Farr 30 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 Recap – NEWPORT RHODE ISLAND

Photo: Andrew Palfrey

(Oct 4, 2008) Sydney’s Guy Stenning and his team, consisting of Darren Jones (Mainsheet), Steve Maconaghy (Tactician), Tristram Eldershaw (Pitman), Curtis Florence (Bow), Steve Quigly (trim and strategy) and Tim Davis (trimmer), sailing aboard Optimum, The team were supported on shore by Traks Gordon and Katherine Leonard and coached by Andrew Palfrey.  Optimum won the event by four points from Jim Richardson’s talented team aboard Barking Mad.  

Optimum went into the last day with an eleven point advantage over Jim Richardson's Barking Mad and with Vincenzo Onarato's Vincenzo Onorato in third place overall. Optimum’s advantage was due to some very steady and fast sailing over the previous three days of moderate to (very) fresh conditions.  Friday racing featured winds averaging 26 knots with gusts to 35 knots.

The challenging conditions over the four day event once again displayed the talent and "fun factor" provided by Farr 30 racing.  Owners and crew were very impressed with sailing conditons in Newport RI as well as by the excellent Race Committee work by Peter Reggio and his crew.  Support from Brad Reed and his great staff and facility at Sail Newport added to the quality of the World Championship. Many others, including Peggy and Lynn Comfort (former Owners of USA 21 then known as "BOB") and New York Yacht Club Vice Commodore David Ellwell provided boats and RC assistance during the week.   Chief Judge Tom Ehman and the International Jury complimented the Farr 30 Fleet for fast, fun racing with minimal protest committee activity, noting that Farr 30 Owners were well disciplined while racing aggressively in fun boats.

Stagg Yachts and Class Secretary Bunny Wayt provided great event coordination and a full social calendar, including a trip to Waterline Systems for the Opening Ceremony to view Farr 30s in various stages of build.  All of the Owners were impressed by the tour of Farr 30s in production.

For Full Results See:  http://www.m30worlds2008.com/content/view/5/12/

For the three races on the fourth and final day, the race committee opted to race in the waters of Narraganset Bay, citing concerns over a left-over sea state from Friday's 3rd day of racing in 30 knot winds. The final day of racing took place in winds from the west quarter at 8-14 knots. Barking Mad impressively claimed three wins on Saturday, finishing strong by winning the final four races of the regatta. Optimum had a ten point day over the final three races, which was enough to secure a solid victory. It was a hard earned win, with the differences in wind direction on the final day fluctuating between max right and max left by eighty degrees over the course of the three races.

Asked of his expectations for the event, Stenning commented “We came here to win, no doubt about it. Our team has put a heap of work in since the last worlds, where we placed fourth. We are a very close team and we are absolutely over the moon at the moment. This is huge!”

Photo: Andrew Palfrey