Swan American Race Week - Day 3

SWANS RACE TO BLOCK ISLAND AND BACK IN IDEAL CONDITIONS

NEWPORT, RI, AUGUST 19, 1999--Swans flocked from Newport to Block Island and back again today in a picture perfect conditions that saw the fleet running under spinnakers out to the island and much of the way back again.

In F Division for big boats, Frank Savage sailed Bob Schwager's Swan 46 Nefertiti from New York, NY, into first place. The victory put Nefertiti within two points overall of the class leader, Graham Smith's Swan 48 Vallamo, from Seattle, WA which finished eighth in today's race.

In G Division for the smaller boats, Frederic Joyce's S&S Swan 44 The Ugly Duckling, from Utica, NY, finished first to consolidate her fourth place overall. Martin Jacobson's Swan 44 Mk II Crescendo, from Jamestown, NY, finished fourth to reclaim first place overall, while Michael Fracchia's Swan 391 Carpe Diem, from Miller Place, NY, finished second to move up to second place overall.

The fleet began its 35-mile distance race in brilliant sunny conditions near Goat Island inside Narragansett Bay. Massed spinnakers blossomed on the starting line as the 42 boats ranging in size from 36 to 68 feet started in two classes. Boats quickly hugged the edges of the Bay to stay out of the last of the ebb tide as they fought to clear Castle Hill light at the entrance to the Bay.

Helped by their longer waterline length and bigger rigs, the Swan 56s Redoutable and Neva showed the way out of the Bay on the long but fastspinnnaker run to Point Judith. The breeze, which came out of the northeast at the start, gradually clocked around to the south east as the day wore on. Boats which made the tactical choice to work the right hand side of the course reaped the benefits as they closed the turning mark at Bouy 1BI, marking the shoal at the north end of Block Island.

After rounding 1BI, the boats kept up their high speed pace with a fast jib reach back and around Point Judith, before setting spinnakers again for the run into Castle Hill. The last test of sailing strategy came off Castle Hill where one group of leaders ran out of wind, and were blocked by the ebb tide, while boats on the Conanicut shore found a new Northerly breeze and tacked into the finish.

"It was a fantastic sailing day and a sweet, sweet victory," said Frank Savage of Greenwich, CT, who steered Bob Schwager's Nefertiti. Savage the previous owner of the boat, is awaiting delivery of his new Swan 56 and is sailing with his regular crew on his old boat this week. "This one was due to teamwork and some great strategic calls," Savage said. "We had some excellent local sailors and great local knowledge on board and they made all the right calls.

"There are other boats in the class that are faster than we are and we had to win this one tactically. We were able to stay close enough to the leaders to analyse their mistakes and benefit from them."

Racing at Swan American Race Week continues on Friday with two windward-leeward races, either offshore or in Narragansett Bay. Competition concludes on Saturday with a race around Conanicut Island, conditions permitting. Visiting drivers from a Ferrari auto rally will be special guests and will follow the racing from aboard classic motoryachts on Saturday.

Sponsors for Swan American Race Week include, Asprey and Garrard, Ferrari, Ocean World, Trident Funding, Brewers Yacht Yards, and Sebago. For more about Race Week, check the web site at www.swanraceweek.com

Swan American Race Week 1999 - Results, Day 3, August 19, 1999

F Division (Boats over 45-feet):

 1. Vellamo, W. Graham Smith, Swan 48, Seattle, WA (2-1-4-8), 15;
 2. Nefertiti, Bob Schwager, Swan 46, New York, NY (4-4-8-1), 17;
 3. Odyssey, David Brodsky, Swan 55, Newport, RI (1-3-15-2), 21;
 4. XCargo, Keith McKinney, Swan 53, Dallas, TX (5-10-3-7), 25.
 5. Neva, Robert C. Watson, Swan 56, New York, NY (6.5-7-2-12), 27.5;

G Division (boats under 45 feet):

 1. Crescendo, Martin D. Jacobson, Swan 44 Mk II, Jamestown, RI (4-1-3-4), 12;
 2. Carpe Diem, Michael Fracchia, Swan 391, Miller Place, NY (1-4.5-5-2), 12.5
 3. Wenden, Herbert Schwartz, Swan 44 Mk II, Riverside, CT (3-2-1-12) 18;
 4. The Ugly Duckling, Frederic Joyce, Swan S&S 44, Utica, NY (6-3-9-1) 19;
 5. Dawn Treader, Lawrence Cohen, Swan 411, Gloucester, VA (7-4.5-7-5) 23.5.