2011 Melges 32 Gold Cup Regatta

[MLovett]

02 DECEMBER 2011

Howe's Warpath Fires Off Three Bullets To Commence Melges 32 Gold Cup Regatta

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. - Three races were completed on opening day of the 2011 Gold Cup Regatta, hosted by the Lauderdale Yacht Club (LYC. Steve Howe on Warpath, along with tactician Morgan Larson handed the fleet some super speed on a silver platter, taking an immediate lead with an impressive 1-1-1 score line. In second place is reigning Melges 32 North American Champion Ryan DeVos on Volpe with Ed Baird on tactics. Rounding out the top three is John Kilroy’s Samba Pa Ti with Lorenzo Bressani serving as tactician in third overall.

Beautiful conditions prevailed all day. It was breeze on from start to finish as the race committee delivered three short and sweet heats — 060 (sometimes bouncing between 065 and 070) at 1.1 nm.

Howe was speed right out of the box winning all three races. But, that’s not to say he and his team didn’t have to work hard to win, whereas in many instances, they had to work even harder to stay ahead of the Gold Cup’s 18-strong fleet.

The first race of the day provided overcast skies, breeze and lots of big seas. Benjamin’s Schwartz’s Pisces came on strong taking an early lead in race one. He struggled up the second upwind leg, then let it all slip away to Howe’s Warpath. Howe continued on to win with Schwartz and tactician Johnny Lovell still taking home a nice second place finish, and DeVos’ Volpe was third.

Races two and three ushered in more of the same great breeze and building seas, only this time, the dispersing clouds made way for plenty of sunshine. A steady 15-18 knots with slightly higher gusts, brought Joel Ronning’s Catapult to the front of the fleet taking a short-lived lead in race two, followed by Dalton DeVos on Delta and Howe in third. Downwind Howe blistered the right side of the course taking over the lead position, followed by DeVos’ Volpe moving up to round through the gate in second. Howe held on to take the win, DeVos’ Volpe remained in second to finish just ahead of Kilroy in third.

The final race got underway a little past one o’clock with several individual recalls. The racing continued to be tight with Howe delivering yet another dominating performance to claim his third victory of the day. Kilroy had a great race coming to place second, followed by DeVos’ Delta finishing third.

TOP TEN RESULTS (After 3 Races)
1.) Steve Howe/Morgan Larson, Warpath; 1-1-1 = 3
2.) Ryan DeVos/Ed Baird, Volpe; 3-2-6 = 11
3.) John Kilroy/Lorenzo Bressani, Samba Pa Ti; 7-3-2 = 12
4.) Joe Woods/Geoff Carveth, Red; 4-5-5 = 14
5.) Dalton DeVos/Jonathan McKee, Delta; 9-4-3 = 16
6.) Joel Ronning/Bill Hardesty, Catapult; 5-6-7 = 18
7.) Lanfranco Cirillo/Michelle Paoletti, Fantastica; 6-8-8 = 22
8.) Benjamin Schwartz, Pisces; 2-11-13 = 26
9.) Alex Jackson/Charlie McKee, Leenabarca; 13-7-10 = 30
10.) Jason Carroll/Cameron Appleton, ARGO; 12-17-4 = 33

[MLovett]

03 DECEMBER 2011

Howe's Warpath Hangs On To 2011 Melges 32 Gold Cup Lead

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. - Day two at 2011 Melges 32 Gold Cup Regatta was equally as spectacular as opening day, with still, Steve Howe on Warpath seated in first place overall. Even with an OCS (as his discard) in the first race of the day, Howe still managed to win the second race and place second in the third giving him a significant lead in the championship. Next closest in points, eleven points behind in second, is Ryan DeVos on Volpe. Joe Woods on Red is now third overall.

As teams ventured out of the channel, and onto the racecourse area, they got a first full dose of monster 6-8 foot seas and a steady breeze of 22-24 knots — a true sample of what was forecasted for the day. It is due to these conditions that the Lauderdale Yacht Club Sailing Foundation Take A Junior Sailing Day was cancelled for safety reasons.

The first race of the day commenced on time with several OCS’s that included overnight leader Howe and Bob Hughes on Heartbreaker. The two rounded the top mark respectively first and second. Next in line was John Kilroy’s Samba Pa Ti, followed by Mark Plaxton’s INTAC. The first downwind run offered up some fleet separation, not to mention a number of fantastic wipeouts, but most importantly, extended Kilroy the opportunity to increase his lead. Also getting into the mix of things was Benjamin Schwartz’s Pisces and DeVos fighting for position. As teams blasted downwind, the set-up for the finish was incredible. Howe failed to round the ends at the start so his stride across the line didn’t count. Kilroy on the other hand proudly took the win, just ahead of DeVos in second. Schwartz pulled up to finish third.

After the finish, a dramatic turn of events unfolded for Kilroy as his team prepared to douse the spinnaker. As if it wasn't bad enough that the spinnaker ended up in the water, one of the battens projected from the mainsail, looking as though in the process it ripped the pocket off too. The team examined the damage and determined that it was not possible to sail, leaving them but no choice to retire from racing for the day.

The fleet carried on for race two with Howe paying closer attention to the start and nailing it, for yet again another strong race and key win. Jason Carroll and his Argo team got into the groove to claim a beautiful second place finish. Alex Jackson’s Leenabarca felt the same satisfaction placing third.

All day the breeze moved ever so slowly right, prompting the Race Committee to make a slight course adjustment prior to the start of race three. A new bearing of 070 with 1.1nm beats was prescribed as the breeze remained steady at around 23 knots. Big seas were a tough go upwind, but made for incredible downwind rides. Working his way up the left side of the course was Lanfranco Cirillo on Fantastica taking the lead at the top mark ahead of DeVos and Woods. Cirillo stayed the path, as did DeVos downwind with Howe creeping forward with his sights set on the top spot. Back upwind and down again to the finish, it was a heated battle between Howe and Cirillo. Across the line in first was Cirillo, a far cry and vast improvement of his 16th on the first race of the day. Howe came second and Woods claimed third.
The final two races of the championship are scheduled for Sunday.

TOP TEN RESULTS (After 6 Races)
1.) Steve Howe/Morgan Larson, Warpath; 1-1-1-[21/OCS]-1-2 = 6
2.) Ryan DeVos/Ed Baird, Volpe; 3-2-[6]-2-4-4 = 15
3.) Joe Woods/Geoff Carveth, Red; 4-5-5-4-[9]-3 = 21
4.) Lanfranco Cirillo/Michelle Paoletti, Fantastica; 6-8-8-[16]-5-1 = 28
5.) Benjamin Schwartz, Pisces; 2-11-[13]-3-6-6 = 28
6.) Jason Carroll/Cameron Appleton, ARGO; 12-[17]-4-7-2-8 = 33
7.) Dalton DeVos/Jonathan McKee, Delta; 9-4-3-9-8-[11] = 33
8.) John Kilroy/Lorenzo Bressani, Samba Pa Ti; 7-3-2-1-[21/DNF]-[21/DNC] = 34
9.) Joel Ronning/Bill Hardesty, Catapult; 5-6-7-6-[12]-10 = 34
10.) Alex Jackson/Charlie McKee, Leenabarca; [13]-7-10-13-3-5 = 38

[MLovett]

04 DECEMBER 2011

Howe's Warpath Claims 2011 Melges 32 Gold Cup Victory

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. - After three days and eight races, Steve Howe aboard Warpath, alongside of tactician Morgan Larson and crewmembers Jeff Reynolds, Warwick Fleury, Zack Maxum, Mark Towill, James Maloney and Tim Klein, have been crowned 2011 Melges 32 Gold Cup Champions. For Howe, this is his first major win in the Melges 32 Class. "Things went really well with the boat this weekend. We made some changes to the team, which has been positive," said Howe post racing. "We sailed really well as a group and everyone did such a great job. We certainly enjoyed the windier conditions, that was really fun."

The young and vibrant, reigning North American Champion Ryan DeVos on Volpe placed second overall. At his side was none other than Ed Baird, who over the course of the weekend, proved to be consistent and certainly a competitive force in the class. Rounding out the top three was Joe Woods and tactician Geoff Carveth on Red, who has consistently placed in the top five over the last three years at Gold Cup.

Only two races were conducted on Sunday. Epic conditions prevailed as the wave action was bigger than ever with a steady 20 knots of breeze all day. The wind was pretty civilized in comparison to Friday and Saturday, but having to deal with gigantic swells and cresting waves added a whole new dimension to the game. Racing got underway on time with a clean start. Howe, on the other hand thought he was OCS and returned to the line, giving them a deep start to the race. At the first windward mark Devos' Volpe and Jason Carroll's Argo battled for position, with Carroll winning the lead. DeVos' Volpe followed in second, then Bob Hughes' Heartbreaker in third, and Dalton DeVos' Delta in fourth. Carroll and DeVos' Volpe ripped downwind with Hughes overtaking to round second through the gate, just behind Carroll. Joe Woods climbed the ladder to round fourth. Carroll held the lead through the last mark of the race. Devos' Volpe rounded in second, with Woods moving up for third. Downwind, it was another shuffle for position as Carroll took the win, Hughes made a huge comeback to finish second, Devos' Volpe was third, Woods took fourth and DeVo' Delta completed the top five.

The last race of the day delivered the youngest driver in the fleet, nineteen-year old Dalton DeVos on Delta a solid victory. DeVos' Delta and the very Italian Lanfranco Cirillo on Fantastica jostled for position, with Cirillo winning the first windward mark of the race. Hughes was back in the action rounding third, Howe in fourth and John Kilroy’s Samba Pa Ti in fifth. Cirillo and DeVos' Delta poured on the heat for an amazing downwind run to pass through the gate respectively in first and second. Howe moved up for third. On the last leg of the race, DeVos' Delta, with Jonathan McKee on tactics pressed upwind to overtake the lead, ultimately grabbing the win just ahead of Howe’s Warpath. Cirillo settled for third.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
The IM32CA just can’t thank the Lauderdale Yacht Club enough for yet another amazing weekend. The fine organization of this event contributes to the great success of the Melges 32 Gold Cup – now a milestone, marquee event for the class. It is one that every team worldwide looks forward to, almost as much as the World Championship. The IM32CA would like to thank several individuals in particular, a special thanks to the impeccable due diligence and persevering hard work of Regatta Chair Mark Smith and to the lovely and highly organized Lisa Frisecke. Without them, this event would not have been possible. The Race Committee was well run and provided excellent on-the-water work and coordination.

This weekend several of our Team tenders played host to media professionals and multiple photographers. A very special thanks to the Volpe, Delta, Ninkasi, Leenabarca, Mojo and Warpath teams, as without you, the hundreds of images supplied to the class would not have been possible. Your endless support and aide in helping market the Melges 32 is invaluable.

And last, but certainly not least, the IM32CA greatly appreciates the endless support provided by Melges USA and Melges Europe while onsite at key events such as the Gold Cup.

TOP TEN RESULTS (FINAL, After 8 Races)
1.) Steve Howe/Morgan Larson, Warpath; 1-1-1-[19/OCS]-1-2-8-2 = 16
2.) Ryan DeVos/Ed Baird, Volpe; 3-2-6-2-4-4-3-[8] = 24
3.) Joe Woods/Geoff Carveth, Red; 4-5-5-4-9-3-4-[19/DNC] = 34
4.) Jason Carroll/Cameron Appleton, ARGO; 12-[17]-4-7-2-8-1-4 = 38
5.) Dalton DeVos/Jonathan McKee, Delta; 9-4-3-9-8-[11]-5-1 = 39
6.) Lanfranco Cirillo/Michelle Paoletti, Fantastica; 6-8-8-[16]-5-1-12-3 = 43
7.) Benjamin Schwartz, Pisces; 2-11-[13]-3-6-6-9-9 = 46
8.) John Kilroy/Lorenzo Bressani, Samba Pa Ti; 7-3-2-1-[19/DNF]-[19/DNC] = 48
9.) Alex Jackson/Charlie McKee, Leenabarca; [13]-7-10-13-3-5-7-7 = 52
10.) Joel Ronning/Bill Hardesty, Catapult; 5-6-7-6-12-10-[16]-10 = 56