| PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS-(18-11-2002) In the end, it was all about
the man and his boat rather than the place, but when the Farr 40 Class
Association first decided to hold its Rolex-sponsored 2002 World
Championship at Atlantis, it turned more than a few heads. The Bahamas
resort, located on the aptly named Paradise Island, is a mind-boggling water
theme playground that recreates the Lost City of Atlantis and provides the
world's largest marine habitat, second only to Mother Nature, for more than
50,000 marine animals living in 34 acres of waterscape. The 25 Farr 40s
that competed in the event were efficiently accommodated and welcomed by The
Marina at Atlantis, and soon after they arrived for the MeesPierson Bahamian
National Championship that preceded the Worlds, the highly pedigreed
sailboats looked at home among the 200-foot megayachts surrounding them.
Italy's Nerone, the Farr 40 European champion co-owned by Antonio Migliori
and Massimo Mezzaroma, won the Bahamian Nationals and established itself as
a favorite for the November 13-16 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship along
with second-place finisher Defiant, skippered by Canada's Rolex Sailor of
the Year Terry McLaughlin (Toronto). But it was Defiant that would go on to
make headlines for most of the Worlds and Le Renard, skippered by Steve
Phillips of Arnold, Md., that would prevail ultimately as the winner.
Over four days of competition in poster-perfect sailing conditions, Phillips
turned in single-digit finishes in all but one of 10 races, which proved the
key to his success. `It was our strategy to stay in the top ten in every
race,` said Phillips, `because the teams here are tremendous. We took a 17th
in the first race, but after that we sailed consistently and we stayed out
of trouble.`
Phillips, the current Farr 40 East Coast champion, credited his tactician
Mark Reynolds, a Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and three-time Olympic
medallist from San Diego, with keeping everyone on track to victory. `I'd
hate to play poker with the guy, he stays so cool,` said Phillips. `He
doesn't let us get in difficult situations.` Certainly it was a difficult
situation or two that led to the downfall of Defiant, which, after two days
and five races, had established its dominance with three first-place
finishes and an impressive 22-point lead over Le Renard. In the protest
room, two of Defiant's victories turned to disqualifications due to two
separate starting line incidents. In race five, the Race Committee
protested Flash Gordon, Helmut Jahn's Chicago entry, for fouling on the
anchor line of its committee boat. A resulting chain of protests worked
backward to Defiant, the alleged source of the problem. In race three,
Crocodile Rock, owned by Alex Geremia and Scott Harris of Santa Barbara,
Calif., successfully protested Defiant for barging at the start.
`The fleet is very competitive,` said Crocodile Rock's tactician Robbie
Haines, an Olympic gold medallist from San Diego, Calif. `Consistency and
staying out of trouble is the key here.` With Defiant dropping out of the
top 10, Crocodile Rock moved to second, while Le Renard moved to the top of
the leader board.
On day three, which served up light shifty winds instead of the more typical
20-25 knots, Le Renard maintained its lead with solid finishes, while Nerone
crept up from sixth to second place ahead of Crocodile Rock. The
combination of teams at the top, which now included Groovederci in fourth,
would prove volatile on the last day of racing.
Groovederci, skippered by the regatta's only woman skipper Deneen Demourkas
of Montecito, Calif., along with Crocodile Rock and Nerone were all over
early at the starting line in the last race of the series, and, in their
battle back to earn respectable positions, encountered problems at a
congested mark. Both Groovederci and Crocodile Rock were protested by
Nerone. As a philosophy, `staying out of trouble failed Crocodile Rock when
the jury saw fit to throw the team out of the race, dropping it from a
would-be third to fifth overall. Groovederci was propelled to second place,
and Samba Pa Ti, the Farr 40 U.S. National champion and 1999 Worlds winner,
skippered by John Kilroy of Los Angeles, Calif., moved up to third. Nerone,
for all its persistence, snagged fourth.
In the end, however, it was all about one man and his boat. Steve Phillips
had stayed true to a promise among crewmembers to `keep it clean` at this
regatta. Having bought Le Renard only last summer, he was truly the dark
horse. He sailed to a 22-point lead over a fleet that not only represented
eight nations but also brimmed with Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year, Olympic
Medallists, and veterans of the America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Races. He had
avoided wild fluctuations of point scores due to protests. He went home
with the World Cup, the 2002 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship title and a
coveted Rolex timepiece, awarded to him as the top skipper during a standing
ovation at the Rolex Awards Party.
`It's an awesome feeling,` said Phillips, with a respectful nod to the other
24 owners who, by class rules, must drive their own boats and may not be
classified as professional sailors. `There was such tremendous talent
here.`
As for the location of Atlantis, there may never be another so mismatched
with a sailing regatta but at the same time so spectacular … and
surprisingly perfect.
Race Day Sponsors were Lewmar, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, North Sails and
Rolex. They were joined by supporting sponsors Protector Boats, Carroll
Marine and Farr International. For more information visit www.farr40.org.
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