Well finally the challenger series were completed.

Enrique FIGUEROA and Jorge SANCHEZ win over Mitch BOOTH and Herbert DERCKSEN with a final 4:3 score

Apparently the winds were again light and shifty and it seems the vamped M18/18HT does not like light weather. That or the PUR sailors quickly traversed the learning curve to close the gap.

The small final between Mitch BOOTH/Herbert DERCKSEN and Bob HODGES/W. F. OLIVER is not to be. In the past days it was hinted that it may be cancelled due to time constraints. However it seems that Mitch BOOTH/Herbert DERCKSEN withdrew from the small finals and thus made Bob HODGES/W. F. OLIVER the winners. Considering that many regard the gunboat the better boat of the pack may have lead Booth/Dercksen to see little point in racing it with their M18/18HT.

This way this event goes down reminds me eary of the ICCC event. Both had two crews totally new to the 18HT's; one crew never sailed such a boat before they other had a boat that was not really race ready. The small final was determined by one crew withdrawing from racing. The grand final sees the two standard boats racing and not the new boats. That and it seems destined that the cup goes to the crew who has shown to be dominant all week. The race that they lost was due to a 15-degree shift favouring the other creww. I think patient lady 6 put one win in over Cogito for the same reasons.
Okay the winds are with smaller margins than in the ICCC but still. We have no major surprises up till now. Lets pray that Enrique FIGUEROA/Jorge SANCHEZ find some extra inspiration in the next series.

The grand final final standing is currently :

Johnny LOVELL/Charlie OGLETREE vs Enrique FIGUEROA/Jorge SANCHEZ 3:1

Johnny and Charlie need only one more win to retain the cup. Enrigue and Jorge need 3 straight wins to concur it from the defenders.


Here is the press release :

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USA TAKES THE LEAD IN THE ‘LITTLE AMERICA’S CUP’



Lovell and Ogletree on three wins in the first-to-four point Trophy Series



New Orleans, LA – Olympic Silver Medalists John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree have taken the lead in their defense of the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the ‘Little America’s Cup.’ In the first-to-four point series, the two Tornado class veterans have taken a 3-1 lead against Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez of Puerto Rico with one day left in the competition.



Yesterday’s light and shifty northerly solidified enough to finish the final match of the Challenger Series between Mitch Booth and Herbert Dercksen of The Netherlands and the Puerto Ricans who were tied on three wins each after Wednesday’s racing. Booth mastered the pre-start, built a lead which was challenged only once on the first run, but then on the final run to the finish let the speedy Puerto Ricans go to the opposite side of the course and cross them with only 50 metres to the finish.



Emboldened by what looked to be superior speed in the 6-8 knot conditions, Figueroa and Hernandez went on the win the first match in the Trophy Series against Lovell and Ogletree, with help from a 15-degree favorable shift on the first beat.



But as the breeze built to a more solid 8-9 knots, the match race prowess of the Americans helped them at the top of the first beat, where they forced a penalty on the Puerto Ricans just a few lengths from the top mark. Using their superior downwind speed, Figueroa and Hernandez then managed to take a sizeable lead, but not big enough to allow for their penalty turn at the finish, where the Americans slipped by with only three seconds to spare.



In the third match, Figueroa and Hernandez rallied to take and hold on to a slim lead on the first two legs, but a bad covering tack on the second beat allowed for Lovell and Ogletree to slip by, and win this match by only three seconds.



In the final match of the day, it was the American’s turn to benefit from a big shift, where after a split start Lovell and Ogletree sailed to the right corner and a 15-degree right shift with more pressure. This vaulted them into a lead of 30 seconds at the windward mark, an eternity in the fast-paced world of catamaran match racing.



“Tomorrow we’re going to focus more on using our speed to our advantage,” said Figueroa. “We’re new to match racing, so this will be our best strength.”



Tomorrow’s forecast for 10 knots will promise an exciting finale to the competition, with a large weekend spectator crowd expected on the Lake Pontchartrain venue within sight of the host Southern Yacht Club.



For more information on the ‘Little America’s Cup’, visit www.southernyachtclub.org, and for photos visit www.syc.photosite.com.