Charleston Race Week - Great racing and excellent weather!

6:42 AM Wed 14 Apr 2010 GMT

'Vincitore - Charleston Race Week 2010' Charleston Race Week

Charleston pulled out all the stops and provided great racing and some of the best racing weather you could expect with three days of breeze, temperatures in the mid teens and bright sunshine all weekend long. And this year the event boosted their first IRC class with great boats and racing!

Here's a short summary of the IRC Weekend in Charleston:

Charleston Race Week

Friday - Chilly temperatures greeted a record fleet of racing sailboats this morning for the first day of 2010 Charleston Race Week. Over 185 boats braved 55 degree-morning temperatures today as they sailed to the race course, but their reward was a surprise 20-knot breeze that made racing today 'a serious adrenalin rush' as competitor Peter Crawford put it. Temperatures reached the 70s by noon, providing picture perfect sailing conditions to start race week off with a bang. 'I don't know if conditions could be any more perfect than today,' said Christof Wieland, who travelled all the way from Germany to compete in his second Charleston Race Week.

'The competition was stiff, and the breeze stiffer - we hope we get more!' Top international Match Racing champion Simon Minoprio was 'wiped out after the first race' - and rightfully so - the Kiwi match racing champion helped his team to three first-place finishes today to lead the IRC fleet aboard the 52 foot Vincitore. 'The seminar on tides and currents offered by the event was very helpful, and today it offered some explanation to the strange wave and current conditions we experienced at the top of the course.'

Local competitor Cal Huge on Jubilee was able to manoeuvre well through the all-too-familiar currents, though they attribute their strong second-place position in IRC to more than just 'local knowledge.' 'Good crew, quick sets, quick douses and lots of practice gave us the tools to do well today,' said Ned Goss, the crew boss of Jubilee. 'The wind was just ripping and we were able to keep up with it.'

Saturday - Wind, sun, waves graced Charleston in the second day and picture-perfect conditions once again smiled on Charleston Race Week. For the second straight day, winds up to 20 knots propelled the sleek race boats across all four courses of 2010 Charleston Race Week. Slightly lighter than yesterday's gear-busting conditions, teams still returned to the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina with huge smiles on their faces and sore bodies.

One of the most excited was nine year-old Charlestonian Willy Comerford, who sailed on the new 40 foot racer Jubilee. 'I really like the big waves, and I love sailing the big boat,' Willy said. 'And today was really fun!' Jubilee holds a narrow two point lead for third place in IRC Class over overall 2009 Charleston Race Week 2009 Champion Teamwork, while the gorgeous 52-foot Vincitore has clinched first place in class with six straight victories in six races. 'We don't need to sail any more races,' said Vincitore crew Rodney Keenan. 'But of course we're going out anyway - why would we give up the chance to go racing in Charleston?'

Sunday - The final day of racing at 2010 Charleston Race Week brought a big change to the previous two extreme sailing days, with just 8-12 knots of warm wind blowing across the harbor. 'We had to sail the boat differently today in the lighter air,' said Kip Meadows. 'The wind picked up nicely, but still, it took some quick adjustments and a different mindset to excel out there.'

The first-ever IRC fleet saw the Swiss Vincitore finish the event with all first-place finishes. 'If we had a couple more 50-footers in the race it would obviously be more competitive,' said Hayden Goodrick, bowman on the big blue racer. 'But we understand its early days for IRC here in Charleston, and hopefully they'll be here next year - we certainly hope to as well!'

For a complete list of results, please go to: www.yachtsscoring.com
Check out www.charltestonraceweek.com

by IRC Events