Bermuda Etchells sailor Tim Patton, with Peter Martin and Hal Kempe as crew, had a top-notch performance in the first day of racing in Bacardi’s Bermuda International Invitational Race Week. Patton who has been representing Bermuda in international world-class competition took three firsts and a second.
Bermuda’s Will Thompson, with Somers Kempe and Adam Barboza aboard, is right on Patton’s heals. He had three seconds and a first and lays only two points behind.
Patton said the left side of the course in Bermuda’s great sound was a “big tease.”
“We had the wind figured out today,” Patton said. “The pressure and direction on the left side seemed good, but we had to decide when to leave the left to hit the coming shift on the right. We were the first boat to bail out and take the new wind. There was also a tidal current coming out of the Granaway Deep and that was a factor to balance with the wind. With seven more races in the Etchells scheduled for Race Week a lot can happen.”
On provisional results, two-time world champion John Burnham representing Fisher’s Island New York leads the A series for the International One Design Class (IOD). The committee got in four races in front of delaying the next racing until Tuesday because of expected wet and windy weather. Burnham had finishes of 1-2-1-2.
Burnham has been racing aboard the wooden S&S classic Dorade in the Caribbean and said, of the IODs, “I never thought sailing in an IOD would be sailing in a light boat. We were fast today and were back and forth with Giles Peckam who has finishes of 3-1-2-1. We were happy to take the A Series. My co-skipper Peter Rugg will be up next.”
Peckham, who represents the Daring Fleet from Cowes, England will be tough competition in the B series and overall for the Vrengen Gold Cup overall prize. Peckham won that trophy three years ago and is anxious to repeat.
On the Bravo course the Lasers and Comets got in five races each. The Comets have been absent from Race Week since 2007 and had nine local boats. Today was the only day they will be racing and Stephen Dickenson and crew Patricia Young were clear winners with a score of 1-1-1-1-7. The highest score will be dropped so they end the regatta with a perfect score.
The Laser Class has the most boats in Race Week with sixteen. Seven are from abroad… the USA and Canada… and they didn’t fare well today. Leaders at this stage are past sunfish world champion Malcolm Smith and two-time defending Race Week champion Rockal Evans led at the end of five races. The Lasers will move to the Alpha course for all following races in the week.
I.O.D.- "A" Series Class
06 John Burnham 07 Giles Peckham 17 E. Penny Simmons 22 Marc Migliazzo 23 Dan Faria 26 Shawn Mulroney 27 Craig Davis 32 Tyler Steel 33 Paul Manning 36 Jan Petter Roed 40 Bruce Dyson 40 Peter McCausland 42 Timothy Heckscher
Etchells K.F. Trimingham Trophy Class
05 Tim Patton 07 William Thompson 17 Ken Womack 17 John Hele 17 James Hudleston 22 Robin Clarke 27 Peter Allen
