- Team RCNP wins finale of 2019 Palma Viper Series May 14, 2019
16th Sail Racing Palma Vela Overall: Perfect finale seals titles
Racing in the new-to-Palma Viper 640 sportboat class has been close, spirited and exciting in the stronger breezes especially. The local youngsters of the host club, the Real Club Nautico de Palma lead by coach Pedro Mari, held off the challenge from Lawrence Crispin, a past Laser World Champion, on his Hissing Sid. The home Palma team won by a single point.
Team RCNP, Viper class winner – 16th Sail Racing PalmaVela – Final Day – photo © Nico Martinez
Marí, skipper of Team RCNP, commented, “We are very happy. We wouldn’t expect this result, because our opponents are better than us. They have beaten us the three previous regattas, they have raced in world championships and have been sailing Viper for the last three years. But since day one we had very ...
...read more - CRW – 3 Days of Racing and 3 Points Separating the Top-4 April 29, 2019
A small but spirited fleet of eight Vipers battled for the 2019 Atlantic Coast Championship sailed as part of 2019 Charleston Race Week, April 12-14. Some of the fleet chose to launch from the dedicated Viper launch and haul location at Hobcaw Yacht Club in Mt. Pleasant. Others chose to take advantage of the hoist at Charleston Yacht Club in downtown Charleston and sail over to the regatta location at Patriots Point Marina from there.
Friday morning the fleet departed from the shelter of the College of Charleston Sailing Center at Patriots Point. It was a quick sail out to Circle 1 located off the point of the Charleston peninsula at the intersection of the Ashley River and Charleston harbor. Under partly sunny skies, temps in the low 70s, a building SE breeze, and a challenging ebb tide, sailing was great.
The ...
...read more - VIPER 640 CLASS ASSOCIATION AWARDS TWO NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS April 25, 2019
During its regular meeting on April 1, 2019, the North American Executive Committee of the International Viper 640 Class association voted in favor of two yacht club proposals to host upcoming North American Championships for the Class.
2020 Championship
The Class awarded the 2020 Viper 640 North Americans to the Noroton Yacht Club, Darien, CT, to be sailed October 15-19 on the Long Island Sound. Noroton, with its stunning new clubhouse, hosted the 2018 Viper 640 New England Championship reaffirming that the club’s reputation for excellent race management, racer-friendly facilities, and gracious hospitality were well merited. It is anticipated that as many as 60 of the 21-foot sport boats will compete at Noroton with teams coming from across the U.S. and Canada as well as Bermuda, the UK, Australia, Spain, and South Africa.
“The Viper 640 sailors from Noroton Yacht Club and the ...
...read more - Vipers Hiss through Miami –or– You don’t know what you’ve missed until you find it again…. March 18, 2019
Vipers returned to Miami
Sunday, March 3 – practice sailing
Monday-Tuesday – March 4-5 – Viper Winter Cup
Wednesday, March 6 – Miami Scorch
Thursday – Saturday, March 7-9 – Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta
Sunday, March 10 – and on the eight day it was a “day of rest!”
It’s always fun to rediscover something that you’ve missed for a while. This was certainly the case with our return to Miami the first week of March for what can only be described as the best regatta of the year. As the Viper Class did not attend the Bacardi Invitational Regatta last year, 2019 saw a welcome return for the class to this legendary event.
It’s not often that we plan to spend 8 days in one place, hoping to sail every day. Returning to Coconut Grove, FL, with its lush tropical gardens, quiet residential streets in the ...
...read more - Viper Winter Cup Won by Bill Abbott March 6, 2019
Miami, we’re back!
Extremely close racing at the Viper 640 Winter Cup has officially kicked off the Viper 640 class’ week-long 2019 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta. In the two-day series, sailed in beautiful 80+ degree days in Biscayne Bay, the fleet managed light to moderate breezes and intense competition that saw the score sheet radically flipping and moving after every race. When the squall had passed through the course on the last race of the series, Jackpot/Northern Honey Badger, sailed by Bill and Joanne Abbott and Scott McNeil stood triumphant after dropping their DNS from the first race. The racing was extremely close—1st through 3rd were decided by 3 points, and 4th through 7th were decided by 2!
As the fleet gathered on the lawn of Coral Reef Yacht Club after racing, the story of the day was probably the small squall ...
...read more - Eagan Brothers & Jackson Benvenutti Take Sarasota Viper Winter Series March 4, 2019
The 2018-19 Sarasota Viper Winter Series wrapped up on Feb 10th with two epic days of sailing on Sarasota Bay. Seven races were sailed over the course of the weekend with three fully planning condition races being sailed on Saturday, in breeze that topped out with gusts close to 20 kts. Race one went to the always-quick Zeke Horowitz with races two and three being won by Marcus Eagan and crew on CAJUN UNDERWRITING.
Saturday night saw the 28 participating Viper teams enjoying drinks ashore and a great Korean BBQ hosted by the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, before the heading out into St. Armand’s Circle and Downtown Sarasota for the requisite late-night hijinks that visiting teams have come to count on.
Northern Honey Badger Productions Sarasota Winter Series Video HERE.
Sunday morning started out early with the first start at 10 am. PRO Keven ...
...read more - Mike Hester wins Arizona Yacht Club’s Birthday Regatta March 2, 2019
Those that have never had the opportunity to sail in the AYC Birthday Regatta and Leukemia Cup are missing quite an experience. Sailing on the picturesque, man-made Lake Pleasant 40 minutes north of Phoenix, one is in awe of the mountains that edge the lake, the cacti on the hillside, and the wild burrows that graze the area. All that plus a zillion motor homes and half a zillion sailboats that are all launch ramped.
In the middle of this Chamber of Commerce commercial…a regatta broke out! An even ten Viper 640s sailed ten races over three days (Feb. 8-10) with local sailors Mike Hestor, Mike Blumberg, and John Mayall won 5 heats to beat out Tony Chapman, Buttons Padin, and Han Sergin (3 bullets) by 7 points with Californians James Baurlay, Tucker Strasser, Julian Soto, and Diana Bandziulyte in third.
Mike ...
...read more - Viper 640s take the Med by storm March 2, 2019
The second event of the ONE Palma Viper 640 Winter Series took place over the weekend of February 16/17. The Real Club Nautico De Palma hosted the event as part of the Trofeo Noli Regatta, again there was ‘wall to wall’ sunshine.
Family teams were the order of the day including GBR’s Russell Peters crewed by his daughter Suzy & son Freddie; Tara Gillespie sailing her father’s boat with her mates; and two Spanish Optimist sailors crewed by their parents.
Three races were held in light shifty conditions on Saturday. Russell Peters scored three firsts, but they didn’t get it all their own way. In Race 3 they stole the win on the final downwind leg after they rocketed from 6th at the final windward mark. In fact, every boat had their moment of glory in the snakes & ladders conditions. The club hosted ...
...read more - Viper Sail Stickers – you need two! January 30, 2019
As of 1/1/18, every Viper 640 sail is required to have two stickers: Registration and Royalty. Learn more HERE.
...read more - A Viper Rollick at Sarasota Winter Series #2 January 24, 2019
Narrowly escaping the snowstorms ravaging across the northern parts of the continent, 22 Viper teams had a great time in Sarasota for the 2nd event of this years Winter Series. The same cold front which was causing power outages and car crashes on slippery roads up north presented two days of breeze-on conditions on Sarasota Bay.
Saturday’s forecast of 12-15kts immediately looked conservative as the fleet bore away from the Sarasota Sailing Squadron docks, hitting speeds of 10kts under jib and main on the way to the racecourse. The southerly breeze made for some great racing on Saturday. The 2 ft chop and 20kt+ gusts saw many different approaches to upwind and downwind speed on the racecourse. While hard hiking and flat hull trim always pays dividends, it became immediately apparent that some techniques were better than others. Floor Muffin, being ...
...read more - 2019 Viper 640 World / North American Championships December 29, 2018
The Registration is now open for the 2019 World Championships at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, CA through Regatta Toolbox. Start making your plans to compete in what will be the largest and most competitive Viper 640 event of all time.
ABYC has one of the largest Viper fleets in the world and welcomes competitors to come sail in sunny Southern California. For more information regarding this event please email fleet captain Tim Carter
...read more - Rod Beauteaux Wins Western Australian State Title and a hug from Santa December 20, 2018
Western Australian State Championship
We have been having some good racing leading up to Christmas.
The Musto Regatta off Fremantle provided a weekend of good breezes and the States in early December promised more of the same.
The State titles were held at SoPYC. The forecast was for light medium winds on Saturday morning and stronger breezes on Sunday morning. Because of weekend racing on the river, the races were all held in the morning.
A fleet of nine boats hit the start line on Saturday. Unfortunately our World Champions, Nic Jerwood and Brian deVries were unable to compete.
The first race had Rod Beurteauxleading around the first mark, in the first race, when their keel was tangled by a poorly laid mark rope. The rope was weighted down, deep enough not to be seen, but was not deep enough to clear the keel.
Was this ...
...read more - Announcing the Real Club Nautico De Palma Viper 640 Winter and Spring Series December 19, 2018
The International Viper 640 Class Association and Rondar Raceboats are delighted to announce a new European series of Viper 640 races in the spring and early summer of 2019, in the beautiful Bay of Palma, Majorca, hosted by the prestigious Real Club Nautico De Palma.
RCNP is situated on the waterfront in Palma, just a stone’s throw from the beautiful and historic walled city and 15 minutes from the airport. Palma has become the yachting center of the Mediterranean, and the city has comprehensive waterside facilities alongside a vibrant restaurant and bars scene. The yacht club itself is probably best known in sailing circles for running the Princess Sofia Regatta, an early-April event with up to a 1,000 of the world’s finest sailors congregating in Palma to race. Palma is also a popular winter base for many Olympic teams due to ...
...read more - Chris Stocke, Patrick Wilson, and John Wallace atop SSS Winter Series #1 December 18, 2018
A Festive, fun time to start the 2018-2019 Sarasota Viper Winter Series
Link to great recap video by Brian Johansen
This past weekend marked the beginning of the holiday season in Sarasota: The Viper Fleet has arrived! 27 Vipers made it to Sarasota for the first of three Winter Series weekends, getting in 4 official races on Saturday and a bunch of fun sailing/racing later in the afternoon Sunday after the clock ran out at noon waiting for an early sea breeze. Old friends reunited back in Sarasota, welcoming new faces to the fleet as if they were long lost family.
One of those new Viper teams very much impressed right out of the gate. In a shifting 6-8 kt breeze in the first race on Saturday, Chris Stocke, Patrick Wilson, and John Wallace (in only their second day sailing the boat) ...
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