The Rolex Miami OCR is the flagship event for Olympic and Paralympic sailing on Biscayne Bay. Lots of preparation and training proceeds it, not just for the sailors, but for the organizers as well. Team Paradise has five 2.4 mR, two Skud 18 and two Sonars racing in the regatta. The Sonar teams were Jens Kroker, Robert Prem and Siegmund Mainka (GER), Aleks Wang-Hansen, Per Eugen Kristiansen and Marie Solberg (NOR). The Skud 18 team were Andy Fisher and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (USA) and Jennifer French and JP Creignou (USA). The 2.4 mRteams were Jackie Gay (GBR), Keith White (GBR), Matias Paillot (ARG), Juan Fernandez Ocampo (ARG) Josh McKenzie (NZL). For those boats and for everyone else seeking our help, it is our busiest time of the year.
Day one was cancelled because of threatening thunder storms and high winds. Day two had picture perfect conditions. It was a 100% day, meaning that it could not have been any better. Winds out of NE at 10-14 knots with a smooth chop, three races were completed. The 2.4mR is the biggest class here with 27 boats on the starting line. John Ruf (USA) tops the leader board with a 2, 1, 2 after three races. The Sonar class has nine boats on the line. The Norwegian team of Wang-Hansen/Kristiansen/Solberg tops the leader board with a 1, 4, 1 posting. The Skud 18 is the sexiest class to watch and with seven boats on the line it has also become a very competitive class. Once dominated by a couple of teams, it now seems like a wide open affair. Whitman/Dorsett did the best today with finishes of 1, 3 and 1. Four boats within four points of one and other, it is a wide open game.
Day three was just as nice as, but a bit less wind, especially for the 2.4mR racing in the afternoon. A 45-degree didn't give the left side much of a chance on the short upwind leg. Paul Tingley had the best day with 2, 1 finishes. The Sonar fleet is almost as tight as it gets. Our Norwegian brothers and sister has a two point lead over the French and only six points separate the top four boats. The number one US team of Whitman/Dorsett had a stellar day posting two first in the Skud 18 class. One point separates the next three boats. Anything can happen. Andrew Fisher and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker climbed out of the basement on this second day of racing. The team is new and Andy had never sat in a Skud 18 until this regatta. He is used to bigger boats, but seems to make the transition rather quickly. Most impressing was the downwind speed of the GBR team of Rickham/Birell, pretty awsome. They ae tied for second with McRoberts/Hopkin (CAN).
Day four had blue skies with cumulus clouds rolling in with an easterly gradient flow at 10-14 knots. The race committee managed to run three races in each of the Paralympic classes and most everyone seemed pretty thrilled. No wonder, a day, or a week of similar conditions while the rest of the North American continent and most of Europe is freezing. It couldn't get much nicer.
Team Paradise #004 won all three races in the Skud 18. Jen Frensh/JP Creignou did an awesome job holding off the #1 US team of Whitman/Dorsett, which is a machine hard to beat. Rookie skipper, Andy Fisher and Paralympic gold medalist Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, continued to improve "two steps" at the time.
The Norwegian Sonar team, sailing in our 7-11 Sonar continue to kick but. They had a 1, 1, 3 today. Not taking anything away from the crew, but this boat must be very special. It wins more races than any other Sonar. It is like a hot commodity.
The 2.4mR class is heating up for the final day of racing and you have to check out the score sheets on this one. Thierry Schmitter (NED) is now in a narrow lead followed by Johnny Ruf (USA) and Paul Tingley (CAN). Everyones favorite, Megan Pascoe (GBR) is in 5th.
The whether conditions for Biscayne Bay remained about the same as throughout most of the week for the final race day. The paralympic classes does not have medal races like the olympic classes do, so today would be it. The 2.4s raced in the morning. Paul Tingley (CAN) came through in a BIG way. The 2008 paralympic champion seems to thrive under pressure and finished the week with a 1, 3 for the over all victory. Thierry Schmitter dropped to second with a 9 and a 2. The current world champion, John Ruff won the last race, but had to setle for third over all.
The Sonar class was won by the Norwegians. They topped the standings all week and their 7 and 1 finishes on the final day was enough to cement their victory. Second place went to Team John Robertson (GBR) while Team Ricky Doerr (USA) climbed to third and the final podium finnish. Well done!
The Skud 18 class is becoming hotter by the day. Jen Frensh/JP Creignou (USA) had an OCS (premature start) in the first race of the day and won the last race. It was not enough for the over all win because of early regatta domination by the #1 US team of Scott Whitman and Julia Dorsett. John McRoberts and Brenda Hopkin (CAN) passes the British world champions to claim third over all.
Check out the pictures