First 40.7

NOOD WINNER AND 40.7 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION: TURNING POINT

(Sunday, June 15, 2008) Co-skippers, Bill Bartz and Dave Hardy of Turning Point are no strangers to victory at the NOOD regatta and they did it again in a resounding triumph over mostly well-sailed competition this weekend at Sailing World's annual Chicago National Offshore One Design (NOOD) Regatta. Bill and Dave, sailed together aboard the venerable Finesse, and on her with owner Alan McMillan, won the NOOD regatta twice before in 2002 and in 2004 and placed 2^nd in 2003 and 3^rd in 2006.

The NOOD regatta, held over three days, Friday through Sunday this weekend, is hosted by Chicago Yacht Club and organized by Sailing World magazine. This is the largest big-boat regatta of the year on Lake Michigan. The Chicago NOOD is also the Beneteau 40.7 North American Championship as it is the largest meeting of one-design 40.7's on the continent. Twelve 40.7's participated in this year's event.

This year's event, for the 40.7 section included seven races: three on Friday, three on Saturday, and one on Sunday. Conditions were breezy on Friday with winds in the 18-24 knots range. On Saturday the wind moderated slightly to mostly 14-18 knots but nevertheless challenging conditions of shifty winds, puffs, and localized pressure. On Sunday, after a powerful thunderstorm storm blew through downtown Chicago and forced a postponement of two-and-a-half hours, with the fleet leaving the harbor at 11:00 AM, racing got underway again as the skies cleared. Wind for the final race built to 18-25 knots. On all three race days winds were generally out of the southwest. Three of the 40.7 competitors did not show up for the final race on Sunday: Collaboration, who had been in 2^nd place at the end of Saturday, and also Mojo and Cancan.

Turning Point jumped off to a commanding lead in the regatta on Friday with three bullets. Bob Vickery's Collaboration was in 2^nd place then with 2^nd, 2^nd, and 4^th places, followed by Don Hayes' Tsunami with a 5^th, 3^rd, and 7^th.

After racing on Friday half of the fleet, Excalibur, Vayu, Tsunami, La Tempete, Temptation and Mojo rafted up to the wall at Chicago Yacht Club. An informal BYO party was held for the fleet aboard the boats and around the club. Sailors from several of the other boats showed up. Don Hayes produced his usual bottle of fine tequilla. It was quickly passed around and emptied.

By the end of Saturday's racing, Turning Point was still in a commanding lead with 11 points, followed by Collaboration with 24 points. La Tempete then was 1 point behind Collaboration with 25 points.

On Sunday, once racing commenced after the postponement, with Collaboration failing to show up for the single race, La Tempete with a 3^rd that day moved into 2^nd place, Collaboration dropped to 4^th place overall, allowing Jay Muller's Das Boot, with a 4^th place on Sunday to move into 3^rd place overall.

Meanwhile, the new boat in the fleet, Rhumb Runner, co-skippered by Katie Goldman and Bob Broderick, managed to complete her first complete day of racing with the 40.7's on Saturday. To Rhumb Runner's credit, she also showed up for and finished the windy race on Sunday.

Mojo, new to the fleet last year, and skippered by co-skippers Gary Powell, Jeff Comeaux, and Scott Ruhlander, has been doing better this year, finishing 9^th in the regatta and beating two of the veteran boats.

When asked to what he attributed Turning Point's performance not only at the NOOD regatta but so far this year (Turning Point has also won the Reinholtzen Regatta on May 30^th and the Colors Regatta on June 7-8^th), co-skipper Bill Bartz replied, "We practiced a lot in heavy air. We have finally gelled as a crew and everyone worked very hard to make this regatta come together. We also have a lot of depth to our crew pool so if one or two people can't make a race we have others to fill in. Most of our crew can work in a variety of positions on the boat and this helps a lot."

Dave Hardy, Turning Point's other skipper, also replied, "I've talked with a few of the crew this morning and we are all thrilled and a bit numb still from having done so well this past weekend, especially in light of the high level of sailing skill in our fleet. To have performed well and receive the congratulations from such good friends and respected competition means a lot. As you know, several of us on the boat have experienced NOOD success before, but we've had a couple of "off" years. It sure feels good to be back in the hunt."

2^nd Place La Tempete's skipper, Tom Weber, has won more NOOD regattas for the 40.7 section than anyone else. Tom, who has won four of these events, most recently in 2006, had this to say, "We did nothing to prepare out of the ordinary. Wind was strong and shifty Saturday. Due to our position in the race we were forced to the side of the course where we got some of those shifts in our favor.

"I am pleased with the number of boats in the fleet now. 10-15 is a very good number for this size boat. The fleet is getting so competitive. With the longevity of the ownership and crews staying together the racing is very tight. I think over the next three years we will remain strong. I have not heard of anyone anxious to change boats to a different design. After you get a taste of one design who would want to go back to PHRF?"

Bob Vickery, skipper of Collaboration, had this to say about his DNC score (Did not Compete) on Sunday, "I erred. When the RC made the radio broadcast at 1030 saying that they were continuing the postponement, while the sky was blue over our boat, I thought they were going to do the same thing as last years Verve Cup and cancel the entire day. So I sent the crew home. Then I got the call 30 minutes later that the postponement was down and we would be sailing, I couldn't get everyone back in time. In 33 years of racing I have never left early until yesterday. This is a prime example on why you shouldn't leave until it is officially called. Oh well.

"TP sailed very well. Great crew work and boat speed. That is a tough combination to beat."

For photos of the NOOD Regatta 2008 go to: Photos.

A history of 40.7 NOOD results since 2000: Nood History

FINAL RESULTS

NOOD REGATTA (40.7 SECTION)