Lightning Circuit: Two Down...

North Sails rep Greg Fisher and his team of JoAnn Fisher and Steve Davis will be keeping us updated on the this year's Lightning Southern Circuit, which began in Savannah, GA (March 11-12), continued on to Miami, FL (March 14-15) and finishes up in St. Petersburg, FL (17-19).

(Thursday, March 16 - St Pete, FL) Wednesday did indeed bring more breeze as predicted for the final day of the Midwinter Regatta in Miami, FL. With puffs up to 20mph and a steady 12-15, the sailing couldn't be any better. The direction was near North so it was much shiftier, so "connecting the dots" was the tactical style of the day, with many of the dots/puffs filling in from the right. By the last race the breeze had built to a point where 4 boats capsized during some of the offwind legs.

Interestingly enough, once again it was a who-beat-who set up between Linton and Stark for the regatta win going into the last race. But this time it was Linton who banged off a great start at the weather end and hit the first shift to the right. Stark on the other hand, had a tough start and was deep at the first mark. But Stark's speed in the breeze was nothing less than spectacular, grinding through the fleet to an impressive 9th at the finish. However, Linton (see below, left) also was having an impressive race, and won it in convincing fashion.



Several others showed some serious spark in the Wednesday conditions. Todd Wake claimed the day with a 2, 4. Neal Fowler sailed to second overall in the regatta with a 7, 3. Al Terhune climbed back into 5th overall with a 5, 7. Then there was 14 yr old Taylor Lutz, who showed us old folks the future by going out and winning the first race!

We all talk of the importance of the "race to hoist"...this one is key as packing up and being ready to hit the road as soon as the trophy presentation is over is nearly as tactical as any weather leg of the day. Coral Reef YC does a nice job of setting out a Mexican buffet while the trophies are handed out, and usually people are able to hit the road to St Pete by 4:30pm. This timing is important due to rush hour in Miami, and this year the schedule was nearly perfect as most were on Alligator Alley in record time.



I would guess that this stretch of RT 75 is the US's version of the Autobahn in Germany. We weren't exactly crawling along, but we witnessed some cars blowing by us - not all that much unlike Stark on the second beat the last race. I am not sure where the Highway Patrol hides out but I bet they can easily fill their daily quota there.

Like the trip from Savannah to Miami, the entire regatta migrated north to St Pete Wednesday night. After 4 hours of driving we ran into (not literally of course) our friends Al and Katie Terhune from Annapolis, MD and stopped for dinner at 8pm. Now in St Pete, our goal is to get the boat set up, get the van organized, maybe a little sailing, hopefully a little laundry, and ultimately get ready for the 9:30am start tomorrow morning.

You just can't emphasize enough the superb sailing in Biscayne Bay and the great job Coral Reef did for us both on the water and at the club. The courses were spot on and the Tiki Bar by the pool (new last year) was equally appreciated. What a circuit so far! The best- ever weather appears like it will continue here in St Pete. Sunny, a 5-10 mph breeze, and again great race management are in store for us. AND… St Pete YC has a nice Tiki bar too! - Greg Fisher

Click here for results (scroll down to bottom to view)

View all Circuit reports:
Savannah, Miami (One, Two, Three), St Pete (One, Two, Three, Four)