HOUSTON, Texas. (October 9): Thanks to all the hard work over the past couple of months, the newest location of the North Americans, Houston, has gotten underway. A total of 29 boats made the trip to the Republic of Texas, with boats representing 14 different states. Racing began today and will conclude on Saturday, October 12th.

After months of waiting, the fun finally started. The first race started with light winds of about 5-6 knots and was windward/leeward twice around. Malcolm, Gefter and crew (Wilem van Waay and Victor Diaz De Leon) took and early lead in the first race but Jay Golison and crew (Steve Flam and Ched Proctor) were able to edge out and take first place.

Breeze built from 5 to 8 knots throughout the day as a cold front from Tropical Storm Karen provided some relief (84 degrees) from the typical Texas heat. Winds were shifting from 90-130 degrees but on average competitors saw about 115 degree wind angle.

Jason Carroll and crew (Chad Corning and Danny Pletsch) took the lead and finished with a bullet in the 2nd race. Carroll also recently won the 2013 Melges 32 Worlds. Race 3 saw the most wind, with a sea breeze topping out a 8 knots. Racing was tight in the last races with 2nd through 6th place boats all finishing within 3 seconds. Luke Lawerance and crew took the bullet with the race ending in an upwind finish.

Last night was the general meeting held at Cabo Night Club, one of our 2013 sponsors. Not sure how productive the meeting was in terms of sailing, but there was definitely a handful of crews wandering around the next day nursing a hangover. Tonight the party will be held at HYC with a BBQ pit and kegs sponsored by KO Sailing.

Top Ten (Full results posted at http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/6488#_newsroom+results)

1. It’s All Good, Jay Golison, 1, 3, 2 = 6 pts

2. Argo, Jason Carroll, 4, 1, 3 = 8 pts

3. Celeritas, Malcolm Gefter, 2, 2, 5 = 9 pts

4. Arethusa, Luke Lawerance, 5, 4, 1 = 10 pts

5. Hot Mess, Kevin Taugher, 3, 5, 8 = 16 pts

6. Panda Capacitor, Peter Beardsley, 16, 7, 4 = 27T

7. Jackpot, Brad Boston, 7, 13, 7 = 27T

8. A Single Shade Of Grey, Jonathan Nye, 8, 10, 9 = 27T

9. Thirty-One, Dave Chapman, 19, 6, 6 = 31 pts

10. Myasasaur, Craig Wilusz, 14, 8, 13 = 35 pts

Check out the full press release posted here in the forums: http://forum.viper640.org/index.php?topic=1630.0