Feb. 19, 2002 – The British Virgin Islands' Mermaid II, a JN 41, finished first overall in a fleet of 47 boats racing in seven classes over the weekend as the 9th annual St. Croix International Regatta for the first time kicked off the Caribbean Ocean Racing Triangle series.
Orion, a Melges 24 out of Puerto Rico, placed second, and St. Thomas's John Foster, skippering his Magnificent 7, was third.
Ditching four crew members in the water on the first race day when a lifeline broke barely slowed Foster's momentum in competing top of the pack in the event held Saturday, Sunday and Monday. A quick 360-degree turn on Foster's part enabled his sailors to climb back on board with barely a 2-minute time loss and ultimately maneuver the boat to third place overall in the hot spinnaker racing fleet.
The regatta made its debut as the kickoff for the CORT series, with Puerto Rico's Heineken Cup and the BVI Spring Regatta to follow, now that the Rolex Regatta has become a separate event.
Boats representing islands from Puerto Rico to Sint Maarten competed in the event formerly called the Mumm's Cup Regatta. In a twist on the Mumm's tradition, the winner — Mermaid II owner Bill Berardelli — received his weight in Cruzan rum, seven cases to be exact. "This is a great regatta, lots of hospitality," Berardelli said just before jumping on the scale.
Coming together as a crew, playing the shifts right, and sailing under deal conditions spelled success for Mermaid II, which retained the champion title it captured last year.
"We were a bit foggy this morning and headed out early to practice some jibes, because we knew the short courses would demand good crew work," Mermaid skipper Mark Ploch said. Ploch, owner of the Doyle Sail Loft in Clearwater, Fla., has been a frequent driver of the boat in past CORT regattas.
Going into the last day of competition, Mermaid II led in fleet over Orion, skippered by Efrain "Fraito" Lugo, and that's the way they finished.
"Conditions proved light and shifty" on Monday, the final day, Ploch said. "plus, the beat was only a half-mile on the short courses; so, it was critical to get control of the fleet right away and hit the line clean and fast." In the first race, he added, "we were sailing up the leg when one of the crew yelled that we were already on the lay line. We were right on it while the rest of the fleet kept sailing, and we gained a lot."
Of the eight St. Thomas boats competing, five collected prizes.
Foster in addition to being third in fleet placed second in the hot Spinnaker Racing Class A. John Haracivit's Beneteau 38, Tempest, won third in Spinnaker Racing Class B. Haracivit accepted his award in a red, white and blue Uncle Sam hat with matching socks on the Presidents Day holiday.
The largest St. Thomas contingent was in the beach cat class. "It's good to see so many boats out, but we miss racing as one design," Red Hook Agencies skipper John Holmberg said. Puerto Rico's Keki Figueroa sailed a Tornado to first place, and Holmberg and Terry Jackson on his new Tornado tied for second, with Jackson winning the tie-breaker.
Jackson's participation in the event was just one of many he'll sail in mounting an Olympic challenge in Tornado for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Bruce Merced's Rush, a Prindle 19MX, sailed well in this class until a ripped jib traveler on the second day took him out of competition. In the Non-spinnaker Beach Cat Class, Mark Chong and Ollie Witt handily won with a string of first place bullets, marred only by a second in the last race.
Top three finishers overall and in each of the seven racing classes were:
Overall
1. Mermaid II, Bill Berardelli, BVI
2. Orion, Efrain Lugo, Puerto Rico
3. Magnificent 7, John Foster, St. Thomas
Racing Class A
1. Mermaid II, Bill Berardelli, BVI (8)
2. Magnificent 7, John Foster, St. Thomas (22)
3. Lost Horizon II, James Dobbs, Antigua (26.5)
Racing Class B
1. Pipedream, Peter Haycraft, Tortola (10)
2. Cold Beer 3, John Schulthesiss, Tortola (18.5)
3. Tempest, John Haracivit, St. Thomas (22.5)
Racing Class C
1. Cora 2002, Carlos Skov, St. Croix (15)
2. Jersey Devil, Scott Stanton, St. Croix (17)
3. Don Q Cristal, Miguel Serralles, Puerto Rico (19)
Racing Class D
1. Orion, Efrain Lugo, Puerto Rico (8)
2. Crew Clothing, Peter Tarn/Andrew Thompson, BVI (18.5)
3. 2 Contact Carib, Fritz Bus, Sint Maarten (20.5)
Jib and Main
1. Compaijoo, Dario Herroro, PR (4)
2. Windflower, Stan Joines, St. Croix (9)
3. Harmony, Andrews Leider, St. Croix (9)
Spinnaker Beach Cat
1. Suzuki Tornado, Enrique Figueroa, Puerto Rico (10)
2. Village Ram, Terry Jackson, St. Thomas (15)
3. Red Hook Agencies, John Holmberg, St. Thomas (15)
Non-Spinnaker Beach Cat
1. Blame It On Rhea, Mark Chong, St. Thomas (9) 2. Love Never Fails, Bruce Andryc, St. Croix (22)
3. Dynamo Humm, Chris Schrieber, St. Croix (25)
