SDNOODDay3St
After 82 races on three race courses for over 1,000 sailors in 14 one-design classes, one overall winner stood victorious after the final day of racing at the Sperry Top-Sider San Diego NOOD. Boat of the Regatta went to the Flying Tiger Anarchy, owned by Scot Tempesta (San Diego), who wins a Sunsail charter for the 2007 Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regatta Championship. The NOOD Championship will take place later this year in the British Virgin Islands, and will include the overall winners from each stop on the nine-regatta Sperry Top-Sider NOOD circuit. “Wow, we are overjoyed and I’m not exactly sure we deserve it,” said Tempesta moments after receiving the award. Organizers said that in the two years since the NOOD Championship selections began, choosing a winner in San Diego was the most difficult decision yet due to outstanding performances in many of the competing classes. “This is the first foray for the boat into racing, in terms of one design, and to get the overall win for the Flying Tiger is pretty impressive for the class,” said Tempesta. “We have worked hard on the boat and we have to make sure it’s understood that Keith Lorence has been instrumental and key. He was on the boat that came closest to beating us. He sailed with us when we won the Midwinters. Personally speaking, I don’t think we’d be as far along without him.” Victory almost didn’t happen. The final race boiled down to a duel between Anarchy and Slip Kid, owned by John Folvig (Poplar Grove, Ill.) to determine the class winner. Slip Kid had won the first race of the day, putting the team with striking distance of Anarchy for the final race. “We were worried within the first five minutes,” said Tempesta, “We were hauling and feeling good, and then five minutes later, we weren’t. We were pretty nervous. But, we felt if we got second, they could not beat us. So they had to win the race. We obviously were good enough to have the ability to stay up there with him and not let anyone else get in there, although there were some boats nipping at our heels. “What’s funny is I think everybody thinks that they’re not doing nearly as well as they are,” he continued. “The view from off the boat is entirely different than on the boat. On our boat we thought for sure everyone else always looked better.” Also onboard were co-owner John Rickard with crew Danny Shields, Eric Shampain, Alan and Meredith Block, Ken Blackington. The victory might seem the culmination of decades of practice, but Tempesta said he’s barely raced a boat in years. “I’ve been out of the competitive sailing loop for so long, even though I’m involved in other ways,” he said. “I took a hiatus and have a family and have my talk radio show. I think I’ll quit the sport now. I’m happy to be back, winning makes it. It’s the best sport when you win.” In the J/80 class, Rusty Nelson and his Wild Card hung onto the lead by winning the final race. Second place was Curt Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) on Avet, with Paul Rendich (Babylon, N.Y.) on Clipper in third place. The largest class competing – the J/105 class with 23 boats – saw no changes in the top two positions from Saturday. Gary Mozer (Beverly Hills, Calif.) and his Current Obsession won the challenging class, beating second-place Doug Werner’s (San Diego) Javelin. Both were tied with 18 total points, but Mozer won on the count back, a tie-breaking system that rewards a better finish against the next competitor. Dennis & Sharon Case’s Wings finished third, edging out Tom Coates (San Francisco, Calif.) on Masquerade by one point. The J/120 class completed only one race on Sunday. John Laun (San Diego) continued his winning form and posted a bullet to take the nine-boat class victory. Second and third places remained unchanged from Saturday with Peter Zarcades (San Diego) on Meltemi and Jed Olenick (Olivehain, Calif.) on Doctor No, respectively. However, Doctor No was tied on 16 points with CC Rider, owned by Chuck Nichols (San Diego), and Jim, owned by John Snook (Aliso Viejo, Calif.). By virtue of the count back, Doctor No finished in third place. With one race sailed in the Beneteau 40.7 class, the possibility that Saturday’s standings would hold was high. All Kirk & Kathy O’Brien (San Diego) on Drumshanbo had to do was put in a solid performance. An unfortunate sixth-place finish combined with a second by Armando Silvestre (Coronado, Calif.) on Estela-B pulled off the upset, however. Estela-B won the division, and the O’Briens placed third. Anthony Wetherbee (Dana Point, Calif.) on Commotion was impossible to beat in the J/109 class. With three first-place finishes and only one second, in the first race, Wetherbee took home the trophy over second-place Electra, owned by Tom Brott (Cypress, Calif.) and Linstar, owned by John Shulze (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), in third. Two additional races were sailed in the International 14 class. Kris Bundy (Seattle, Wash.) capped off an impressive weekend with a 1-2 to win the 18-boat class over Paul Galvez and Archie Massey (Mission Viejo, Calif.). Brad Ruetenik (Encinitas, Calif.) was third. After the jury threw out yesterday’s second race in the 29er class, the standings changed slightly with Cameron Biehl moving up to first place, switching places with Judge Ryan, while Jen Morgan remained in third going into the final day. Biehl did not compete in the class’s final race today, which moved him into fourth overall. Judge Ryan (Santee, Calif.), Jen Morgan (Alameda, Calif.) and Oliver Toole (Santa Barbara, Calif.) finished 1-2-3 in the race, and finished in the same order overall.
