Wrapping Up a Fabulous Week at Quantum Key West 2012

World Championship: Final Day Racing

Photos by: MEREDITH BLOCK/FARR 30 WORLDS

Santa Barbara’s Deneen Demourkas crowned Farr 30 World Champion On Dramatic Final Day

San Francisco, CA (11 September 2011) – The weather may have backed off from its biblical peaks earlier in the week, but the battle for the prestigious 2011 Farr 30 World Championship raged until the final leg of the last race of this testing, tough championship regatta.  While she didn’t lead the event until the final race, Southern California’s Deneen Demourkas won when it mattered, becoming the first female skipper to win a big boat one-design World Championship in decades – if ever.

Going into this morning’s lighter air action, Santa Barbara-based Demourkas (Groovederci) trailed Newport, RI’s Jim Richardson (Barking Mad) by just a point in second with another 3 points up to local Scott Easom (Eight Ball) in first place.  Demourkas was on a solid winning streak though, having taken the bullet in the previous three races.  “We’re actually looking for lighter air today,” said tactician Cameron Appleton on Sunday morning.  “We’re confident that we’ve got speed in all conditions, but we need other boats to get in ahead of Scott and Jim.”

The lighter conditions Appleton was searching for wouldn’t work out exactly as planned, at least at the beginning. In the first race of the day – Race 8 of the series – Demourkas had a huge lead by the first windward mark when disaster struck thanks to light wind and ripping flood tide.  “The current was a bit stronger than we thought, and we ended up touching the mark,” explained Appleton.  The resulting penalty turn allowed 4 boats, including Barking Mad, to escape ahead of Groovederci, while Eight Ball had a shocking 8^th place finish.

In Race 9 of the Championship, Demourkas started strongly again, leading Jim Richardson around the track with John Demourkas slipping in between the two on the last leg of the race.  John wasn’t happy with just second place though, and he surfed down a big wave just a few feet from the finish, popping ahead of wife Deneen and winning the race by literally inches.  Still five points back, Deneen was chipping away at Barking Mad’s lead – but would there be enough racing left for her to catch him?

Photos by: MEREDITH BLOCK/FARR 30 WORLDS

30 KNOTS AND CRUSHING WAVES CUT DAY THREE SHORT AS BATTLE FOR LEAD HEATS UP

San Francisco, CA (10 September 2011) –San Francisco’s typically sporty September weather added a twist this morning on Day 3 of the 2011 Farr 30 World Championship; instead of the usual moderate morning winds building in the afternoon, racers were greeted by a somber, steel grey sky – along with a sea state and winds to match its angry hue.

The teams started Race 1 of the day – the seventh race of the Worlds series – in conditions that one sailor described as ‘armageddon’, despite the beginning of the rougher ebb tide period having barely started.  At the start, Groovederci tactician Cameron Appleton placed third place skipper Deneen Demourkas at the pin end of the starting line, with Demourkas turning her position at the start into a lead that would grow with each leg.  Second place Barking Mad held a strong second-place spot, with championship leader Scott Easom on Eight Ball further back in third watching his regatta lead disappear.  The German team, led by Harald Bruening, held fourth until the leeward gate, when Topas’ mainsail halyard lock suffered a failure, forcing Bruening’s retirement.  New York-based Standard Deviation had a solid start and beat, holding the back of the fleet off to finish with their first top-half score – a 6^th place.  “We’ve been in the top five at the top mark for much of the week,” said trimmer Alan Johnson.  “Today, Will [Markel, skipper] did a great job keeping the boat under the rig, and we were able to turn that into a respectable race.”

Demourkas’ lead was unassailable though, and the action happened just a bit back on the final downwind run.  A frustrated Andy Green, tactician for Barking Mad, explains:  “Gybing in 28 knots takes perfect timing, and the confused seas at the bottom of the course made finding the right time nearly impossible for us,” he said. Green’s late gybe call meant an overpowered final run to the finish line, and the beautiful navy blue boat of Jim Richardson couldn’t defend against Eight Ball, which powered through for second place while Richardson’s spinnaker flogged.  “We couldn’t afford to give that point up to Scott [Easom], and we’ll have our work cut out for us tomorrow,” Green added.