05 Sep 2014 Oakcliff International: Day 1 Report
Riptide Racing during their win against Neptune Racing
OYSTER BAY, NY (09.04.14) – With the best match racers from around the globe, the 2014 Oakcliff International began with a remarkable level of competition during the first day of racing.
With lighter breeze in the morning, teams had to be on the top of their game. Riptide Racing, the current leader in the round robin, realized the importance of concentration against their toughest competitors.
“We did really well today,” said Christopher Poole, skipper for Riptide Racing. “When we were behind, we tried to keep our head in the game to stay in the match. With a better mindset, the team was meshing better and sailing fast.”
When teams lost their attentiveness, they made significant small avoidable mistakes. During Flight 2, Pierre-Antoine Morvan, current leader of the US Grand Slam series, and Dave Perry were battling downwind towards the finish line. With a penalty to kill, Morvan’s first kill attempt fell short after he did not reach a close-hauled course on port tack according to the umpires. During his second attempt, Morvan made contact with Perry, which gave him another penalty and cost him the race.
“During today, my team was able to learn a great deal during each race,” said Charlie Lalumiere, the skipper for the Oakcliff Sailing team. “It is an honor to be racing out here with these incredible teams and have the chance to learn from them is amazing.”
With a promising forecast of 6 -12 knots for Friday, racing is scheduled to begin with Flight 9 at 10 a.m.
Current results for the round robin are listed below:
Christopher Poole 6 – 1
Sam Gilmour 5 -2
Chris Steele 5 – 2
Eric Monnin 4 – 2
Maxi Soh 4 – 3
Dave Perry 4 – 3
Mark Lees 3 – 3
Pierre-Antoine Morvan 3 – 4
David Storrs 2 – 5
David Niemann 2 – 5
Charlie Lalumiere 1-5
Dustin Durant 1 – 5
For more information, please contact Samantha Pilz at pr@oakcliffsailing.org or visit www.oakcliffsailing.org.