THE RACING While some fall events were canceled or postponed due to natural disasters, remaining races provided a respite from dire news. Regattas covered here include the Six Metre Worlds, the Pac52 Cup, the Etchells Worlds, the YRA Season Closer, the 5O5 Worlds, the Express 37 Nationals, and the Wylie Wabbit Nationals. Box Scores includes a wrap-up of beer-can series results, and we end with a quartet of Race Notes. Vancouver Hosts Six Metre Worlds The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club welcomed 45 crews from 12 countries to the Six Metre Worlds on September 15-21. Among the visitors was a five-boat team from St. Francis YC. Russ Silvestri took fifth in a Modern boat, Sting, and was the top American finisher in the Open Division. "The Royal Vancouver YC went all out for a great championship," said Silvestri. "The racing was really challenging while having limited passing lanes, as wind shifts would make legs one tack. The boats in the St. Francis are good enough to win but like a bit more wind than Vancouver
STING
Mario Yovkov, Sammy Shea, Dave Gruver, John Bonds and Russ Silvestri sailed on 'Sting'.
offered." The breeze ranged from 0 to 17 knots with some stormy weather and a bit of rain. The majority of racing was held in 4-10 knots from the east. "Wind from the east is unpredictable," reports Craig Healy. "The race committee was patient waiting for stable conditions. They never shortchanged us. Every race was full length. For the single race on the last day they gave us three windward/leeward laps. The breeze was dying. I had a plane to catch!" Healy took seventh with Scallywag, an Intermediate Modern boat designed by Gary Mull and built in San Diego in 1978, winning the Nelson Trophy, a race within the race. Sailing with Healy were Tom Ducharme, tactician Hartwell Jordan, Thomas Iseler and Chris Smith. Eliza Richartz's all-female crew of McKenzie Wilson, Sarah Lihan, Jody McCormack and Maggie Bacon on the 1986 Scoundrel took 14th. Sting, Scallywag and Scoundrel were fielded by the St. Francis International Yacht Racing Syndicate. "The syndicate was founded about two years ago with the objective of going to the Worlds in Vancouver," said the syndicate's chairman, RC Keefe. "We acquired the boats in Europe, shipped them here, got them in top shape, and put together the sailors and onshore support crew. "The syndicate places the boats in the hands of the best sailors. There are three syndicate boats and two privately owned boats on the StFYC team. They brought all five to the Worlds in Vancouver. Eleven clubs from all over the world were represented. No one had ever arrived with five boats before." The two privately owned StFYC entries were Robert Cadranell's Arunga and James A. Hilton's Classic 1931 Lucie. Dennis Conner sailed the 1952
Classic May Be VII for SDYC. The wooden boats vary in age and design. The Classics are pre-1966 and were built mostly in the '30s and '40s. Intermediate Modern boats were built 1966-1979. Modern boats have wing keels, inspired by the 1983 America's Cup-winning 12-Meter Australia II II. "With a heavy, deep hull the wing keel is super efficient," explained Healy. Intermediates and Moderns race together; Classics race separately. "Scallywag has been completely redone, and she's beautiful," said Healy. "We had great starts, but we're a bit slower than the wing-keel boats, so traffic management becomes an issue. For the Nelson Trophy, we beat the next boat by 50 points, with good crew work a factor. All boats built before 1979 were eligible; they could be retrofitted with a wing keel. The new Volare, sailed by Ron Holland, competed for the Nelson Trophy." "It's a complicated game to play and has always been known as an expensive part of yacht racing, but they bring out the best there is of yacht racing," said Keefe about the Six Metres. "It's not just expensive, but the paperwork is tremendous. You almost need an accountant and a lawyer to come along." In mid-October, the team still had one boat stuck in Canada. "Most of the sailors are amateurs, but they must be the best. At
