NSRW Entries

Presented by Golison & Golison /Premiere Racing
Conclusion of the Volvo Inshore Championships series
SAILING NEWS FROM Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week
Long Beach, Calif. June 22-25

June 25, 2000	
For Immediate Release

WOMAN DRIVER WINS HONORS, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS

LONG BEACH, Calif. -  One word describes Deneen Demourkas' performance 
in the 16th Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week: "Groovederci!"

That's the name of the Farr 40 the Santa Barbara lady drove to first 
place in world-class company to claim the Boatscape.com Trophy as winner 
of the most competitive class.

Demourkas, 35, and her husband John, vice president of Nexus Shampoo, 
bought the high-performance boat only four months ago, which is how long 
she has been driving an ocean racer. 

John works the pit, keeping control lines ready and organized, but there 
was plenty of talent on board, including America's Cup veterans Dee 
Smith, Mike Howard, Eric Arndt and Mike Pentecost, along with Santa 
Barbara YC locals Robbie Grant, Gilbert Jiminez and Mike Cooney.

 And how does he rate his wife as a woman boat driver?

"She's focused," John said. "But she can yell and scream."

Deneen complained that since Smith came aboard as tactician recently, "I 
don't get to see anything. He tells me, 'Shut up and drive.' "

Drive she did Sunday. Groovederci had to come from one point behind to 
overtake Alexandra Geremia's Crocodile Rock, which had won the first two 
Volvo Inshore Championships events at San Diego and Marina del Rey. They 
went into the last race even. Groovederci not only had to beat Crocodile 
Rock but hold its own in a fleet replete with all-star tacticians like 
Olympic Soling medalist and repeat rep Jeff Madrigali, world Star class 
champion and Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Eric Doyle, A-Cup helmsman John 
Cutler, plus Robbie Haines, Dave Ullman and Peter Isler.

"We were 'dialing up' with [Crocodile Rock]  before the start," Deneen 
said. "I said to Dee, 'This is like the America's Cup.' I had a grin on 
my face."

With a freshening breeze whistling through the rigging, Groovederci 
finished second behind Temptress, with Crocodile Rock third.

The three days of sailing - four for the Olson 30s contesting their 
national championship - offered the sailors a full range of conditions. 
After alternating days of light air and gearbusters, the 170 competitors 
- a record number for the 16-year-old regatta - didn't know what to 
expect for the last two races Sunday. They set out of the Long Beach 
Marina under a kaleidoscope sky of high clouds of every description and 
the ominous word of a hurricane building off Mexico a few hundred miles 
to the south. With the temperature rising toward 80, it looked more like 
a laid-back Southern California summer Sunday for blondes in bikinis 
than boaters with serious intent.

One by one, some wisps of breeze arrived from the southwest at each of 
the three courses, promising a sea breeze, but for the first rounds it 
held at 5 knots and swung maddeningly left and right 30 to 40 degrees. 
Finally, the wind settled in at 10 knots for the second race and built 
steadily to 20 by the finishes - an advantage to the crews most astute 
at changing gears.

It was still so tricky, though, that even Buddy Melges got burned. The 
70-year-old wizard of Zenda (Wis.) surged into the Melges 24 lead by 
winning the first race after leader Argyle Campbell was OCS and had to 
pick his way through the pack to get back to restart. But in the last 
race Melges bought in to the conventional wisdom of going right at Long 
Beach when the wind went 15 degrees left, opening the door for neighbor 
Brian Porter of Lake Geneva, Wis. to finish first and win by three 
points.

Melges' son Harry was among Porter's crew.

Rick Flucke of Channel Islands YC cruised home to his second Olson 30 
national title - he also won in 1994 -- with a 1-3-1 Sunday for a 14-
point edge. 

In the Schock 35s, Dennis and Sharon Case - the comeback kids - pulled 
off their usual come-from-behind victory and also claimed the class High 
Point and Pacific Coast titles. One point behind Carolyn Hardy's 
Mischief before the last race, they won by the length of a football 
field. Mischief, with Mike Pinckney at the helm, was second but lost on 
the tiebreaker.

Kara Zylstra's 1D35 Wild Thing, with Brian Camet driving, swept its five 
races, and in the handicap classes Dale Williams' ILC 46 Wasabi from St. 
Francis YC completed a 2 ½-month tour of Southern California in which it 
won every event it entered, although this time it had to correct out on 
a pair of 1D48s.

Gordon Miller and Eric Shampain's B-25 Nocona in PHRF 5b and Scott 
Birnberg's Indigo in the J/120 class won all their races.

VIC 2000 series winners were Crocodile Rock, Wild Thing, Indigo, Wings, 
Wasabi, Steve Flam's Melges 24 - this time with Melges driving, Ernie 
Pennell's Farr 44 Bravura in Volvo Class 2, Dale Frye's Dencho 33 James 
Earl in PHRF 5a, Artie Johnson and Rick Means' Melges 30 Muddy Waters in 
PHRF 3, Ron and Bev Coalson's Beneteau 1-42 French Bred in PHRF 4, and 
Ian and Ron Trotter's Andrews 26 Thunderbox in PHRF 5b.

A summary of each day's racing, standings and photos have been posted 
nightly on the event web page: http://www.premiere-racing.com.

The popular regatta marked the opening of summer sailing. This is the 
first time it was sponsored by Boatscape.com. Launched just a year ago, 
Boatscape.com has quickly become a destination site for boaters that 
offers e-commerce information and a maritime Internet community.

Shoreside, the event was based at the Seaport Marina Hotel. Besides the 
title sponsors, Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week was supported by 
Volvo, Team McLube, Corona Light, Fiji Natural Artesian Water, 
Albertson's, Harken, Farr International and J/Boats.

Final standings (5 races):

Class A / Volvo 1 (11 boats)
1. Wasabi (ILC 46), Dale Williams, St. Francis, YC, 1-4-1-2-3, 11 points
2. It's OK (1D48), Lewis Beery/Andy Rose, Balboa YC, 4-6-2-5-4, 21
3. Tribe (1D48), Bob Sullivan, Cortez Racing Association, 5-2-7-9-2, 25.

Class B / Farr 40 (10)
1. Groovederci, Deneen and John Demourkas, Santa Barbara YC, 2-5-2-4-2, 
15
2. Crocodile Rock, Alexandra Geremia, Santa Barbara YC, 1-1-6-5-3, 16
3. Temptress, Alan Field, California YC, 7-2-8-3-1, 21

Class C / Volvo 2 (11)
1. Bravura (Farr 44), Ernie Pennell, San Diego YC, 1-3-1-6-2, 13
2. Impact (Andrews 43), Ron Melville/Kenneth Keading, Santa Barbara YC, 
3-6-2-1-4, 16
3. High 5 (Farr 40), Ross Ritto, San Diego YC, 4-5-4-4-6, 23
4. 
Class D / Melges 24 (14)
1. Full Throttle, Brian Porter, Lake Geneva, Wis., 3-5-1-3-1, 13
2. Late Entry, Buddy Melges/Steve Flam, Alamitos Bay YC, 4-1-4-1-6, 16
3. Typhoon, Tony Wattson, Newport Harbor YC, 1-8-2-2-4, 17

Class E / PHRF 3 (10)
1. Muddy Waters (Melges 30), Artie Johnson/Rick Means, San Diego YC, 1-
1-1-1-7, 11
2. Blade Runner (Express 37), Mick Shlens, Cabrillo Beach YC, 2-4-2-6-1, 
15
3. There & Back Again (Tripp 40), Prestage/Durant, Shoreline YC, 5-2-3-
2-5, 17

Class F / J/105 (6)
1. Clousenu, Thomas Carruthers, San Diego YC, 5-1-2-3-3, 14
2. J-OK, Stewart Cannon, Southwestern YC, 4-2-3-6-1, 16
3. Legacy, Bob and Kathy Patterson, California YC, 2-5-1-5-4, 17

Class G / PHRF 4 (10)
1. Infrared (Davidson 44), Ray Lopez, Sausalito Sailing Club, 1-2-2-1-1, 
7
2. French Bred (Beneteau 1-42), Ron Coalson, Cortez Racing Association, 
4-3-1-6-2, 16
3. Chimera (Baltic 38), O'Connor/Hoenmeyer, California YC, 2-1-8-2-5, 18

Class H / PHRF 5a (11)
1. Blue Moon (J/92),  Roland and Stephanie Fournier, Seal Beach YC, 1-1-
1-2-1, 6
2. James Earl (Dencho 33), Dale Frye, Ventura YC, 2-3-3-3-2, 13
3. Ooh La La (Bravura 29), Leif Bailey, Belmont Shore Sailing 
Association, 4-2-11-1-4, 22

Class I / PHRF 5b (18)
1.   Nocona (B-25), Gordon Miller/Eric Shampain, Oceanside YC, 1-1-1-1-
1, 5
2. Thunderbox (Andrews 26), Ron and Ian Trotter, San Diego YC, 4-5.5-7-
3-6, 25.5
3. Saint Vitus Dance (Andrews 26, Stacy Jackson, Alamitos Bay YC, 3-13-
11-5-2, 34

Class J / Santana 20 (17)
1. Altitude Sickness, Winnard/Infelise/Kerr, Alamitos Bay YC, 3-1-1-2-
10, 17
2. Gremlin, Gordon Wanlass, Balboa YC, 2-2-2-6-5, 17
3.  Bustin' Loose, Rick Harris, Coronado YC, 1-3-5-3-6, 18

Class K / 1D35 (5)
1. Wild Thing, Kara Zylstra, Coronado YC, 1-1-1-1-1, 5
2. Tabasco, John and Steph Wylie, San Diego YC, 3-2-3-3-2,  13
3. KT's Choice, Bud Stratton, San Diego YC, 2-3-2-4-4, 15

Class L / J/120 (8)
1. Indigo, Scott Birnberg, Long Beach YC, 1-1-1-1-1, 5
2. CC Rider, Chuck Nichols, San Diego YC, 2-4-5-2-2, 15
3. Impact Player, Dick Sikorski, Bahia Corinthian YC, 3-2-3-4-4, 16

Class M / Schock 35 (16; Pacific Coast championship)
1. Wings, Dennis and Sharon Case, San Diego YC, 5-1-1-2-1, 10
2. Mischief, Carolyn Hardy, Bahia Corinthian YC, 1-2-2-3-2, 10
3. Whistler, Peter Johnstone/Claudia Wainer, Balboa YC, 3-5-8-1-4, 21

Class N / Olson 30 (22; national championship, 10 races)
1. Perfect Balance, Rick Flucke, Channel Islands YC, 3-1-4-3-1-1-16-1-3-
1, 34
2. War Canoe, Michael Goldfarb, California YC, 5-3-1-2-4-16-8-2-5-2, 48
3. Intense, Allan Rosenberg, Alamitos Bay YC, 4-2-7-5-15-4-1-10-2-6, 56

Complete results at http://www.premiere-racing.com

Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week, Long Beach
http://www.premiere-racing.com 

Bruce Golison
(714) 379-4884
bruce@golison.com

Peter Craig
(781) 639-9545
PremiereRacing@compuserve.com

PUBLICITY
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
cell (310) 213-2526
richroberts@compuserve.com

VIC 2000 PREVIOUS EVENTS
Complete results of Yachting Cup at www.sdyc.org/raceinfo/
Complete results of Cal Race Week at www.calyachtclub.com

			
	
June 24, 2000
For Immediate Release

MELGES - THE LEGEND AND THE BOAT - STILL GOING STRONG 

LONG BEACH, Calif. - After a one-day lapse, the wind gods returned 
with a passion to Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week Saturday and 
breathed new life into at least one veteran campaigner.

You have heard the name Melges? On this day, the boat and the man 
were one and the same. The legend from Zenda, Wis. himself, Buddy 
Melges - Olympic gold medalist, twice Star class world champion, 
victorious America's Cup helmsman -- drove a Melges 24 to first and 
fourth places to gain a second-place tie, one point behind Newport 
Harbor Yacht Club's Argyle Campbell.

All 14 classes will sail their last two races on Sunday.

Melges' tie is with Brian Porter, a neighbor from Lake Geneva, Wis. 
who has Buddy's son Harry as part of his three-man crew.

"He really wants to win," said Steve Flam, the Long Beach-based 
veteran who co-owns the boat with Mark Golison. "It'll be a war 
tomorrow."

Harry now runs Melges Boat Works in Zenda, but Buddy Melges, 70, 
doesn't own one of the spirited, bowspritted craft that were at the 
forefront of the lightweight sport boat revolution in the 90s.

"I should get more respect from my children," he said. "I think they 
should give me a boat."

Golison was unable to sail because he is one of the organizers of 
this event. Flam asked Melges to drive the boat. They finished fourth 
in Friday's light-air race, and the fire returned to Melges' eyes. 

After Friday's frustrating single-digit southerlies, the breeze at 
mid-day Saturday was at 10 knots from about 210 degrees, which is 
west of Santa Catalina Island 22 ½ miles off the coast and typically 
opens the door to a building sea breeze through the San Pedro 
Channel. Also typically, it clocked steadily right throughout the 
afternoon, and before the record entry list of 170 boats had 
completed its two races spray was flying and spinnakers flogging out 
of control.

Melges said, "We were leading Friday's light-air race but got too 
cute and outsmarted ourselves into fourth place. Today we went right. 
It's a parade in Long Beach, so boat speed is very significant - and 
patience. Even though the course is one-sided, it puts the onus on 
the crew to adjust to the changing conditions."

Flam said, "What do you tell a legend? We're just, 'What kind of 
sandwich do you want, Mr. Melges?' We haven't quite asked him for his 
autograph at the leeward mark."

Five class leaders are working on perfect records after three races: 
Rick Means and Artie Johnson's Melges 30 Muddy Waters in PHRF 3, 
Roland and Stephanie's Fournier's J/92 Blue Moon in PHRF 5a, the 
Miller/Shampain B-25 Nocona in PHRF 5b, Kara Zylstra's Wild Thing in 
the 1D35s and Scott Birnberg's Indigo in the J/120s.

Also, Dennis and Sharon Case sailed their Schock 35 Wings to two wins 
Saturday to move within two points of Carolyn Hardy's Mischief.

A summary of each day's racing, standings and photos are posted 
nightly on the event web page: http://www.premiere-racing.com.

The popular regatta marks the opening of summer sailing. This is the 
first time it has been sponsored by Boatscape.com. Launched just a 
year ago, Boatscape.com has quickly become a destination site for 
boaters that offers e-commerce information and a maritime Internet 
community.

Shoreside, the event is based at the Seaport Marina Hotel. Besides 
the title sponsors, Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week is supported 
by Volvo, Team McLube, Corona Light, Fiji Natural Artesian Water, 
Albertson's, Harken, Farr International and J/Boats.

Standings (after 3 of 5 races):

Class A / Volvo 1 (11 boats)
1. Wasabi (ILC 46), Dale Williams, St. Francis, YC, 1-4-1, 6 points
2. It's OK (1D48), Lewis Beery/Andy Rose, Balboa YC, 4-6-2, 12
3. Falcon (Tripp 50), David Janes, Bahia Corinthian YC, 2-1-10, 13

Class B / Farr 40 (10)
1. Crocodile Rock, Alexandra Geremia, Santa Barbara YC, 1-1-6, 8
2. Groovederci, Deneen and John Demourkas, Santa Barbara YC, 2-5-2, 9
3. Endurance, Michael Condon, San Francisco YC, 4-4-4, 12

Class C / Volvo 2 (11)
1. Bravura (Farr 44), Ernie Pennell, San Diego YC, 1-3-1, 5
2. Impact (Andrews 43), Ron Melville/Kenneth Keading, Santa Barbara 
YC, 3-6-2, 11
3. High 5 (Farr 40), Ross Ritto, San Diego YC, 4-5-4, 13
4. 
Class D / Melges 24 (14)
1. Rock & Roll, Argyle Campbell, Newport Harbor YC, 2-3-3, 8
2. Full Throttle, Brian Porter, Lake Geneva, Wis., 3-5-1, 9
3. Late Entry, Buddy Melges/Steve Flam, Alamitos Bay YC, 4-1-4, 9

Class E / PHRF 3 (10)
1. Muddy Waters (Melges 30), Artie Johnson/Rick Means, San Diego YC, 
1-1-1, 3
2. Blade Runner (Express 37), Mick Shlens, Cabrillo Beach YC, 2-4-2, 
8
3. There & Back Again (Tripp 40), Prestage/Durant, Shoreline YC, 5-2-
3, 10

Class F / J/105 (6)
1. Legacy, Bob and Kathy Patterson, California YC, 2-5-1, 8
2. Clousenu, Thomas Carruthers, San Diego YC, 5-1-2, 8
3. J-OK, Stewart Cannon, Southwestern YC, 4-2-3, 9

Class G / PHRF 4 (10)
1. Infrared (Davidson 44), Ray Lopez, Sausalito Sailing Club, 1-2-2, 
5
2. French Bred (Beneteau 1-42), Ron Coalson, Cortez Racing 
Association, 4-3-1, 8
3. Chimera (Baltic 38), O'Connor/Hoenmeyer, California YC, 2-1-8, 11

Class H / PHRF 5a (11)
1. Blue Moon (J/92),  Roland and Stephanie Fournier, Seal Beach YC, 
1-1-1, 3
2. James Earl (Dencho 33), Dale Frye, Ventura YC, 2-3-3, 8
3. Mac's (J/29), Eric and Steve McClure, Alamitos Bay YC, 13

Class I / PHRF 5b (18)
1.  Nocona (B-25), Miller/Shampain, Oceanside YC, 1-1-1, 3
2. Thunderbox (Andrews 26), Ron and Ian Trotter, San Diego YC, 4-5.5-
7, 16.5
3. Scrambled (Kirby 30), Geff Fisher, Point Loma YC, 11-7-2, 20

Class J / Santana 20 (17)
1. Altitude Sickness, Winnard/Infelise/Kerr, Alamitos Bay YC, 3-1-1, 
5
2. Gremlin, Gordon Wanlass, Balboa YC, 2-2-2, 6
3.  Bustin' Loose, Rick Harris, Coronado YC, 1-3-5, 9

Class K / 1D35 (5)
1. Wild Thing, Kara Zylstra, Coronado YC, 1-1-1, 3
2. KT's Choice, Bud Stratton, San Diego YC, 2-3-2, 7
3. Tabasco, John and Steph Wylie, San Diego YC, 3-2-3, 8

Class L / J/120 (8)
1. Indigo, Scott Birnberg, Long Beach YC, 1-1-1, 3
2. Impact Player, Dick Sikorski, Bahia Corinthian YC, 3-2-3, 8
3. CC Rider, Chuck Nichols, San Diego YC, 2-4-5, 11

Class M / Schock 35 (16; Pacific Coast championship)
1. Mischief, Carolyn Hardy, Bahia Corinthian YC, 1-2-2, 5
2. Wings, Dennis and Sharon Case, San Diego YC, 5-1-1, 7
3. Outlier, Dick Schmidt/Gwen Gordon, California YC, 2-3-3, 8

Class N / Olson 30 (22; national championship, after 8 of 10 races)
1. Perfect Balance, Rick Flucke, Channel Islands YC, 3-1-4-3-1-1-16-
1, 30
2. Blue Star, Spencer/Downey, Pacific Corinthian YC, 1-4-6-6-7-2-10-
4, 40
3. War Canoe, Michael Goldfarb, California YC, 5-3-1-2-4-16-8-2, 41

			
June 22, 2000	
For Immediate Release

RECORD 170 ENTRIES SUFFER RARE LIGHT AIR AT LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Sunshine, shirtsleeve sailing and a record number 
of entries ushered in the 16th annual Boatscape.com/North Sails Race 
Week Friday. Only Long Beach's usually reliable wind was a no-show for 
opening day's single race.

The 170 boats in 14 classes found only 8 knots when they arrived at 
their three courses in mid-afternoon, and that steadily faded to 3 by 
the end of the day. With downwind jibing angles becoming sharper than 
upwind tacking angles, the race was a desperate search for puffs that 
sent the fleets off to opposite corners of the courses.

Those who looked real smart by the end of the day included Dale 
Williams' ILC 46 Wasabi from St. Francis YC, Alexandra Geremia's Farr 40 
Crocodile Rock, Santa Barbara YC, and Kara Zylstra's 1D35 Wild Thing - 
all in the running for overall victories in the Volvo Inshore 
Championships, following successes at the San Diego Yacht Club's 
Yachting Cup and the California YC's Cal Race Week.

Impressive wins also came from Newport Harbor YC's Tony Wattson, sailing 
his new Melges 24 Typhoon, and Rick Flucke, who stormed the 22-boat 
Olson 30 fleet in light air even worse than he had in 15 knots of breeze 
Thursday. 

For their national championship, the Olsons are sailing 10 races to 
everyone else's five. Flucke, the 1994 national champion, was 3-1-1 
Friday after a 3-1-4 start to seize a 13-point lead.

Wattson had one conspicuous competitor on his crew -- two-time world 
champion Vince Brun - in turning away a gang of 14 rivals that included 
Buddy Melges driving local Steve Flam's entry.

A summary of each day's racing, standings and photos are posted nightly 
on the event web page: http://www.premiere-racing.com.

This is the first time the popular regatta marking the opening of summer 
sailing has been sponsored by Boatscape.com. Launched just a year ago, 
Boatscape.com has quickly become a destination site for boaters that 
offers e-commerce information and a maritime Internet community.

Shoreside, the event is based at the Seaport Marina Hotel. Besides the 
title sponsors, Boatscape.com/North Sails Race Week is supported by 
Volvo, Team McLube, Corona Light, Fiji Natural Artesian Water, 
Albertson's, Harken, Farr International and J/Boats.

Standings (after 1 of 5 races):

Class A / Volvo 1 (11 boats)
1. Wasabi (ILC 46), Dale Williams, St. Francis, YC
2. Falcon (Tripp 50), David Janes, Bahia Corinthian YC
3. Margaritaville (Farr 50), Jay Steinbeck, California YC

Class B / Farr 40 (10)
1. Crocodile Rock, Alexandra Geremia, Santa Barbara YC
2. Groovederci, Deneen and John Demourkas, Santa Barbara YC
3. Shadow, Peter Sternberg, San Francisco YC

Class C / Volvo 2 (11)
1. Bravura (Farr 44), Ernie Pennell, San Diego YC
2. Pendragon 2 (Davidson 44), David Gray, South Shore YC
3. Impact (Andrews 43), Ron Melville/Kenneth Keading, Santa Barbara YC

Class D / Melges 24 (14)
1. Typhoon, Tony Wattson, Newport Harbor YC
2. Rock & Roll, Argyle Campbell, Newport Harbor YC
3. Full Throttle, Brian Porter, Lake Geneva, Wis.

Class E / PHRF 3 (10)
1. Muddy Waters (Melges 30), Artie Johnson/Rick Means, San Diego YC
2. Blade Runner (Express 37), Mick Shlens, Cabrillo Beach YC
3. Max Q (Melges 30), Dennis Grose, Bahia Corinthian YC

Class F / J/105 (6)
1. Pendragon, Lewis/Brown, Bahia Corinthian YC
2. Legacy, Bob and Kathy Patterson, California YC
3. J-Hawk, Brown/Lemberger, California YC

Class G / PHRF 4 (10)
1. Infrared (Davidson 44), Ray Lopez, Sausalito Sailing Club
2. Chimera (Baltic 38), O'Connor/Hoenmeyer, California YC
3.  Sorcerer (New York 36), Rosene/McKeever, Balboa YC