| KEY WEST, FL USA-(22-1-2003) It was a very hard day's racing with light airs and two huge shifts for the Melges 24 crews to contend with in the single race completed at Key West today. Nick Maxwell from Wisconsin was the delighted winner of the race which caught many of the series leaders on the hop. `We got a little bit lucky and the Gods were in our favour.` commented Maxwell after racing.
Race five in the series started in a steady 10-12 knots from the North East with the fleet spread pretty evenly down the line. Series leader Bruce Ayres was looking good off the start until he heard his number called over forcing him to turn back. Also fouled up at the start was Kristian Nergaard who got caught in a scrum at the committee boat end and actually ended up caught on the committee boat's transom.
Once away up the beat the fleet was spread out across the course, but the breeze began to go left and drop so those out on the left benefitted enormously. At the weather mark it was Stuart Rix who once again led the fleet closely followed by Nick Maxwell, Argyle Campbell, Joe Woods, Jeff Littfin, Terry Gibson and Peter Wright.
Down the first run right was pretty much the only option and the top three arrived at the leeward mark in the same order. Mike Dow put in an impressive leg to come from the teens to fourth place with Woods dropping back to fifth and Gibson and Wright still in sixth and seventh. At the leeward mark a change of course was being signalled to allow for the big left hander and the course was also shortened slightly.
Rix and Maxwell were tight all the way up the second beat until just before the mark `We got Rix right at the top of the second beat and just managed to sneek inside him on the mark.` said Maxwell. Behind them Dow had overtaken Campbell with Wright now fifth. Meanwhile Kristian Nergaard, whose crew includes reigning Melges World Champions Harry Melges and Jeff Ecklund, was making up for time lost at the start and rounded sixth, just ahead of Woods.
As the front of the pack bore away there was a massive shift to the right and the final run to the finish turned into a tight reach. Those who spotted it just managed to hold their kites to the finish but many boats ended up two sailing in. `That last run was very tough as it was a tight reach.` said Maxwell, `The two boats behind us took their chutes down but we were able to hold on to ours so we ended up with a comfortable lead of probably ten boat lengths.` Behind him places were changing rapidly as boats struggled to hold their kites and many of those forced to drop lost out big time. By the finish Wright had worked his way up to second with Campbell third. Overnight second place holder Flavio Favini sailed a terrific final lap to come from twelfth to fourth whilst Rix dropped down to fifth ahead of Porter. Nergaard ended up seventh with Dow eighth, Mike Budd ninth and Cutler tenth. With the light winds becoming increasing unstable the race committee wisely decided to call it a day and sent the crews home for an afternoon by the pool.
Overall after five races Flavio Favini, helming for Switzerland's Franco Rossini, now holds the lead by four points ahead of Argyle Campbell. Bruce Ayres has dropped back to fourth with Alec Cutler, helming for John Sherlock, fifth, Brian Porter sixth and Kristian Nergaard seventh.
Tomorrow's forecast is for much stronger, colder winds which will bring a new element into the regatta. Full results are available at www.premiere-racing.com and further information about the Melges 24 Class is available from www.melges24.com, which also features comment from race winner Nick Maxwell and Britain's Joe Woods.
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