After completing a single distance race today, yesterday's eight class leaders nailed down overall victories at the 35th annual International Rolex Regatta, which began Friday. The trade winds that made the prior two days so exciting delivered once again as sailors on 90 boats completed the Pillsbury Sound course, set between the east end of St. Thomas, where host St. Thomas Yacht Club is located, and its smaller sister island of St. John. The two IRC classes, as well as two of four CSA classes (Spinnaker Racing 1 and Spinnaker Racing/Cruising) and Beach Cats sailed a longer version of the race (13 nm with several windward-leeward laps included) while the remaining two CSA classes (Spinnaker Racing 2 and Non-Spinnaker Racing) stuck to the more straightforward shorter course (13 nm). In all cases, however, the key to victory lay in playing the second windward leg of the course correctly. Three Harkoms won the Non-Spinnaker division last year, so this was quite a step up for them, said Lloyd.
The International Rolex Regatta is part of the US-IRC Gulf Stream Series 2008. There were a total of eight classes: two in IRC division, four in CSA Division (two for spinnaker racing, one for non-spinnaker racing and one for Spinnaker Racing/Cruising), Beach Cats and IC24 One-Designs.
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