Acura Miami Race Week 2005 Reports
		Visit the Photo Gallery
March 13, 2005	Acura Miami Race Week  - Tie Breakers and Big Wins
March 12, 2005	Acura Miami Race Week is Down to the Wire
March 11, 2005	Acura Miami Race Week Momentum Builds
March 10, 2005	Acura Miami Race Week Draws the Top Sailing Talent
March 7, 2005	Acura Miami Race Week 2005 Ready to Shine --- 140 Boats Heading for South Beach

For Immediate Release - March 13, 2005

Miami Beach, FL – Sparkling south Florida waters and varied conditions over four days proved that tactical, smart sailing made the difference in a suspenseful finish to Acura Miami Race Week today.

Down-to-the-wire racing was among the highlights of a regatta that is a true renaissance event with 142 plus boats and 1200 sailors more than doubling the fleet from last year’s former SORC

.
In the Transpac 52 fleet, “Bambakou” took first place overall after a strong team effort by owner John Coumantaros with tactician and America’s Cup helmsman Ken Read, both of Newport, R.I., taking the top honors. “This is the first time many of us have sailed on “Bambakou” and most of our team came over from the Farr-40 fleet to race with this new team and this new boat,” said Read. “We are all pleased with our performance and with the work of our team. And, the conditions today were right out of the travel brochure with a nice breeze and crystal clear skies.”

Three top boats from Europe in the Farr 40 class dominated their event with lead reversals the order of the day with the final win going to Dutchman Peter de Ridder’s “Mean Machine” who beat the young Greek team “Atalanti” owned by Stratis Andreadis of Athens, Greece. The Greeks had a strong debut performance after they had trailed the German team “Opus One” owned by Wolfgang Stolz of Germany until today.

“Today it came down to the final race,” de Ridder said. “It became a match race between “Atalanti” and ourselves and it really was a slam-dunk tack during the last upwind leg that did it and we were able to cover them until the finish. The level of competition was very tough and this win was very rewarding today.”

For the young Greek tactician and Olympic Gold medalist Sofia Bekatorou, who remains one of the few female tacticians in the top sailing circuit, it came down to being observant.

“As it is in sailing, you always have to be very observant and I think we could have done that a little better today,” she said. “We are young but we sailed a clean regatta with very few mistakes and we feel that we were rewarded for our efforts.”

In the Mumm 30 division the racing came down to the final race with John McDonagh of Minneapolis taking the class win and the 2005 Florida Grand Prix for his combined performance at Key West Race Week and Acura Miami Race Week.

“It was down to the last race, we were four points down and we had to win it,” said McDonagh. “It was a real battle between us and “Cygnet.” Sailing on the Mumm 30 in these conditions is always fast, light and takes a great deal of crew work.”

In the PHRF-1 class, Dan Meyers of Boston led his “Numbers” to victory with America’s Cup Hall of Fame tactician Brad Butterworth calling tactics after very close racing against the Tripp 47 “Cabaret” owned by Bob Limoggio of Newport, R.I.
“There was a lot of great chemistry on the boat with sailors from all over the world coming here to race,” said Jim Cannon, mast man for “Numbers.” “The boat performed very well today as it likes the light air and it was a good regatta.”

The Melges-24 has had a number of lead reversals that came down to a three-way tie that was finally broken by Riccardo Simonesch of Italy aboard “Nautica.” The Acura Trophy was awarded to Simonesch and is symbolic of the Boat of the Week that prevailed in a class with the closest, most competitive racing for the series from all three divisions.

In PHRF-3, Gordon Schiff of Tampa Bay and his team were insurmountable on the Mumm 36 “The Wall” beating second place “Dame Blanche” owned by Othmar Mueller von Blumencron of Annapolis, MD by eight points and subsequently winning the City of Miami Trophy for the PHRF boat with the closest, most competitive racing for the series.

“Consistency wins regattas and this was fantastic and we enjoyed every minute of it,” Schiff said. “It was really good crew work today and that is the key.”

All PHRF fleets were pushing to stretch their leads today including the PHRF-2 fleet with Melges 32 “Dawn Raid” owned by Oscar Strugstad of England battling it out for a one point win over the Farr 36 “Grins” owned by Rick Orchard of Flowery Branch, GA.

The J/105 fleet was very deep here in Miami this week but the undisputed winner of both the 2005 Florida Grand Prix trophy and class honors was “Masquerade” owned by Thomas Coates of San Francisco, CA who had four bullets over three days.
“It was a tough sailing week and it was light and shifty,” Coates said. “Our great results may indicate that we led a lot but we fought hard to stay there. The competition here is fabulous and it just happened to be our week.”

In PHRF-5, local sailors prevailed as Coconut Groves’ own David Kurtz who owns the J/27 “Goombay” beat Miami’s Pat Charles Cacace on his C&C 99 “Blackbird” by one point.

The J World Racing Team of Annapolis beat local sailor Gordon Ettie of Miami on his Swan 40 “Sazerac” by five points after tight racing.

“Overall this was a great event and you can be sure that our fleet will be here in large numbers next year,” said Tom Pollack, director of the Transpac-52 fleet. “This event runs on all cylinders and they do a great job.”
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Boat of the Day
Thursday’s Industry Partner Day – Boat of the Day: TP52 class “Rosebud” owned by Roger Sturgeon.
Friday’s City of Miami – Boat of the Day: Etchells class winner “Pipe Dream,” Scott Piper from the Etchells class on Biscayne Bay.
Saturday’s Premiere Racing Day – Boat of the Day: Farr 40 class “Atalanti” Stratis Andreadis.
Sunday’s Acura Day – Boat of the Day Mumm 30 class/USA 41 “Ace Partners” of Key West, FL and La Grange, IL.

The Acura Trophy – symbolic of Boat of the Week is the class winner from all three divisions who prevailed in the class with the closest, most competitive racing for the series. The award went to the Ricardo Simonsesch of Italy and his boat “Nautica.”
 

The 2005 Florida Grand Prix Awards were presented to the combined winner of Key West and Acura Miami Race Week using the lowest cumulative points in the following classes:
TP52 Class on a tie breaker- Michael Brennan of Annapolis, MD on “Sjambok.”
Farr 40: Peter de Ridder of Monaco on “Mean Machine.”
Mumm 30: Jonathan McDonough of Minneapolis, MN on “Champosa.”
J/105: Thomas Coates of Newport, R.I. on “Masquerade.”

Acura is the Title Sponsor. This is the fifth consecutive year that Acura, the luxury
division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has been the title sponsor for the Miami
Beach based regatta.
 

The Miami Beach Marina is the official site of the event, hosting the two ocean courses, while the new Shake-A-Leg sailing facility in Coconut Grove will be the host site for racing on the bay. The Avalon and South Seas Hotels are the Official Hotels. Supporting sponsor Mount Gay Rum is the Official Rum.

Twenty-Nine Industry Partners also bring critical support to Premiere Racing events. For more information on these important players, please visit the web site.

About Acura
Acura offers a full line of luxury performance vehicles through a nationwide network of more than 260 dealers. The Acura lineup features six distinctive models including the exotic NSX supercar, the RL luxury sedan, the TL performance luxury sedan, the TSX sports sedan, the race-bred RSX sports coupe and the award-winning MDX luxury sport utility vehicle. For more information about Acura vehicles, please visit www.acura.com. For media inquiries, please go to www.acuranews.com.

For results and information visit the event web site: www.Premiere-Racing.com or www.AcuraMiamiRaceWeek.com.

Laurie Fullerton
Press Officer
Emailto:lfullerton@premiere-racing.com
Mobile phone: 978-395-1451

For more information on Premiere Racing and Acura Miami Race Week 2005:
Premiere Racing, Inc. 67B Front Street, Marblehead, MA, 01945
Tel: (781) 639-9545 Fax: (781) 639-9171
Emailto:MiamiInfo@Premiere-Racing.com

With the support of the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
 

Acura Miami Race Week is down to the wire
For Immediate Release -- March 12, 2005

Miami Beach, FL- A late afternoon sea breeze settled the playing field on day three of Acura Miami Race Week where teams are protecting close leads as they go into their final day of racing.

With a multi-cultural gathering of Olympians, America's Cup, professional and amateur sailors from around the world racing this week, teams are in the homestretch for top honors including the 2005 Florida Grand Prix trophy and fleet awards.

The Transpac 52 "Bambakou" newly owned by John Coumantaros of Newport, RI with tactician Ken Read aboard is in the lead by four points after debuting his boat this week.

"The troops are very happy with our performance and the "Bambakou" debut is going very well," said tactician and America's Cup sailor Ken Read of Newport, R.I. "Miami hasn't given us the full blow that we expected and the breeze has been inconsistent but we will just go out there tomorrow and have at it."

An intense battle for the inaugural 2005 Florida Grand Prix prize [a combination of performances at Key West Race Week and Acura Miami Race Week] has Transpac 52 sailor Michael Brennan of "Sjambok" tied with Roger Sturgeon of "Rosebud" with 15 points going into tomorrow.

"We are four points behind "Bambakou" and the wind was so light and fluffy today that it was a difficult day," said Chris Larson, tactician aboard "Sjambok." "But, we are focused on winning two races tomorrow."

European teams in the Farr 40 fleet are locked in a duel as Peter de Ridder (Mean Machine) of Holland fell to third place today against Wolfgang Stolz of Germany aboard "Opus One" who is now tied for first place with Stratis Andreadis of Greece on "Atalanti." With Greek Olympic Gold Medalist Sofia Bekatorou calling tactics the young Greek team is in a stronger position after today's racing and are in contention for the 2005 Florida Grand Prix award.

"We are trying to find our place in this fleet as a young, Greek team going up against the best sailors," said the 25-year old Andreadis. "It is nice to be here and sailing in a place like Miami where we see dolphins on the race course and sail against greats like Peter de Ridder and Jesper Bank."

In the PHRF-1 class, a well-sailed Tripp 47 "Cabaret" owned by Bob Limoggio of Newport, R.I. are a mere four points behind the Farr 60 "Numbers" owned by Dan Meyers of Boston who has America's Cup Hall of Fame sailor Brad Butterworth calling tactics.

"We are very pleased that we are doing so well going up against the caliber of sailors on "Numbers," said mainsail trimmer Scott McFarland of "Cabaret." "It is all communication and teamwork and we are very happy with our performance."

The 2005 Florida Grand Prix award is going to be very close in the Mumm 30 division with four American teams vying for top positions with Rick Swann of Fairfield, CT on "Cygnet" four points ahead of Jonathan McDonagh of Minneapolis, MN aboard "Champosa" with "Illusion" owned by John Podmajersky of Chicago, IL in a close third.

Local Miami talent in the 30-strong international Etchell fleet has resident Scott Piper vying for a top spot on his "Pipe Dream XII" but coming under pressure by Hank Lammens of Canada who is currently leading by five points. Jeff Ecklund of Ft. Lauderdale aboard "Star" is stretching his lead over "M-Fatic" owned by Neil Sullivan of Annapolis, MD in the 27-boat Melges 24 fleet.

The Melges-24 has had a number of lead reversals but "Xcellent" owned by John Pollard of England has the best shot of winning the 2005 Florida Grand Prix award.

The Florida Grand Prix Award for the J/105 fleet has 16 of its 18 members eligible for the coveted prize with Thomas Coates of Newport, R.I aboard "Masquerade" holding onto a comfortable lead by 12 points.

"This is my first year in the J/105 fleet and we now recognize the top boats," commented Jim Flanagan of Marblehead who is racing on "Achiever V." "But, this is a great regatta and the race committee did an amazing job with the conditions today. We thought the wind would never fill in but they were patient and once it came in it was a beautiful second race."

With PHRF fleets sailing at a close, competitive level over all five classes, the PHRF-2 fleet broke out of a three-way tie today with Melges 32 "Dawn Raid" owned by Oscar Strugstad of Zenda, WI ahead by a slight margin over Rick Orchard of Flowery Branch, Georgia on the Farr 36 "Grins" and Stig Osterburg of Port Townsend, WA on the ID 35 "Midsummer."

"We are from Michigan and we know we could be back there shoveling snow," said Lance Smotherman who is in fourth place in PHRF-2 aboard the ID35 "Evolution." "We came here specifically because we like the way Key West is run and we knew this would be a great event, too."

In PHRF-3, Gordon Schiff and his Mumm 36 "The Wall" broke away from Othmar Mueller von Blumencron on " Dame Blanche" to take over a lead position by six points.

In PHRF-4, Jahn Tihansky and his J-World racing team aboard "Pamlico" from Annapolis, MD have a two-point edge over the Swan 40 "Sazerac" owned by Gordon Ettie of Miami, FL.

In PHRF-5, Coconut Grove resident David Kurtz aboard the J27 "Goombay," has stretched his lead by three points going into the final day of racing.

In the J/24 fleet, Iker Belausteguigo of Mexico on "Lacalaca" is holding on to his lead over "Gotta Go" owned by Peter Benziger of Miami by three points.

"Overall I think all the fleets have had a great time," commented Will Keyworth aboard the Farr 53 "Yellow Jacket." "This venue is incredibly well-run and laid back. The race committee has done a great job and is immensely helpful to all competitors. We go out and learn and carry it back with us into spring time sailing up north."

Boat of the Day
Friday, March 11 was City of Miami Day with the Boat of the Day awarded to "Pipe Dream XII" owned by Scott Piper of Miami for his winning performance in the highly competitive Etchell fleet. The Boat of the Day on Thursday, March 10 (Industry Partner Day) was awarded to the Transpac 52 "Rosebud" owned by Roger Sturgeon of San Francisco, CA.
 

Acura Miami Race Week momentum builds

For Immediate Release -- March 11, 2005

Miami Beach, FL -A building southerly breeze matched the momentum of Acura Miami Race Week today when 12 classes vied for top positions over three courses from Biscayne Bay to the Gulf Stream.

Surging numbers of top professional and amateur sailors and large fleets locked in tight racing over four days indicate the renaissance of Acura Miami Race Week [formerly the SORC] is on with attendance more than doubling this year with 1,200 sailors and 142 boats.

Teams from Europe, Canada and twenty-two states throughout the U.S.A. vied for position today in strong one-design and PHRF fleets ranging from the state-of-the art Transpac 52 to the classic Etchell.

"We are encouraged at the revitalization of this regatta and we are all here to see this event grow," said Dan Meyers of Boston who is in first place in the PHRF 1 division on his Farr 60 "Numbers" and is sailing with a core group from the Swiss America's Cup Team Alinghi including America's Cup Hall of Fame tactician Brad Butterworth.

The light and unpredictable wind in the early stages of the first race created a reversal of fortune for the European teams in the Farr 40 fleet as "Atalanti" owned by Stratis Andreadis of Greece fell a notch to third place behind Peter de Ridders' "Mean Machine" of Holland and Wolfgang Stolz of Germany aboard "Opus One" who is in second place.

In the Transpac 52 fleet, "Bambakou" owned by John Coumantaros of Newport, R.I. leads the regatta by a mere point over "Sjambok" owned by Michael Brennan of Annapolis, MD.

"We sailed the boat beautifully but we made a few mistakes that set us back the point," said Michael Brennan of Annapolis, MD owner of Sjambok. "If we don't make any mistakes we have a good chance to come back tomorrow."

The Etchell fleet made their debut race today with local Miami sailor Scott Piper in the lead by 6 points.

"It is fabulous to see a Miami sailor do so well against such a competitive group," said Principal Race Officer David Brennan. "Scott is a great sailor on the local scene but he is doing extremely well out there against some of the best."
The J/105 fleet wrapped up their first day with three races with Thomas Coates of Newport, R.I. leading by one point. The tough Melges-24 fleet had tight racing in three races with Jeff Ecklund, Ft. Lauderdale leading by one point.

In the PHRF-3, Gordon Schiff of Tampa Bay, FL is holding his lead by two points while the J World Racing Team of Annapolis, MD is leading PHRF-4 by two points.

Teams who participate in Acura Miami Race Week along with Key West Race Week are also coveting 2005 Florida Grand Prix awards judged by cumulative points over the two regattas. Currently, the Transpac 52 "Sjambok" owned by Michael Brennan and Peter De Ridders' Farr 40 "Mean Machine" are in contention for a grand prix award and remain in a top position after a second day of racing. The Melges 24 and J/105 fleets are also competing for a Grand Prix award.

"The Grand Prix award combining Key West Race Week and Acura Miami Race Week is a great idea," Butterworth said. "It would be great to see this become a southern swing from Key West heading north to Miami and on."