The first day of the Aspen Viper 640 International Championship sponsored by EFG proved to be a bit soggy for the 42 Viper 640 sportsboats that have arrived here from around the world. As the sailors gathered for race briefing, the first line of rain showers swept across Hamilton, Bermuda. Sailing out to the start, the westerly wind soon turned to a southerly with gusts up to 20-knots, only to dissipate by repeated lines of rain crossing the Sound.
Even with winds shifting through 150 degrees and ranging from 3-12 knots, PRO Hank Stuart and his team managed to start the first race of the regatta on time that saw Zeke Horowitz (Annapolis, MD), sailing with Brendan Healy and Ian Coleman, take the lead at the first mark and hold that to the finish. Two races were run before the wind (and rain) died out and Zeke proved to be the most consistent competitor, winning the second race.
In second overall, with eight points, is Justin Scott (Great Britain via Darien, CT) sailing with Rob Crane and Trevor Burd with a 2-6 scoreline. Tied for third with 13 points are Geoff Fargo (Santa Barbara, CA), sailing with Jeff Grange and Spencer Steffan, and Bruce Mattinson (Albany, WA, Australia) with Arlyn Mattinson, Ben Marler, and Keith Swinton as crew.
Perhaps, the real story of this first Viper International Championship is the large number of competitors who have made the shipment their boats to this inaugural event and the friendliness of the Viper competitors. Today that was certainly showcased with lots of laughter between racing despite the continuous bands of rain. Sarasota sailor Mike Meighan explained, “Today is not what we expected weather-wise. Everybody was playing nice, it’s a great class for that. I think we just try and keep it on the water, everybody is here for the right reason.”
Winds are a bit nutty today, with winds in the mid 30s and gusts up around 40. The system was expected to blow out overnight, but has stuck around a bit, causing an on-shore delay for competitiors. If racing is going to happen today, it won't start until 2 p.m.
