The return of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Detroit was a long time coming, and by all accounts from competitors gathered after racing at host Bayview Yacht Club, the first day of was an excellent and low-key start to a weekend of racing on Lake St. Clair. After a morning postponement ashore, the bulk of the regatta’s one-design fleets enjoyed racing in light and shifting winds that produced tight racing, especially among the regatta’s big three fleets; the J/120, J/111s and J/35s.
Sheri Dufrense’s team on the J/35 Firefly had what she described as a “fabulous” day. “It was a great day,” Dufrense said. “The highlight for us was the teamwork, working together, learning new things and going fast.”
With a second-place finish in the day’s first race and a win in the next race, Dufrense’s Firefly team leads the eight-boat fleet by only 2 points.
Jeffrey Davis’ team on the J/111 Shamrock also has a 2-point lead in its seven-boat fleet thanks to two race wins. This Cleveland-based team is a previous winner of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Chicago, and following a brief absence from the sport, Davis’ and his crew were quickly back on form, pushed in both races by their friends from Cleveland on Kevin and Seth Young’s Black Seal.
Charlie Hess’s Funtech Racing, considered a perennial top team amongst Detroit’s strong and growing J/120 fleet went 3-1 on the day to claim the lead after two races, but Greg Baker’s Kairos went 2-2 to keep the scoreline tied between them. Mike Fozo’s Proof, winner of the first race, stumbled with a sixth in the next, but is only 3 points out of first with plenty of racing to come over the next two days.
On Division C Race Circle, Bruce Ayres’ team on the Melges 24 Monsoon—another past Regatta Series overall winner—won all three races by wide margins. Ayres, from Newport Beach, California, is a longtime Melges 24 skipper, and clearly knows how to get the most speed out of the iconic sport boat, especially in today’s light and flat conditions. With each race, they were quick off the start, quick into the lead and untouchable from there.
The ever-competitive Tartan 10 fleet, which will host its North American Championship in Chicago in August, is using the Helly Hansen Detroit regatta as part of its Traveler Award Series in preparation for its big regatta. Trey Sheehan’s Hooligan: Flat Stanley Racing got off to an early jump in the series with a 1-1-2, but the same top-three boats were battling all day, giving a hint of more to come as the weekend goes on.
Andrew Morlan’s Santana 35 Avatar leads its 5-boat division; Tod Sackett’s J/70 team on 313 is tied atop the fleet with Wes Whitmeyer’s Slingshot. Three races were completed for the J/70s on the racecourse managed by Crescent Sailing Club. Jeanne Ehrenberg and Jeff Williams lead the Melges 15 fleet with two race wins.
With the addition of the Cal25s, the ORC fleet and two distance-racing divisions, the regatta goes to full capacity for the rest of the weekend, and with favorable racing winds in the forecast, expectations are that the regattas good start will continue.
