|
BACK IN BUSINESS AT ACURA KEY WEST 2008
(January 24, 2008) There was much rejoicing around the Conch Republic on
Thursday. The wind gods smiled on Acura Key West 2008, presented by Nautica,
delivering excellent racing conditions and bringing much joy to both
competitors and organizers. Early forecasts for Thursday were not favorable
and talk on the dock was that another day of racing might be lost. Racing had
been abandoned on Monday because of too much wind and Wednesday as a result
of too little.
However, conditions proved even better than expected with the wind starting
at 5-8 knots from the southwest then clocking around to the north and
increasing to 12 knots. That allowed for two races on all four courses and
resulted in an awful lot of happy faces when the boats returned to port.
“What a surprise! We had very nice sailing conditions today, the best we’ve
had all week,” said Dave Ullman, who holds fourth place in Melges 24 class.
“It didn’t look promising last night, but if any of us could really predict
the weather, we would be in a different business.”
There was minimal shakeup in the standings with the lead changing hands in
only five of 16 classes. However, the difference between the first and second
boat in the other 11 classes is six points or less and things could change
dramatically before this series concludes. It sets the stage for the final
day at Acura Key West 2008 with organizers moving the first gun up one hour
and planning to conduct three races, with early forecasts calling for 15-20
knot winds.
Scuttlebutt
|
