Published: Sunday, May 2, 2004 at:10:43 PM




Big Fun at the Bitter End
Excerpted from Dobbs Davis’s article
in December, 2003 Latitude 38


Freedom 30s at the start line during Pro Am 2003. Full-rigged, 350 foot, Flying Cloud, in the background, provides and ideal observation point.

Here’s a geography quiz. Where in the world is there a truly unique sailing event with the following features: world-class talent from yesterday and today; predictably warm tropical conditions with plenty of breeze; an innovative racing format to challenge even seasoned veterans; nearly every conceivable water toy available for guest use; a schedule filled with just the right balance of racing vigor and off-time fun; and all at a quiet, low-key shoreside venue with gourmet food and wine? Oh, and there’s no background noise from any mechanized traffic of any sort—no TV, radio, or Internet distractions in your room—and the only way to get there is by boat.

Each year, the Pro-Am strives to keep the right combinations of congeniality and competitive spice in their choice of invited skippers. Divided into two groups – Junior and Master – the event was once again a ‘Who’s Who’ of sailboat racing, with too many Olympic medals, World Championship titles, and even America’s Cups to mention. The Master Division featured living legends in the sport competing in Freedom 30s: Olympians Keith Musto and Lowell North, industry giants Butch Ulmer and Rod Johnstone, and Tom Leweck, editor of the popular cyber-newsletter Scuttlebutt. Resort guests (the ‘Ams’), could also sail in the Junior Division with none other than America’s Cup winner and newly-crowned Rolex World Sailor of the Year Russell Coutts, ex-Oracle helmsman Peter Holmberg, reigning match race World Champion Ed Baird, America True skipper Dawn Riley, or perennial Melges 24 champion Andy Burdick. Hmm, some Junior Division!

On-the-water umpires Tom Farquhar and Brad Dellenbaugh suspended many of the racing rules in the sailing instructions, including RRS 31 (Touching a Mark), which made the racing different and interesting. This year, the use of a fixed start/finish line (rather than the rabbit starts used in previous years) made the starts a significant challenge given the short line.

The Juniors, and their crews of three guests, raced in newly-molded Hunter 216s, developed with input from BEYC for racing and sport use. These small keel boats scored points for their quickness and easy handling, beachability, and ample cockpit space, but suffered when the wind blew too hard… More rig tension and aft mast chocks to induce more pre-bend apparently solved the problem.

Any guest hungry for more competition could enter the Musto Scuttlebutt Sailing Club Championships, held concurrently with the Pro-Am in Lasers, Hobie Waves, and Hunter 216s.

To take advantage of the decades of collective wisdom present on the island, a panel discussion was assembled one evening to conduct an open forum on the burning issues in the sport. The America’s Cup is always fertile ground for such speculation, [and] other issues crept in to keep the discussion lively, such as the state of the Olympics and the need for a new handicap rule.

After a grueling week of sailing, snorkeling, cruising, diving, dining, and avoiding the perils of being “over-served,” Coutts and teammate Musto laid claim to the overall team trophy, based mostly on Coutts’ five-point score. Meanwhile, septuagenarian Lowell North defeated all others in the Masters Division with a score of four points, which he hopes “has earned me an invitation to come back next year. This is a great event, in a great place.”

Final Standings

Pro Am Regatta:
1) Musto/Coutts, 5 points;
2) Ulmer/Burdick, 4;
3) North/Riley, 4;
4) Johnstone/Holmberg, 4;
5) Leweck/Baird, 3.

Scuttlebutt Championship:
1) Ed Baird, 10;
2) Keith Musto, 11;
3) Andy Burdick, 13;
4) Nigel Musto, 16;
5) Paul Fagel, 20.


Keith Musto (right) and Butch Ulmer sign limited edition serigraphs while Tom Leweck (right, background) and Don Wallace, of Dry Creek Vineyards, look on.

Hunters Tested
"Really fun little boats. A nice upgrade to what you all had. Easy to sail, even a little hung over! Spun out once (operator error) and the boat came up without any water in the cockpit. Look forward to racing them next at next year's Pro Am."—Russell Coutts, 3-time America's Cup winner.