So Cal PHRF Championships Presented by Ullman Sails concluded this past Sunday (August 3rd) in typical Long Beach conditions. The fleet of mixed boats was treated to a 12-15kt affair after a light air battle on Saturday.
The 2014 edition of PHRF Championships saw added fleets, more boats, tight racing and an overall fantastic experience. From a Hotfoot 20 to TP 52's there was a little bit of everything. Random Leg and W/L racing gave everyone a taste of the action as the boats battled over two days.
Racing on Saturday was light to say the least. An unusual weather system produced a tricky southerly for the tacticians to navigate through. Consistency and patience would be the difference.
The Super 20 Fleet (new this year) was close as the two Vipers and SR-25 were neck and neck going into Sunday. Ed Feo on his Locomotion prevailed as the winner of this exciting fleet for the future.Al Castillion's Hot Rum sailed away with PHRF Buoy C class with an impressive showing of bullets and deuces. J Boats are always competitive and the J-35 Rival is no newcomer to the winners circle. Taylor Grant's Columbia 32 was the only boat to nick a win off the super consistent Rival.
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| Crew Of Timeshaver |
Viggo Torbensen's J-125 Timeshaver was the next boat to talk about. The super quick J Boat picked it's way through the shifts and ended up pulling out the PHRF Buoy A Class against some great sailors. Brian Warner's FT-10 Ruckus was always nipping on the bigger boats heels especially in the light air.
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| TP 52 BUD seen from the bow of Timeshaver |
PHRF Buoy A1 was where the big boys were at. Even though the fleet was spread out the ratings were showing who was sailing around the race course in the best fashion. Victor Wild's TP52 Bud and Chris Hemman's Varuna were the winners after some long and tactical races. Bud Has some amazing crew work and we got to watch them perfect their spinnaker line douses.
The Random Leg Classes held two races for the weekend and the buzz in the bar was that everyone had a great time. Eric McClure's Mac took top honors in A and The legendary Pussycat owned by John Szalay took B Class.
Thank you to all the racers and volunteers. We are already looking forward to 2015!
