3 -1 -2 -2 -1 -4 -2 ; 19
3. Matt Fisher, Westerville, OH, USA – 4 -3 -1 -13 -1 -4 -6 -1 -3 ; 36
A-Class Catamaran (One Design – 14 Boats)
1. ShackAttack, Ken Marshack, Ridgefield, WA, USA – 3 -5 -2 -4 -4 -3 -2 ; 23
2. El Presidente, Bailey White, Atlanta, GA, USA – 5 -6 -1 -1 -6 -4 -3 ; 26
3. Cowbell, Woody Cope, Tampa, FL, USA – 2 -2 -15 -2 -2 -5 -1 ; 29
J 70 (One Design – 20 Boats)
1. New Wave, Martin Kullman , St. Petersburg, FL, USA – 2 -2 -1 -1 -4 -1 -3 -4 -3 -1 ; 22
2. Catapult, Joel Ronning, Minneapolis, MN, USA – 4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -5 -1 -1 -5 -7 ; 37
3. Rascal, Will Welles, Portsmouth, RI, USA – 6 -1 -7 -2 -5 -3.5 -2 -3 -7 -3 ; 39.5
Melges 24 (One Design – 14 Boats)
1. Zingara, Richard Reid, Port Credit, Ont, CAN – 1 -1 -4 -2 -2 -1 -1 -3 -2 -1 ; 18
2. Hot Mess, Rob Britts, St. Petersburg, FL, USA – 3 -2 -2 -1 -1 -2 -2 -1 -4 -9 ; 27
3. USA 505, David King, Bradenton, FL, USA – 4 -2 -3 -9 -6 -3 -8 -2 -3 -3 ; 43
J/24 (One Design – 12 Boats)
1. Honey Badger, Travis Odenbach, Webster, NY, USA – 2 -1 -1 -4 -6 -1 -3 -2 -3 ; 23
2. Long Shot, John Poulson, St. Petersburg, FL, USA – 3 -2 -4 -1 -3 -4 -2 -3 -4 ; 26
3. Buckaroo, David Ogden, Toronto, Ont, CAN – 4 -3 -3 -3 -2 -7 -5 -1 -1 ; 29
S2 7.9 (One Design – 6 Boats)
1. Rebel, John Spierling, Shelby Twp, MI, USA – 1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -2 -1 -1 -1 ; 11
2. Matros, Tom Bryant, Holland, MI, USA – 2 -3 -7 -7 -1 -1 -2 -3 -2 ; 28
3. ALZYK, Al Wolczyk, Louisville, KY, USA – 5 -2 -4 -2 -4 -4 -3 -2 -4 ; 30
PHRF 1 (PHRF – 9 Boats)
1. Warrior, Tripp 38, Grant Dumas, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA – 1 -3 -2 -1 -1 -2 -4 -3 -1 ; 18
2. Wired, Farr 395, Allen Thomas, St. Petersburg, FL, USA – 2 -2 -5 -8 -2 -1 -1 -4 -3 ; 28
3. Raven, Farr 30, Mike Kayusa, Ft. Myers, FL, USA – 7 -1 -4 -3 -3 -5 -2 -6 -4 ; 35
PHRF 2 (PHRF – 9 Boats)
1. Semper Fi, J/29, Raymond Mannix, Largo, FL, USA – 2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -1 -2 ; 12
2. WildKat, J/29, Harvey Ford, St Petersburg, FL, USA – 1 -3 -3 -4 -2 -3 -1 -2 -3 ; 22
3. Family Circus, J/29, Robert Wetmore, St Petersburg, FL, USA – 4 -5 -2 -3 -4 -2 -7 -3 -4 ; 34
North Rally Race (PHRF – 8 Boats)
1. Mi Sueño, Morgan 44cc N/M 44, Ron Kinney, Largo, FL
2. Wing it, Irwin 39, Michael Doyle, Tampa, FL
3. Prime Plus, Beneteau 445 44, Mark Requa, Redington Shores, FL
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14
Favorable conditions yielded a full day of racing for nearly 1,000 sailors competing at the second day of the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta series on Tampa Bay, with winds starting out in the 10-knot range before dropping off before day’s end.
Raymond Mannix, skipper of the J/29 Semper Fi, put in an outstanding performance in his PHRF 2 division, winning the day’s first two races and finishing second to St. Petersburg YC Commodore Harvey Ford in the second. After seven races, Semper Fi holds an 8-point lead over Ford’s WildKat, a good cushion with which to carry into Sunday’s final races.
“We had some a few exciting starts,” said Mannix, of Largo, Fla. “We got hit in the first start and got tangled up, but we got back going and ended up crossing the starting line right on time. In the second, the boat next us was called over early and had to go back; fortunately we were able to start clean and just popped out and crushed everyone.
“Today was a good day for tactician,” Mannix added. “We really played the shifts. It was shiftier than yesterday; more consistent; the lighter it got in the end, the harder it got. Playing the shifts and getting it right was the key. It helps that we’ve sailed this boat for 17 years and know how to make it go.”
The North Sails Boat Local Boat of the day was awarded to Allen Thomas’s Farr 395 Wired, which had two firsts and a second on the day, moving them ever closer to their PHRF 1 rivals on Greg Dumas’ Warrior.
“Murderous shifty,” is how leading Melges 24 skipper Richard Reid described conditions on the Melges 24 racecourse. “Our tactician had the right words, ‘You have to honor the shift.’ In other words, we just had to go with what we had, to be submissive and go for it.”
To ensure good starts on the big line set for the larger J/70 fleet, Reid focused having space to work with, and being one-third from either end. “When you have that kind of space it’s all about setting up by yourself and not worrying about other boats.”
Once in the clear, they were noticeably fast, a result of six years working on ways to keep the boat flat. “The big thing for us this years has been getting it flat and fast upwind, just a lot of work with backstay and crewweight. We are definitely more dynamic with changing gears and rig tune and making sure the boat is flatter. Today we were all over the place with our rig tune, constantly up and down from base to get it right.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13
The largest national sailboat racing circuit in the United States, the Helly Hansen National Offshore One Design Regatta series, opened its 28th season in St. Petersburg with nearly 130 teams competing on Tampa Bay, vying for individual class trophies as well as the regatta’s big prize—an invitation to the Helly Hansen NOOD Championship Regatta in the British Virgin Islands in October, where they will face overall champions from NOOD regattas across the country in Sunsail bareboats.
With 10 to 15-knot winds and bright sunshine on Tampa Bay, it was a full day of races. We’ve got nine one-design classes, from Ensigns to A-Class Cats, and two solid PHRF divisions. There’s something about the S2 7.9s that I love; they all trailer in and the guys race them hard. To me, it’s just good old-school racing. John Spierling’s team on the S2 7.9 Rebel was squad to beat today. Spierling, of Shelby Township, Mich., who says he towed the boat down to the NOOD and the class’s midwinters coming up. He’s off to a good start, wing all four of his fleet’s races and leads by 4 points.
“We had good starts and just tried to sail our own race, with clear air and staying away from traffic,” says Spierling. “We weren’t leading all of our races initially, but we had good boatspeed downwind, and that’s where we made our gains. The crew was really good at looking for pressure and shifts, and doing all the right things that we’re supposed to.”
All in all, PROs on three circles got in more races today than we sometimes do an entire weekend, so it was good one to start with. We know Tampa Bay can be a fickle S.O.B., but the local ace professional today was Marty Kullman. He was fazed, but unfazed, by the 40-degree shifts. After four races Kullman’s team on New Wave leads the 20-boat J/70 fleet, the largest class of the event. New Wave finished second in its first two races and won the next two to establish a comfortable overall class lead in the three-day series.
“Today was incredible—sort of a rare day for St. Petersburg, with strong winds and big shifts,” says Kullman. “When the wind direction changes as much as it did, right or wrong, one mistake can be dramatic. There were times when we were on one side looking terrible, but then it would come back…pretty amazing, actually. Our results were about being patient, and that’s credit to Steve Liebel [the team’s tactician].
Kullman adds that the squad he’s got this week is the same that got fourth at the J/70 worlds, and that’s been the difference between New Wave and Joel Ronning’s Catapult, lying second. “We’ve sailed together as a team for a long time and that, too, was a major factor in being able to react quickly to changes. It’s really hard for me as a tactician to be driving and not constantly chirping, but Steve is good at controlling it. Kullman’s team also includes Mark Liebel, and Judah Rubin.
In one of the regattas two time-handicapped classes (PHRF 1), local skipper Grant Dumas, on the Tripp 38 Warrior, won two of four races to lead its series by 8 points to Mike Kayusa’s Davis Island-based Farr 30 Raven. Dumas says today was the result he’d been waiting for since putting his boat on the land two years ago to undergo an extensive renovation project. His crew includes four guys that race Warrior‘s sistership up in from Annapolis, three friends from Miami, one from Chicago, and the rest are locals. Collectively, they hadn’t sailed until this morning.
“Today the boat felt great—finally—after two years of misery working on it. It’s very fast in strong winds, so those were our conditions. I hope we have the same tomorrow.”
Day One Results: top-three in class
Sonar (One Design – 7 Boats)
1. Bandit, USA810, Andrew & Melissa Fisher – 1 -1 -3 -1 ; 6
2. Valiant, USA674, Rick Doerr – 2 -4 -1 -2 ; 9
3. Pingrrrrr, USA774, Susan Davidson – 3 -2 -2 -3 ; 10
VX One (One Design – 6 Boats)
1. VX Racing, USA178, Brian Bennett – 1 -1 -1 -1 ; 4
2. BobSled, USA135, Robert Bilthouse – 5 -2 -2 -3 ; 12
3. Flash Rider, USA185, Michael Norris – 3 -4 -3 -2 ; 12
Ensign (One Design – 10 Boats)
1. Salt Life, USA146, Sean Adams – 1 -1 -2 -2 ; 6
2. Vision, USA2020, Zeke Durica – 2 -5 -1 -4 ; 12
3. Brou Ha Ha, USA1008, Stephen Clark – 3 -4 -6 -1 ; 14
Lightning (One Design – 12 Boats)
1. Dazzler, USA15449, Allan Terhune, Jr – 3 -2 -3 ; 8
2. 15445 , USA15445 , Matt Fisher – 5 -3 -1 -1 ; 10
3. 15296, USA15296, Geoff Becker – 2 -9 -2 ; 13
A Cats (One Design – 14 Boats)
1. ShackAttack, USA192, Ken Marshack – 3 -5 -2 ; 10
2. el Presidente, USA320, Bailey White – 5 -6 -1 ; 12
3. Zhik, USA2, Mike Krantz – 4 -4 -5 ; 13
J 70 (One Design – 20 Boats)
1. New Wave, USA246, Martin Kullman – 2 -2 -1 -1 ; 6
2. Catapult, USA187, Joel Ronning – 4 -4 -4 -3 ; 15
3. Rascal, USA48, Will Welles – 6 -1 -7 -2 ; 16
Melges 24 (One Design – 14 Boats)
1. Zingara, CAN629, Richard Reid – 1 -1 -4 -2 ; 8
2. Hot Mess, USA118, Rob Britts – 3 -2 -2 -1 ; 8
3. The 300 , USA839, Steven Boho – 7 -4 -1 -3 ; 15
J 24 (One Design – 12 Boats)
1. Honey Badger, USA5432, Travis Odenbach – 2 -1 -1 -4 ; 8
2. Long Shot, USA2917, John Poulson – 3 -2 -4 -1 ; 10
3. Lifted, CAN4025, Evan Petley-Jones – 1 -4 -5 -2 ; 12
S2 7.9 (One Design – 6 Boats)
1. Rebel496, USA496, John Spierling – 1 -1 -1 -1 ; 4
2. ALZYK, USA508, AL Wolczyk – 5 -2 -4 -2 ; 13
3. See Ya, USA290, Tony Millan – 3 -5 -2 -3 ; 13
PHRF 1 (PHRF – 9 Boats)
1. Warrior, USA42341, Grant Dumas – 1 -3 -2 -1 ; 7
2. Raven, USA17, Mike Kayusa – 7 -1 -4 -3 ; 15
3. Madcow2, USA46453, David/Ed German/Ruark – 5 -5 -3 -2 ; 15
PHRF 2 (PHRF – 9 Boats)
1. Semper Fi, USA152, Raymond Mannix – 2 -1 -1 -1 ; 5
2. WildKat, USA63082, Harvey Ford – 1 -3 -3 -4 ; 11
3. Family Circus, USA40429/32829, Robert Wetmore – 4 -5 -2 -3 ; 14
And now, a word about our sponsor, Helly Hansen:
Founded in Moss, Norway, in 1877, Helly Hansen continues to protect and enable professionals making their living on oceans and mountains around the world. Their apparel, developed through a blend of Scandinavian design and insights drawn from living in some of the harshest environments on earth, helps provide the confidence professionals need to step out into the elements and complete their jobs. The company invented the first supple, waterproof fabrics more than 130 years ago, created the first fleece fabrics in the 1960s and introduced the first technical baselayers made with Lifa® Stay Dry Technology in the 1970s. Today, Helly Hansen is the official uniform partner for more than 60 ski resorts and mountain guiding operations and has outfitted more than 33,000 mountain professionals. The brand’s outerwear, baselayers, sportswear and footwear for winter, outdoor and water sports are sold in more than 40 countries. Click here to read more.
