For those who do not know Dave, he is a dedicated volunteer in the New Orleans Sailing World.  Erwin lead a team to develop NOYC.org to an unprecedented demand exceeding 6,000,000 hits and added the message board in 2002 which served as a communications point for many sailors in the GYA during the Katrina disaster. Dave has served on the New Orleans YC Board and Flag roles for several terms and is rumored to run for Commodore next year.  He is one of seven outstanding sailors who won 5 consecutive North American Championships in the J/30 class.  As a past Leukemia Cup Chairman, his team broke the $100,000 mark for this first time in history. Erwin’s next challenge is to rebuild the NOYC Race Committee with help from many volunteers to include Paul McCaskell, Phil Pizzeck, David Herrera, Mike Howell and many others.

We had a chance to catch up with Dave at his top secret lunch location in Metairie to get his story about NOYC’s RC in the past and future.

NOYC.org:  Tell us about what it was like to run RC this past year – post Katrina.

Dave:  Katrina left us with very little. We lost NOYC1, flags, racing marks, Autohoot, basically everything. Due to the generosity of CSA, SYC and Bob Maher, were able to host the full schedule of races.  CSA loaned us supplies, Shawn O’Daniels purchased us a brand new set of North Sails RC flags. Bob Maher offered the use of Second Cup.  SYC let us use Patrol II during Mardi Gras Regatta.  Robert Wientjes, Rob Grisoli and Guy Brierre have loaned scat boats. Without this generosity, we would have struggled to run races. 

NOYC.org:  What is it like to run a race?

Dave:  At times it is really tough to watch the sailboats go by. You really miss the sport. It takes dedication and sacrifice to provide RC services to your fellow clubs and co-sailors.

The Race Committee is responsible for executing the race from start to finish per US Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing (R.R.S), GYA regulations, the NOR and SIs as provided by the organizing authority.  Of course, Safety is priority number one.

The key is to stay connected with the sailors regarding course selection and design. Some of the PHRF sailors want reaching legs, some do not.  You have to balance needs of everyone and keep the race challenging enough for all.  Mardi Gras Regatta weekend for example, we were trying to keep the Finns separated from the Capd sailors at the finish line.  In doing so, the length of the Finn course was way too short causing more spectating etc. 

Raising flags and executing the race is the easy part, unless of course you have to use the black flag in a starting sequence.  If the wind is blowing, be prepared for some prep flags other than “P” this year.

Wednesday nights are really a blast as there is about 10 minutes of activity to start a race.  Then one to two hours to relax before you finish and score.  Since we sail at night, NOYC’s policy for each boat to register every Wednesday so we can account all sailboats.  It REALLY helps to register online so we can pre-enter boats in the scoring program.  The address to register online is available by accessing http://noyc.org/register.shtml.

When returning to shore, you definitely need thick skin.  You have to be a good listener.

NOYC.org:  Who is Dr. Rules and were did he/she go?

I have signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I can’t say anything other than she is a good friend to all of us.  I can not reveal which country she lives.  Simply post a question to Dr. Rules and she will give you a certified answer.  When asking the questions on the NOYC.org/forum, it is a great learning experience for all.

NOYC.org:   Was it hard to find people to help last year?

Dave:   We’ll that is the thing about running race committee on Second Cup.  We had to turn people away.  That is a good problem to have.  On Wednesday nights, we basically need two people to run flags, one to watch the line with x-ray flag in hand and a Principle Race Officer (PRO) to pick the course, square the line and manage the start and finishing process.  We use two volunteers to record the scores.  Everyone should offer to do RC at least once a year.

NOYC.org:  We see you working as many SYC races as NOYC.  What’s the deal here?

Dave:  As big as SYC is, they still have resource issues due to the mass number of races they host.  I would like to think they have added me to the permanent reserve list. We’re one virtual Race Committee now-a-days.  I will be working on my regional certification which requires you to serve as RCs across the nation in the future.   If you think about it, this is a great way to ensure that all RCs are running races using the exact same procedures across the nation and world.  US Sailing encourages this sort of regional and national participation.

NOYC.org:   Sugar Bowl Regatta results took many days to make available online. Why does this take so long?

Dave:   The one design races were scored on paper.  For large races, it takes time to compile this information for posting online.   The lake clubs are trying to standardize scoring programs so we can help each other out – especially for the larger regattas.  For Wednesday night regattas, we typically post results before we dock using wireless technology.  There is no reason why we can’t do this for larger regattas in the future.

Many YCs fail to take the step to post results online.  This is a huge mistake.  As an example, I hope to volunteer to help the Opti RC post results online.  This information is shared with others in a MYSpace sort of way.  If I wanted to drive web traffic up on Thursday morning, simply withhold the online results.  I wouldn’t do this of course.  My message here is post information about regattas as timely as possible.  People want to know.  Our traffic reports suggest that several sailors actually share information relative to regattas electronically. 

NOYC.org:  How did you learn how to run races?

Dave:   Bought a book called Racing Rules of Sailing.  Everyone should have a copy, Right?  Is your copy Red or Blue?  You need to keep up with the rules as they change every 3 years. 

Wallace Paletou, John Wolf and Phil Pizzeck taught me pretty much everything you can’t learn in books.

There are some pretty good RC officers across the GYA.  I haven’t met Tooty yet, but I have been told that he is one of the best.  I have really been impressed with Wallace Paletou, Nathan Adams and Karen Reisch at SYC.  I have the benefit of a great coach and mentor, Norton Booker in the past.  He will be missed dearly by many.

NOYC has a great team. Phil Pizzeck served as PRO at Mardi Gras Regatta. David Herrera is running the current Wednesday night series. Paul McCaskell, Barry Hurlburt, Don Griglack and Mike Howell will be running races later this year. The larger the Race Committee team, the more Dave gets to sail!

The bottom line here is we learn from each other.

I recommend any interested to pursue the US Sailing Certification program.  There is an excellent course both basic and advanced taught by Houston Yacht Club’s Jim Tichenor which I highly recommend. When John moved to Seattle, this created a huge void.  I had to step in with very little experience to keep things going – with lots of help.  This training program fast tracked skills.

Here is a recommended source of Race Management information available on USSailing.org:

http://www.ussailing.org/racemgt/

NOYC.org:  Do Race Committees make mistakes? 

Dave:   Of course.

NOYC.org:  Example?

Dave:  After resetting the staring line a dozen times during the 2006 Mardi Gras regatta, we were mentally tired and started a Capdevielle Race while the wind shifted more than 20 degrees to the right.  For many, the first leg was a beat without a single tack.  Our thinking was if we postponed the race, we would fail to get in 5 races.  This thinking was obviously wrong and we took some punches from several people.  We should have restarted the race.  Race Committees like most sailors sometimes make mistakes. 

Of course, after a 60 degree shift at the 2007 Mardi Gras regatta,  we stopped the race to reset marks.  Some racers actually complained about that.  Go figure.

NOYC.org: Tell us about NOYC II.

Dave:  Kyle Smith connected us with Gulf Traveler, a Halter Marine boat with a Cummings 555 (aka Triple Nickle) single screw.  In many aspects this boat is laid out much better than NOYC1.  We have a lot of work to do such as installing a mast, generator and A/C unit with windless, bow pulpit and Bose sterio system etc…  Donations are welcomed!   She did very well at Mardi Gras regatta.  I am pretty sure this is the same boat that Gulfport YC uses for RC.

NOYC.org:   What types of courses will we see this year?

Dave:  Perhaps we’ll see XUH 4 times around again, but the Regatta Committee is looking at other options such as staggered starts and a Big Wheel Regatta for fun.   There are limited options when the wind is blowing from the NorthEast or SouthEast, so the favorite – JHA will be back for sure.  Let us know what you would like, we’ll entertain all requests.

NOYC.org:  Any chance of a mega regatta in the near future.

Dave:  Last year at the Leukemia Cup kickoff party, Gary Jobson told me that the GYA was in the best position to get the Olympic trials, which Katrina effectively eliminated our chances. The reasons provided were shifting wind conditions and the team work between clubs across the GYA.  Everyone worked together to produce a much better product.  Sharing the victory is a must.

I am pushing for the NOOD and Premier Racing organizers to visit us during LPRC (which should be renamed to New Orleans Race Week).  Perhaps we should combine Mardi Gras Regatta and Leukemia Cup to attract boats coming from Key West and Miami in February.  The answer to this question is yes, but we need to take our strengths and fill voids to make it happen.  One of our weaknesses is the number of certified Principle Race Officers (PROs) and US Sailing Judges in the GYA.  I recommend a future interview with US Sailing Judge, Mike Posey.  He can tell people who are interested the steps to become a judge. We simply need to get those numbers up to meet the demands of the future.

Within our current set of race officers we also have many who are not qualified or trained to run team and/or match racing events.  These are areas which we need to improve to keep up with the rest of the nation.

Let’s think outside of the box and see what happens.

NOYC.org:  Special thanks for taking time out of your business schedule away from the Top Secret Lunch place to do this quick interview.  There is a rumor that some of the Hooters girls have been recruited to assist RC. Is this true?

Dave:  Absolutely a possibility. Hosting a guest or two out on the RC boats is a great way to learn the sport and recruit new sailors. Some say it should be a required initiation.

Look for a future party soon to honor everyone who helps the RC this year. And don’t forget to say: Thank You Race Committee when crossing the finish line. 

-- Troy Gilbert

NEW ORLEANS, LA For those who do not already know Gary Jobson, he is a world class sailor, television commentator and author based in Annapolis, Maryland. He has won many championships in one design classes, the America's Cup with Ted Turner in 1977, the infamous Fastnet Race and many of the world's ocean races. In college he was an All American sailor three times and was twice named College Sailor of the Year (1972, 1973).

In October 2003 Gary was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame by the Herreshoff Marine Museum. In 1999 Jobson won the Nathanael G. Herreshoff Trophy, US Sailing’s most prestigious award. This trophy is awarded annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the sport of sailing in the United States.

Jobson has been ESPN's sailing commentator since 1985. In 1988 Jobson won an Emmy for his coverage of yachting at the Olympic Games in South Korea. Gary has authored 15 sailing books and is Editor at Large of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. His newest book is titled A Cat: A Century of Tradition.

Gary, a surviving lymphoma patient is the National Regatta Chairman of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's sailing program and will be speaking at the Leukemia Cup Regatta kick-off party at Southern Yacht Club (SYC), this January 30th, 2007 @ 7:00 PM. Junior sailors are encouraged to visit SYC at 6:00 PM for a special presentation to our future sailors.

Over the past twenty-five years Gary has given nearly 2000 lectures throughout the world. He started his career as a sailing coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Gary is also an active cruising sailor. He has led ambitious expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctica and Cape Horn.

He currently races his Etchells and owns a Sabre 402.

Gary and his wife, Janice, have three college age daughters: Kristi (22) Harvard '06, Ashleigh (19) Univ. of MD '09, Brooke (19) NYU '09

NOYC.org recently caught up with Gary for a quick interview. Enjoy the reading and we hope to see everyone at the kick-off party.

NOYC.org: How did you get started with the Leukemia Cup Regatta series?

Jobson: In 1993 I was asked to be on a committee to support a "Leukemia Cup Regatta" in Annapolis. I attended several meetings and spoke at the opening ceremony. 20 people showed up. It was a slow start but we recruited 100 boats to sail in the regatta and raised $30,000. Two months later I was asked to explain sailing at a National Leukemia Cup Society meeting and came up with the idea of doing it nationally. The date was October 1993.

NOYC.org: What is your most memorable regatta to date?

Jobson: Sailing with Tom Dreyfus on a 70 foot sled in 20 knots off SYC.

NOYC.org: How many regattas will be held this year and how much will be raised for the Leukemia Society?

Jobson: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is planning on 50 regattas and raising over $3.5 million.

NOYC.org: How many Leukemia Society events have you personally attended?

Jobson:  216

NOYC.org: When you became spokesman for the Leukemia Society did you ever think that you would be so personally involved?

Jobson:  No. It was a volunteer effort that seemed like a good idea. I did not plan on being a consumer of the research.

NOYC.org:  What could we sailors do to convince ESPN to cover more sailing?

Jobson: Help us improve our ratings. The following programs will be airing this year:
Acura Key West Race Week, March 11 at 1:30 pm ET on ESPN2
Acura Miami Race Week, March 31 at 12:30 pm ET on ESPN2
America's Cup 1851-2007, April 13 at 7:00pm on ESPN Classic

References:
Jobson Sailing
Save the Date Flyer
Official Regatta Web Site

- Bob Maher

NOYC.org - With regards to racing the Open 50 and the MINI, what are the campaigns that you want to take on over the next few years?

Finn - After much consideration I am prepared to focus almost exclusively on the Mini for the next couple of years.  The Open 50’ is a wonderful boat and I have learned a lot about sailing swing keel/water ballasted boats since joining Kip Stone and the ArtForms team over a year ago.  As much as I’d like to move into the larger Open Classes such as the 50’s and 60’s I am still a long way off from finding the sort of funding required for such a project.  As it stands now, I have a proven Mini design and several years to train leading up to 2009 Mini Transat.  This is a race I feel like I have to do.

NOYC.org - How has that MINI performed out on the Lake?

Finn - She has performed surprisingly well for her 21’ length and PHRF rating of 75.  So far we have only done three Wednesday night races and in two of those we’ve scored 3rd and 1st in fleet.  What we know is that she is very fast on light air reaches with the code zero and she cannot come close to her rating upwind in anything.  These are the only conditions we’ve had the opportunity to race in so far.  There is still a tremendous amount to learn about making the boat fast and reliable, which Clark Thompson and I will be working on leading up to the 2007 Bermuda 1-2.

NOYC.org - What exactly is Ryan Finn Ocean Racing going to be working on up at Annapolis?

Finn - We will be there to drum up excitement about Mini racing in the States, my campaign and the Owen/Clarke production Mini that we plan to build here in New Orleans.

NOYC.org - How best would you describe the racing atmosphere outside of the States?

Finn - Much, much better, in every class.  At least in Europe.  From shorthanded ocean racing to small boat one design, the Europeans are much farther ahead in the game of commercializing sailing.

NOYC.org - Has NOYC approached you about using the MINI for Challenge Cup?

Finn - Nope, and unless my rating is improved and they start putting a few distance races in the format, I won’t have to worry about other people breaking my boat for a while.

NOYC.org - How closely are you working with Clark Thompson and Cat 5 on building production of the MINI's in New Orleans?

Finn - I’m sort of in an advisory role there.  Nothing formal yet.

NOYC.org - Any word on any other MINI's coming to the Lake or Gulf Coast?

Finn - So far nothing solid.  I’m still trying to find a way to get Anthony Hudson a boat.  It looks like we’ll just have to build them.

NOYC.org - Have you named your MINI yet?

Finn - Not officially, but I’m thinking “Hey America, Louisiana is Disappearing” or HALID… something to that effect.  This is one of those things that just needs to be spelled out.  Its amazing how little Americans know about coastal erosion and how hugely it’s affecting Louisiana.  It was amazing how little I knew about it up until a year ago!  I was watching Robert Smithson’s “Spiral Jetty” when it was happening under my own feet!

NOYC.org - Word is that you plan on using your racing platform to help bring about awareness for coastal restoration in Louisiana, tell us a little bit about your goals here and some of the things you've been doing?

Finn - You noticed.  Currently I travel quite a bit, so whenever I’m asked how things are in New Orleans I take the opportunity to explain the harsh realities of living on or near the Louisiana Gulf Coast.  I mention that we lose 26 square miles of wetland each year, which is more than is lost anywhere else in the world!  And that Louisiana represents over 40% of the nation’s wetlands. I always make it clear that there is a solution to the problem and that while the US government has spent billions of dollars in Boston to help solve a traffic problem, a nasty one it may have been, they are allowing the Louisiana coast, our first line of defense against hurricanes like Katrina, to disappear.

I can just imagine the thought process in Washington.  “I don’t know which has a worse effect on US citizens, really bad traffic in Boston or New Orleans filling with water.  Maybe, I mean it’s possible people will drown in their attics, but I don’t know, I’ve never drowned in my attic. I have however sat through traffic, and traffic - now I can tell you from first hand experience - that it is inconvenient!  Besides, New Orleans hasn’t contributed anything since drunken naked people, and I have a family now.  Do people even vote in New Orleans?”

Dear Uncle Sam,

We don’t like traffic either, but there is a reason we sit through it during evacuations.

Sincerely,

Everyone on the entire Gulf Coast

But as of yet I don’t have a formalized approach to educating people on coastal issues.  The biggest step is getting people to realize that we have coastal issues.  Traffic would be a luxury.

NOYC.org - With a lot of us living vicariously through you on these endeavors, how can your local fan base help you bring these challenges to fruition?

Finn - I really need a title sponsor.  Mostly we are focusing on companies who are looking for representation in Europe, but with two years leading up to my bringing the boat to Europe, there are lots of opportunities for good press in the States.

More info on Ryan can be found on his website, Ryan Finn Ocean Racing

If your company would be interested in sponsoring Ryan, please contact his team directly through the website where they can provide you with all the details. Or if you’d like to make a personal/corporate monetary donation to Ryan Finn’s campaigns, please mail a check to the following. He will be eternally grateful.

Ryan Finn Ocean Racing, LLC

1020 Race St. Suite 1

New Orleans, LA 70130

Interviewed for NOYC.org by Troy Gilbert

Story by Troy Gilbert

“We were trimming in and I had a boat above me and a boat to leeward of me and I had to go right then. I’m screaming Choquer! Choquer! So my mainsheet trimmer is easing when I meant trim. He goes almost all the way out with it and now I’m really screaming Choquer! and then I realize I’m screaming the wrong thing. Oh no! Border! Border!”  It didn’t bode well for New Orleans racer and sailmaker, Benz Faget, competing in the Zoo Regatta on the island of Guadeloupe this past January.

In a race peppered with America’s Cup sailors and more than a few Rolex’s getting wet, it’s safe to assume that being forced to race with a pick-up crew who only spoke French and starting out with a 6^th and a 4^th in the Championship round – the odds were pretty insurmountable that he could win.

Having his regular crew back in New Orleans standing down because of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Benz remembers telling them, “Don’t worry about it. This is going to be a total shambles anyway.”

Luckily, the race organizers cobbled together a mish-mash of crew for him made up of a charter boat Captain who had only raced twice and three others who had crewed on boats that didn’t even make it into the Zoo qualifying round - only two of them had ever raced together before.

Meeting them for the first time as he walked up the dock at the marina in Gosier, he was promptly handed a hastily typed up French to English translation of sailing terms and then ferried out to the course for their only practice before the qualifying rounds started the next day.

Onboard one of the six identical Jeanneau Sun Fast 37’s that the 12 teams would be swapping between, Benz split his time trying to learn French and feeling less and less confident as they worked through the four-hour practice on the mile long course.

Benz details their first experience together on the boat, “With the winds pushing 25-30 knots, some of the really good teams had America’s Cup people onboard and they were having troubles. But that was nothing compared to us. As we were rounding the first mark, I needed one of the crew to pull the guy back, but he had no idea of what I was saying, so I mean I had to look at my cheat sheet and find the translation. The paper was already soaking wet. My crew didn’t understand a single word I was saying.”

“That first practice we couldn’t even get the spinnaker up.” Benz continues, “ I’m watching the Italians and they’re out there putting it up and doing a couple of gybes and a douse at the bottom mark, and I said we’re in deep shit.”

“We started to figure it out though.” With the crew especially weak working with the chute, Benz took it upon himself to fly it while helming the boat. He explains, “The winches for the spinnaker were right by the helm. From there, I could more or less just manhandle the sheets. I could at least hold it, trim it and sort of steer under the chute. That’s how we ended up getting around the race course. They kept wanting to grab the spinnaker and trim it, but there were just too many jobs to do for only four people, even the good people. As it turned out, it ended up being a little lighter over the weekend, it was blowing 18 or something. I don’t think I could have pulled it off for the practice, but most of the conditions for the weekend were a lot lighter, although we did get some pretty heavy squalls.”

With two classes of six, Saturday’s qualifying races would determine the top three finishers of the two classes who would then compete on Sunday in the Gold Round with the bottom six finishers racing in the Silver Round. The two classes would alternate racing as they traded off boats, with the first crew retiring to the shore after completing two races.

After the practice day turned out to be a total disaster, Benz smiles as he describes the racing on Saturday. “The first day I got in there, the very first race, we won. There was this huge 30 degree wind shift, and I was the only one who went that way. I was watching this squall, and it went outside, and I went towards the squall, and the wind came over 30 degrees to the right and I tacked over and reached in to the weather mark while everyone else was sitting in light air.”

After the first two races, Benz was standing even with skipper Chris Rosenberg with a first and a second. When they traded off boats with the second class, they retired to shore and he and Rosenberg, as the two leaders, were swarmed on the dock by the foreign press.

In the second two race series, Benz was able to chalk up a third and another first placing him easily into second behind Rosenberg who came up with another first and a second. Benz describes how after four, it was now impossible for him not to qualify for the Gold Round, so he relaxed a bit and pulled down a third and a fourth in the final two races to finish second overall behind Rosenberg in the qualifiers.

Benz was charged for the final day of racing as was his crew. He states, “They were pretty excited to be in the Gold Round. This was a big, big deal happening on their home turf. Before this they weren’t even going to get to crew in it. Now suddenly they can crew in it, and here they are - crew for some dumb American, who can’t speak… much less speak French – you know I mumble both languages. But I had won a lot of their confidence that first race day.”

Unfortunately, the day started disastrously. Benz explains, “The first race I was over the line and I didn’t know what they were saying over the radio because it was in French. The crew finally was able to explain it to me, but we were already 100 yards down the course and I was pinned in between two boats. We had to go back. It was awful, but we almost caught the 5^th boat.” Benz and his crew finished the first race with a 6^th.

The second race was almost as bad, as they ran into topping lift and even more language miscues. They finished 4^th, swapped off their boat, and headed to shore to wait for their next two race series.

Pulling down a 6^th and a 4^th for the first two races was a devastating way to start, but Benz was loathe to come all this way and finish last in the Gold Round. He explains, “I was like, I’ve got to try something. I’ve got a 6/4 and I have to finish more reasonable than this. I’m not going to finish last in the Gold Round.”

Benz started making adjustments to try and increase power and explains, “We were going to move the jib lead forward, but I kept trying to find vice grips. I couldn’t explain vice grips in French. I figured I could vice grip off the genoa car, to where there was a big hole further forward. Everybody else was pretty much using the same hole. It was a huge move, like six inches, we moved it forward and I told them if I say ‘No, No’ to move it back after the start.”

He further details the adjustments, “We were also not quite as tight on the jib, lead forward, twisted mainsail, and a lot of headstay sag.”

“I was in last after the first two races. I was in the worst possible spot. It was so critical to get away from the line.” Benz explains further, “But all of a sudden I had speed to burn. I started the next race, it wasn’t a great start, it was ok, but I just climbed off of everybody else. I realized man do I have a huge pedal here. I finished like a half leg ahead – maybe 3 quarters before everyone else.”

The next two races were more of the same according to Benz, “I just had speed to freaking burn. What I had set up was just so much faster, you could visually notice that we were going faster upwind, and of course, we’re out of the pack. They’re all fighting, and we were gone. I mean we were gone. Nobody blocking our wind downwind, we were far enough ahead at both weather marks those next two races that there was no one on that wind – we were free sail the whole run on it. Just go at the mark, go back upwind and there was no way these people were going to catch us - just keep sailing away with speed. On the downwind leg, we’d move our leads back again, tighten the headstay back up, ease the foot of the main, change our settings. I was hiding my tricks because we traded off the boats after each race.”

Going into the final race of the Gold Round, Benz was now sitting with a 6^th, 4^th and three 1^st place finishes, which placed him again in a strong second behind Rosenberg. The only way Benz could now bring home anything better than second was if he finished three places ahead of Rosenberg.

With helicopters and cigarette boats lined with media creating near havoc, the six boats racing in the Gold Round jockeyed around for the start and knowing how critical the start was for this short course, Benz enthusiastically relates the battle at the start between himself and Chris Rosenberg, “He goes out there and jumps me. He attacks right off the bat. He starts match racing. Remember there are ‘on the water’ umpires, so they were watching us closely. He does a reversal on me, and I reversed at the same time, but I was coming at him on starboard, so he had to swing up. I now sat there luffing, head to wind, but way above layline for the committee boat, and then he trimmed in to try and get over me, and I trimmed in and luffed him up again. So at the start I had him pinned down on the wrong side of the Committee Boat sitting in irons, and I bore off and started. Mind you with all of these maneuvers I am calling out orders in French, but it was starting to get natural by this point. I’m sure all of my pronunciations were incorrect, but my crew were getting the point of it.”

Benz continues, “Chris couldn’t get up to the line. He started like dead last, and again it was pedal to the metal for us. I put almost a half a leg on him. Well he very brightly, he’s a very good sailor, works his way up to third place in that race. So now we’re looking at I’ve got to win and he’s got to finish fourth. So it was still almost impossible.”

“We’re winning again, but he was fast to the weather mark. He ended passing two boats heading downwind, and then passes up the third place boat, a quarter way up the beat. So I’m like screw this, I had to go back to him. I turn downwind, my crew starts flipping out. Going into this last race, my crew was just losing it. They were so pumped that they had the potential of winning and now here I was doing this.”

“I got to him and kind of pinned him and the second place boat going out to the left. Now the guy who was in fourth comes up and he crosses into the lead. I pinned these guys out and sat on both of them. They were both over the layline, and I’m cramming them both. I push Chris back to fifth. I ended up passing the last weather mark in third place and he was in fourth, but I was right there with the other two boats, and I went right in between them. One guy jibed away to starboard, and that really helped me out because I would have been squeezed. Chris rounds, trying to get on my wind. I luffed up the guy on my left side, he lost his chute when I did that and I knew now that he’d be slow.”

“Meanwhile I got Chris trying to get on our wind, and I’m hoping that this other guy is able to come up and beat him too, which he does because Chris is trying to follow me around on my air, trying to slow me down. All he needs to do is get one of these other boats to beat me.”

“As we came into the finish line it was so freaking close, we had a boat coming in from the other side, it was so close, then we hear our boat number get called on the radio for the win. My crew was out of their minds because we knew Chris had come in fourth. I mean talk about your hair standing up on your arms.”

Within minutes, Benz’s boat was flooded with the press, cameras and a case of Mumm’s champagne, which was quickly spraying everywhere. They then went and did a flyby of the beaches filled with thousands of spectators, spinnaker up and Benz readily admits that by that point he and his crew were trashed on champagne.

Benz easily chalks this race up as one of his greatest wins, but was more amazed at the amount of press coverage, spectators and energy of the whole regatta. “It was a whole different world down there. It was like a sailboat NASCAR race. At the after party, I got to judge the bikini contest – that was pretty damn sweet.”

© Troy Gilbert

*Troy Gilbert can be reached at gulfsails [at] hotmail [dot] com

Zoo Regatta Translated