Information in this debrief is based on provisional results. Final results are subject to change.
Wind
Day 2 of the Rolex Big Boat Series began with more warm weather and only a little wind coming from the wrong direction. But like clockwork, shortly after the scheduled 1100 start time, the water darkened beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and by 1145 both the Treasure Island and Alcatraz courses had eight knots of breeze and began Race 3 for the 11 classes assembled on the Bay. Throughout the day, the wind machine only churned harder, increasing to 18 knots by the start of Race 4.
Standouts
Shawn Bennet’s Jose Cuervo won both races today in the J/105 North Americans, pulling a total horizon job in Race 4 and pulling into a five point lead over Mojo. Blackhawk, which was tied for the lead on Day 1, fell to fourth after a disappointing 12th place finish in Race 4.
Doug Wilhelm’s crew aboard Wilco continued to dominate the Melges 24 class, winning both races and increasing their lead over The 300 to 4 points. After an overnight scoring correction, Wilco’s finishes are 2-1-1-1.
Video: Tyler Baeder, Wilco Tactician
Peter Krueger’s J/125 Double Trouble stayed ahead of her one-design matchup Hamachi in the HPR Class, also beating the Farr 400, RP 44, Kernan 44, and Rogers 46 in both races to lead the fleet by five points.
Hairiness
At the start of Race 4 in the J/111 class, regatta leader Madmen and challenger Aeolus collided near the pin. Aeolus went on to win the race and Madmen took a scoring penalty during arbitration to give Aeolus a one-point lead going into Day 3.
Video: Collision at start and Seadon Wijsen, Aeolus Tactician
Tight Races
Day 2 ended with overall ties for the lead in the Express 37, J/120, and ORR B classes, and only one point of separation in the J/111, Multihull, and ORR C classes. Day 3 of the Rolex Big Boat Series will be a pivotal one for those in contention for hardware and watches. Scheduled start time tomorrow is 1100.
