HOUSTON, Texas. (October 10): With a better forecast than yesterday, Viperers kicked it into gear for Day Two of the 2013 Viper North Americans in Houston. The forecast called for a building sea breeze and cooler temperatures, and sure enough, by the end of the day Vipers were planing downwind at 14 knots in 18 knots of wind.
Day two of the Viper 640 NAs started off less than promising with about 6 knots of pressure. Malcolm Gefter pulled a horizon job in Race 1, favoring the left. Jay Golison finished in 2nd with Brad Boston and Jason Carroll finishing in 3rd and 4th, respectively.
With the breeze building steadily, the second race was changed to 3 times around, although some teams did not get that memo – on the second run, the top 5 boats each sailed through the finish line with no horn before turning up to sail backward to the leeward gate, causing a large reset in the scores. Luke Lawrence was able to sneak in and snatch first place since the top 4 boats had unknowingly crossed the finish line too early. David Chapman, Peter Beardsley and Gefter finished in the top four.
Boats were wise to put a few turns on prior to the start of the third race as the breeze began to freshen with competitors seeing 12-13 knots throughout the race. Carroll crossed the line first, 20 boat lengths in front, with Kevin Taugher, Chapman, and Gefter rounding out the top four.
The final race of the day saw the wind max out at 15-18 knots with 18 knots sustaining and 2-3 feet of stiff chop by the end of the day. Beardsley with co-skipper Jay Rhame, was the only boat sailing four up, and was able to crush upwind and the planing conditions allowed them to hang on downwind, with Boston, Taugher and Carroll finishing close behind.
The top of the standings are extremely tight. Carroll moved into first, inching out Gefter on a tiebreaker (two bullets to one) Jay Golison, Ched Proctor and Steve Flam sailed well, but the Day 1 leaders dropped to third overall, two points out of the lead. Lawrence is holding on to his steady fourth place position.
There was an informal gathering after racing at HYC with kegs sponsored by KO Sailing.
Top Ten (Full results posted at http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/6488#_newsroom+results)
1. Argo, Jason Carroll, 4, 1, 3, 4, [11], 1, 4 = 17T
2. Celeritas, Malcolm Gefter, 2, 2, 5, 1, 3, 4, [14] = 17 T
3. It’s All Good, Jay Golison, 1, 3, 2, 2, 6, 5, [9] = 19 pts
4. Arethusa, Luke Lawrence, 5, 4, 1, 5, 1, [10], 8 = 24 pts
5. Hot Mess, Kevin Taugher, 3, 5, 8, [38/OCS], 7, 2, 3 = 28 pts
6. Jackpot, Brad Boston, 7, 13, 7, 3, 10, 8, 2 = 37 pts
7. Panda Capacitor, Jay Rhame/Peter Beardsley, 16, 7, 4, [17], 4, 11, 1 = 43 pts
8. Thirty-One, David Chapman, 19, 6, 6, 15, 2, 3, 12 = 44 pts
9. A Single Shade Of Grey, Jonathan Nye, 8, 10, 9, 14, 5, 6, [17] = 52 pts
10. Circle of Trust, Farley Fontenot, 15, 12, [17], 12, 8, 9, 7 = 63 pts
The 2013 Viper 640 North American Championship is hosted by Houston Yacht Club in Houston, Texas. For more information about the event, please visit the event website at 2013na.viper640.org. The Viper 640 is a 21-foot sportboat known for its speed and simplicity. For more information about the boat, please visit the class website at www.viper640.org.
The 2013 Viper North Americans is sponsored by Mount Gay Rum, Rondar Raceboats, Soak Sailboat Racing Products, Classic Cafe, Quantum Sails, and KO Sailing, and is a qualifying regatta for the EFG Bank Pan American Viper 640 Championship.
