A-Class US: Hall Spars 2016 Admirals Cup for BaileyWhite

Photo above: Larry Wodds, 4th overall. 2016 Ben Hall’s Admiral’s Cup Report and pics sent by Bailey White – Full table results below. Bailey continues to race a local built Decksweeper by  Bach Wilson / Carolina Sails. opening the door for local lofts to provide competitive A-cat sails at alternatives costs. Event hosted at Sarasota Sailing Squadron, home of the 2018 F18 Worlds. Check also John Casey podcast with Ben Hall linked below.
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2016 Admiral’s Cup Report by Bailey White :
“Admiral’s Cup, sponsored by Hall Spars and and organized by internationally renowned sailor and mast builder Ben Hall, was hosted by Sarasota Sailing Squadron in Sarasota, FL this year.  The Sailing Squadron is a special place for catamarans with F18 Americas and soon F18 Worlds at the venue.  This was the A-Class’s first time there.
Friday was to be a practice and tuning day but winds were so light not many wanted to sail.  Instead, John Casey, who is producing an excellent series of podcasts from leading sailors around the world, spent two hours in a recording session with Ben about the A-Class.  He has already posted it.  Go to https://johncaseyworldwide.com/podcasts.  The day finished with Ben leading a tuning clinic and free mudslides and pizza.

The first race day began in light air too and some wondered if this is what we would have all day or weekend.  Eight boats missed the start after being taught a hard lesson of an early launch in light winds by a race committee that does not like to delay.  In that race, Bob Webbon led definitively around the marks but got clipped by the Admiral himself, Ben Hall, and Joseph Bello, who got on the foils, just before the finish.  Bob said he just couldn’t beat the Admiral in the first race.

With the Florida Winter Series leaders Ken Marshak and Bailey White getting DNS’s on race 1, they knew they would have to sail near perfect regattas to win and were in no mood to be so generous.  Stoked by their own DNS’s, they put down firsts in race 2 for their divisions.  The breeze built as the day went on and the race committee fired off 3 more races for the day, getting 5 races completed and giving the chance for everyone to drop their worst score.

The conditions were like Miami, with chop and big puffs.  Foiling grew more difficult as the breeze
and waves built, and several boats experienced gear failure with side stays breaking, a rudder pin failed, and several pitchpoles including an epic one by Tracy Oliver that gave a moth-quality wound to his forearm from the forestays.  Free Stella Artois and dinner at the club gave plenty of time and fuel to share stories.

Sunday everyone lined up to launch an hour and a half before the start.  No one wanted another DNS, especially given the light wind conditions.  In race one, from mid pack in the fleet at the windward mark Matt Keenan demonstrated the foiling was possible, flying fast and level in the flat water.  Others responded and the lead must have changed 4 times that leg or more as sailors stated breaking out of the pack to go foiling.  At the end of race one, Bailey White lost his lead by over standing the finish mark just enough to give collegiate and Adidas sailor Joseph Bello his second victory of the event on his DNA with a sail made by Randy Smyth.

The breeze continued to fill on race 2 and with this race, like the others, we saw the deck sweepers from Brewin and Carolina Sails going very fast upwind, even outpacing the Nikita.  Bailey, with his Carolina Sails deck sweeper rounded the windward first in every race he sailed.

Afterwards, Ben Hall presented a new round of custom carbon trophies for both classic and foiling divisions five deep across the 30 boat fleet with special recognition to top female Laura Muma and top Canadian Larry Woods.  Larry is going increasingly fast on his eXploder with JZ boards and traditional Landy sail.  Kenny Powers / Todd Hart is out again with a very strong finish on his DNA C board boat.

The Admiral’s Cup for the overall winner went to Bailey White with his eXploder with JZ boards, sealed trampoline and deck sweeper by Carolina Sails, and curved boom by Larry Woods.

There is one more chance to experience the Florida Winter Series in 2016.  Come to Panama City April 22 to 24.  More new people continue to join the fleet as the momentum builds.  Special credit goes to Mark Skeels who loaned his foiling eXploder to Nacra 17 / F18 expert Dalton Tebo for the regatta to try racing the A-Class for the first time”.

Results by Division (Foiling and Classic): https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/11730#_newsroom

Results Overall: