Barbados vessel Bruggadung II and her crew made a solid start to the defence of their title when the 26th Angostura Tobago Sail Week cast off yesterday in Store Bay.
On a day of a single protest that delayed the final results by a more than three hours and on a day when some Petit Careme crewmen threw themselves overboard to recover a blown sail, the Bajan two-time defending champions, who are chasing a hat-trick of victories at this year's edition of the "friendliest regatta in the Caribbean", secured two second-place finishes (4 pts) yesterday on the Yacht Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago (YSATT) Race Day 1 to clinch the early lead.
Dick Stoute commandeered his Beneteau First 10m skillfully to twice take runner-up positions in the prestigious Racing Class.
But his competitors follow close behind in a contest where brightly-coloured spinnakers were unfurled enthusiastically to take advantage of the gusting wind.
Trinidad entrant bmobile Enzyme, the Melges 24 with Paul Solomon at the tiller, defeated Stoute and his crew in the first race.
Solomon and company are second overall after earning a fourth place finish in the second race (5 pts). That race was claimed by another Melges 24, Drunken Monkey, captained by Paul "English" Amon, of Crash Test Dummies and Guardian Star fame. They are third overall when their first race fifth place finish is added on (6 pts).
The lengthy protest in the Racing Class, which was lodged by a UK boat, the Beneteau First 10m MoonraKer, against 2005 champs Blazin, the Peter Burke-skippered Beneteau First 10m from Barbados, and the syndicated Melges 24 Mojo because of a small collision among the three boats in the second race, failed to affect the top three places.
But Mojo admitted to being wrong and accepted their 40 per cent penalty. The Blazin crew contested the protest and lost and were disqualified, suffering an additional penalty of 12 points for their efforts.
There were no protests in the Racer/Cruiser Class.
But skipper Rawle Barrow did experience some drama on the high seas when his yacht lost her sail to the blustery winds, forcing some crewmen to jump overboard to retain it.
"It is the first time in 60 years of sailing that has happened to me," said the veteran yachtsman who is a former T&T Olympic sailor.
His Beneteau First 38 was third overall, bettered by another experienced sailor, Jerome McQuilken, aboard the Beneteau Oceanis 430 Wayward, and Barbadian Ralph Johnson at the helm of Rapajam, the Beneteau 53FS, in that order.
In the Cruising Class. Business Machine, a Heritage 36, is ahead of the San Juan 34, Nirvana, and the Farr One Ton, Les Remous..
And the Charter Class is being spearheaded by the Moorings 443 Chequeamegon, which is followed by New Horizon, a Bavaria 39, and Hemo, a Bavaria 44.
Yacht Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago (YSATT) president Tommy Johnson was on hand to perform official duties at the end-of-day prizegiving event.
YSATT Race Day 1 Results:
Racing Class
1. Bruggadung II (2+2) 4pts 2. bmobile Enzyme (1+4) 5pts 3. Drunken Monkey (5+1) 6pts. 4. Windsong (7+5) 12 pts 5. Whistler (10+3) 13pts
Racer-Cruiser
1. Wayward (1 + 1) 2pts 2. Rapajam (2+2) 4pts 3. Petit Careme (3+3). 6pts 4. Hotel California (4+4) 8pts 5. Dolphmon (5+5) 10pts. 6. Caribelle (6+6) 12pts
Cruising
1. Business Machine 2. Nirvana 3. Les Remous 4. Sea Wyf
Charter
1. Chequeamegon 2. Hemo 3. New Horizon 4. Ambrosia 5. My Mistress 6. Adventure of the Sea
