SIMPSON BAY—The outstanding performance of the Melges 24 Gill Race Team earned the team skippered by Andrea Scarabelli the coveted Commodore’s Cup at the prize giving in Port de Plaisance last night.
The Melges won the Gill 2 Class by half a point scoring a second, third (3.5) and fourth place and remarkably tied on identical points in the second race with the French Melges 24 GFA Caraïbes from Martinique, winner of the class last year.
According to Race Director Paul Miller Gill Race Team had never won class in all the Commodore Cup events they entered so this victory was particularly sweet, and as Miller pointed out it is “a very hard” class to win.
GFA Caraïbes posted a seventh, third (3.5) and first place to settle for third overall behind second place Melges 32 from Puerto Rico Soca.
Regatta Chairman John Gifford had bad luck with his Fiji Racing Team damaging a rudder and breaking a forestay and had to quit after the first race.
The 10th Gill Commodore’s Cup successfully ushered in the 36th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta starting today, and attracted a record 84 entries. It was marked by mostly overcast conditions in Simpson Bay with bands of rain giving way to brief periods of sunshine but the wind held up. Weather improved later in the morning for the racing in the Anguilla channel where the big boats revelled in the rough and blustery conditions.
Three windward leeward races were set in Simpson Bay for the Spinnaker classes, multihulls and bare boats and the same for the Maxi classes, Volvo class and Gill 1 and 3 in the Anguilla Channel.
The Gill Maxi class was won by Peter Harrison’s TP 52 Sorcha ahead of Conviction, the TP 52 from Barbados and the Swan 65 Spirit in third place.
The Reichel Pugh 88 Highland Fling had rigging issues in the second race and was forced to retire but reportedly they will be on the start line today.
Gill 1 was won by Richard Wesslund’s El Ocaso, last year’s Commodore’s Cup winner. The Beneteau First 47 Dauntless was second and Team Boston, a Beneteau First 40 was third.
Ross Appleby’s Scarlet Oyster was unfortunately involved in a collision with a vessel from the marines however circumstances surrounding the incident are not clear. It occurred when Scarlet Oyster was recalled for being over early in Gill 1. It was not known if they will be able to race for the rest of the weekend.
The marines are assisting the regatta with the laying of marks.
Bobby Velasquez’s L’Esperance, last year’s Most Worthy Performance winner for the Heineken Regatta, pulled out another amazing effort to win the 14-boat Gill 3, even after having an over early in one race. No doubt they will be full of confidence going in the Heineken Regatta today.
The Dufour 40 Wild Thing from the US Virgin Islands was second and the J105 Solstice took third place. Of note was Robbie Ferron on Team Budget Marine Micron finishing fourth in this class despite mentioning he had made the wrong sail choices.
Bareboat 4 was won by United Region Boys, Anguilla was second and Red Star third. Kiev Racing Club won Bareboat 5, Baltics was second and Baltics Too was third.
It was unusual to see the great Jan Soderberg, many times a class winner at the Heineken, slip to fifth place on Bageal.
Multihulls was by the Bieker 53 Fujin with La Novia in second, and Nala, a Lagoon 450 in third. The Gunboat 60 Flow did not live up to expectations finishing fifth.
The Commodore’s Cup was marked by highly competitive racing and close starts. Asked for his take on the day, Paul Miller said: “The racing was fantastic and I’ve received very positive feedback from the sailors. The wind is looking good for the weekend at 15 knots or more.”
