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Local Knowledge So Cal Action 
Sure, this might not be the biggest event in the world, but that ain't
the point. It is the community, people. Enjoy.The 1st annual King Harbor Match Race was sailed out of King Harbor Yacht Club in Redondo Beach, CA, July 1st and 2nd. Six teams competed in Martin 242s in varying conditions and in the end it was the team of Scott DeCurtis, Adam Corpez-Lahne, and Mike Brown taking first place. Day 1 was a beautiful day with breeze between 8 and 12 for most of the afternoon. The day belonged to Steven Natvig, and his crew Alex Jacobs and Wes Byrne, who went undefeated with 5 wins and 0 losses. Their most exciting match came against the eventual winner, Scott DeCurtis. Scott jumped out to an early lead up the first beat, but Steven kept things close into the windward mark. Steven and team immediately began attacking, sailing high and rolling Scott only a few boat lengths from the mark. At the leeward mark it was Steven and crew ahead by 1 boat-length, however, a quick jibe on Scott's boat caught crew Adam off guard. Scott immediately stopped and called over a chase boat to look after his crew. Adam was okay, but the result was a lost tooth and the first loss of the day for Scott and team. It was a disappointing end to a great race, but it was all action. The 4th spot in the semi final came down to the very last race of the day, as Barret Sprout and Dustin Durant were tied at 1 win a piece. Dustin led for much of the race, but Barret did a great job of keeping things close until the final downwind leg. At the finish, Barret jibed for the committee boat, while Dustin chose to go straight into the finish without jibing. It was the right call, as Dustin and crew finished only inches ahead, taking the final spot in the semifinal round! Day 2 was much lighter, but the action seemed to intensify as the stakes became higher. Steven Natvig beat Dustin Durant 2-0 in the first semifinal, but the semifinal between Scott DeCurtis and Casey Schilling was all action. In the first match, Scott took an early penalty, but quickly took the lead. Casey did a great job of staying just close enough that Scott could not complete a penalty turn for the entire race. On the last downwind leg, Scott chose not to set his spinnaker, and instead to try and "hook" Casey into a penalty. Casey responded by slowing down to stay just behind Scott. Unfortunately, it was a little too slow, as Scott managed to complete a penalty turn about half way down the leg, and set his spinnaker just ahead of Casey. Scott and team sailed on to the victory. In race two, the roles were reversed as this time it was Casey with an early penalty as well as the lead. Again, Scott kept things just close enough, and at the finish there was not enough room for Casey to complete his penalty turn. Casey took his spinnaker down and went for a sharp luff, but Scott was able to jibe and just cross behind Casey by only a few inches. It was a close move, but it was the kind of sailing that the Martin 242s were made for and Scott took full advantage. The wind was light for the finals, but the action was still on in the starts. Steven and team, 7 and 0 going into the final, showed their skill in the first two pre-starts, jumping to an early lead in both races. However, in each case Scott was able to use his light air experience and boat-speed to pass Steven and take the first two races. In race 3 of the final, Steven took an early penalty for displaying the wrong flag, but once again showed his skill in the pre-start. Steven had Scott held outside of the boat at the start, but Scott chose to squeeze in anyway and took a penalty, evening the score. Steven held a good lead for much of the race, but on the final downwind leg Scott made his move. Only a boat-length behind, Scott Jibed onto starboard with roughly 2 hundred yards left to the finish. Rather than cross ahead, Steven and crew chose to jibe in front of Scott, and ultimately, the move may have cost them the race. Scott was able to soak low and prevent Steven from jibing to the finish. With only two boat-lengths left to the finish, Scott jibed for the line, followed closely by Steven. Steven could not get his spinnaker going in Scott's wind shadow, and Scott rolled Steven and took the race, as well as the title. Thanks to MG Marine, King Harbor Youth Foundation, the Martin 242 fleet, Ullman sails, and to all the volunteers who helped run a great regatta! See you next year! Results: |