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Rolex Wraps Up with Light Winds, High Spirits

March 27, 2006 – Though Sunday's light breeze may have caused some frustration, it didn't dampen the spirits of sailors wrapping up three days of competition at the St. Thomas Yacht Club's International Rolex Regatta — especially for the winners in eight classes, who each went home with a Rolex Submariner timepiece as a prize. The event, held for its 33rd year, hosted hundreds of sailors aboard 92 boats, ranging in size from 24 to 80 feet.
For all but the IC-24 class, Sunday's agenda was the Pillsbury Sound Race, which started outside Cowpet Bay and then wound for some 14 miles between nearby islands. All of Saturday's leaders maintained their overall positions after the distance race was scored, including Gilberto Rivera of San Juan, Puerto Rico, sailing his J/24 Urayo in the CSA 24 Spinnaker Class. "In fact, we did not have to sail at all," said Rivera, explaining that his team mathematically secured its victory yesterday. "We sailed because we wanted to enjoy the day, and we tried to not be aggressive, since other boats were sailing for second place." Urayo's fifth-place finish today was well balanced with a second and six first-place finishes posted over the previous two days when the wind blew in the 'teens, showing off the best side of blue-water Caribbean racing. "Those strong winds and waves separated the more experienced sailors from the less experienced," Rivera said.
Rivera finished second at last year's regatta, losing out to six-time Rolex winner Fraito Lugo (Ponce, Puerto Rico), who chose this year to sail in the IC-24 class. It is Rivera's first time to win a Rolex watch, which he will give to his father in thanks for his "sponsorship" of Rivera's sailing program over the years. "It is also his birthday today, so it will be very special," Rivera said.
In the only upset of the day, Robby Hirst of Road Town, Tortola, took a leap from third to first on the scoreboard after driving his IC-24 Sea Hawk to finish positions of 1-2-2 Sunday. The IC-24 Class completed a 10-race series, participating in Saturday's distance races to Charlotte Amalie Harbor and back but returning to round-the-buoys racing today while the rest of fleet sailed in Pillsbury Sound. "I'm somewhat speechless," said Hirst, who was the British Virgin Island's Olympic representative in 1996 and won the IC-24 class on St. Thomas last year as well. "I had no idea we'd pull it out like that." On Saturay, local sailor Chris Rosenberg aboard Bambooshay seemed to have a terrier-like hold on the lead, with four straight victories in his scoreline, but Sunday's light breezes became his downfall. "Hirst is a light-air technician," said Rosenberg. "He did a great job."
Enrique Figueroa, a multiple world and national catamaran champion who has represented his country in the Olympics four times, also defended his title aboard his Hobie 16 Suzuki Red Bull in the Beach Cats Class. The Race Committee shortened course for the cats when the wind died to five knots, and Figueroa posted a second-place finish, adding it to a 1-2-1-1-1 lineup.
The last of the regatta's three successful defending champions was Tony Sanpere of St. Croix, steering Cayennita in Non-Spinnaker Racing Class 2. "After the start, I went right, because I knew the wind would switch back," said Sanpere. "A few of the boats tried to squeeze me out, but when I took off on them in the light air they gave up. We tacked back to port and caught a big lift, and that's all she wrote."
In Spinnaker Racing Class 1, Danilo Salsi of Milan, Italy, sailing the Swan 45 Dsk Comifin, won the Rolex watch. Robert Armstrong of St. Croix, steered his J/100 Expensive Habit to victory in Spinnaker Racing Class 2, while Martin Jacobson of Greenwich, Conn., won in Spinnaker Racing Cruising Class with his Swan 44 Crescendo. All three skippers had only one race that was not a victory in their six-race scorelines.
Christopher Lloyd's (Road Town, Tortola, BVI) Three Harkoms, a Beneteau 44, won Non-Spinnaker Racing Class 1 with all four first-place finishes.
Daily video coverage will be available on demand by 9 p.m. each night at www.t2p.tv/.
Place, Yacht Name, Type, Owner's Name, Origin, Results, Total Points
CSA 24 Spinnaker (CSA – 8 Boats)
1. Urayo, J24, Gilberto Rivera, San Juan, Puerto Rico – 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 5; 13
2. KQ-LO, J24, Carlos Sierra, San Juan, P.R., USA – 3, 3, 3, 4, 1, 3, 3, 1; 21
3. Saudades Cemex Pr, J24, Leopoldo Loria, San Juan, P.R., USA – 4, 6, 2, 3, 3, 2, 2, 3; 25
IC 24 One Design (One Design – 19 Boats)
1. Sea Hawk, IC24, Robby Hirst, Road Town, Tortola, BVI – 0, 16, 1, 5, 3, 2, 8, 4, 1, 2, 2; 44
2. Bambooshay, IC24, Christian F. Rosenberg, St.Thomas, USVI, USA – 0, 5, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 12, 11, 7, 14; 56
3. Stinger, IC24, John Holmberg, St. Thomas, USVI, USA – 0, 3, 7, 4, 7, 4, 4, 5, 9, 3, 11; 57
Spinnaker Racing 1 (CSA – 7 Boats)
1. Dsk Comifin, Swan 45, Danilo Salsi, Milan, ITA – 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1; 7
2. Privateer, Swan 48, Cr 48, Ron O'hanley, Ipswitch, MA, USA – 4, 3, 3, 1, 2, 7; 20
3. Devocean, Swan 45, Steve Devoe, Stamford, CT, USA – 3, 2, 2, 7, 6, 2; 22
Spinnaker Racing 2 (CSA – 15 Boats)
1. Expensive Habit, J100 33, Robert Armstrong, Gallos Bay, St. Croix, BVI – 1, 1, 1, 5, 1, 1; 10
2. Lost Horizon II, Olson 30, James Dobbs, Antigua – 2, 2, 4, 3, 3, 7; 21
3. Broken Drum, J29 29, Jack Bishop, Christianstead, USVI, USA – 3, 3, 7, 11, 2, 5; 31
Non-Spinnaker Racing 1 (CSA – 12 Boats)
1. Three Harkoms, Beneteau 44, Christopher Lloyd, Road Town, Tortola, BVI – 1, 1, 1, 1; 4
2. Wildflower, Sabre 402 40, Ron Noonan, St. Thomas, USVI, USA – 2, 3, 2, 3; 10
3. Affinity, Swan 48, Jack Desmond, Concord, MA, USA – 4, 4, 3, 2; 13
Non-Spinnaker Racing 2 (CSA – 6 Boats)
1. Cayennita, Soverel 27, Elle & Tony Sanpere, Christiansted, USVI, USA – 1, 1, 2, 1; 5
2. ATN, J27 27, Marcus Compton, St. Thomas, USVI, USA – 3, 2, 3, 3; 11
3. Poco A Poco – Preferred Health, Pearson Flyer 30, Agustin A. Rodrigues, Fajardo, Puerto Rico, USA – 8/DSQ, 3, 1, 2; 14
Spinnaker Racing Cruising (CSA – 15 Boats)
1. Crescendo, Swan 44, Martin Jacobson, Greenwich, CT, USA – 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1; 9
2. Lazy Dog, Beneteau 40.7, 40, Sergio Sagramoso, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA – 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 5; 19
3. Pipedream, Sirena 38, Peter Haycraft, Road Town, Tortola, BVI – 3, 2, 5, 1, 3, 6; 20
Beach Cats (Portsmouth – 10 Boats)
1. Suzuki / Red Bull, Hobie Cat 16, Enrique Figueroa, San Juan, P.R., USA – 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2; 8
2. Heineken, Hobie Cat 16, Francisco Figeroa, San Juan, P.R., USA – 3, 6, 2, 2, 2, 4; 193. Exodus, Hobie Cat 16, Keki Figueroa, San Juan, P.R., USA – 2, 1, 7, 3, 4, 6; 23
Rolex also is the title sponsor for the Rolex Antigua Sailing Week, due for its 39th running from Sunday, April 30, through Saturday, May 6, 2006.

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