Tquila (IRL 1425), owned by James McHugh of Galway, Ireland, rounded the initial weather mark in first place at the Etchells World Championships in Florida, USA on Tuesday and never relinquished the lead the rest of the way.
Tquila is one of two Irish boats competing in the 62-boat event.
Spanish sailor and two-time Olympic gold medalist Luis Doreste steered Tquila, which crossed the finish line comfortably ahead for a first race win.
Howth Yacht Club Corinthian crew Alex Lacy, Stephen Quinn and Andrew Crosbie are lying 43rd overall and fifth Corinthian team after two races sailed at the Etchells World Championships in Florida, USA.
The HYC crew have filed a protest for redress, and that will be heard on Wednesday, April 19th.
Strong winds and sunny skies ensured a successful opening day for the Championships, being held on Biscayne Bay.
Principal Race Officer, Dave Brennan, completed two picture-perfect races in the exact conditions that were predicted —- north to northeasterly winds ranging from 12 to 18 knots.
When all was said and done, skipper Luke Lawrence and his crew aboard Cruel Jane 2.0 (CAN 1501) were atop the standings with five points on the strength of second and third place finishes. Brad Boston called tactics, while Andrew Macrae worked the bowl for Lawrence, who was two points clear of second place Steve Benjamin and the Tons of Steel (USA team.
Steve Benjamin steered Tons of Steel to victory in the second race, which got underway in northeast winds at 50 degrees. Mike Buckley is serving as tactician onboard, which rounded the first weather mark in eighth place and then took the lead for good on the second beat.
"We wanted to favor the right side based on the forecast for a sweeping right shift, but as we know here on Biscayne Bay, the left is often very good and powerful in northeast winds," Benjamin said. "We chose the left and just tried to sail on the lifts upwind, the headers downwind and just connect the dots."
Ian Liberty and Dave Hughes are also crewing for Benjamin, the 2017 World Champ. Benjamin, a longtime sailmaker and 2015 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, had some regret about how Race 1 panned out.
"We left a little on the table in the first race. We wound up sixth and could have easily been third," he said.
Top ten after two races
1. Cruel Jane, Luke Lawerence / Andrew Macrae / Brad Boston, CAN, 5.0
2. Tons Of Steel, Stephen Benjamin / Michael Buckley / Ian Liberty / Dave Hughes, USA, 7.0
3. Racer Smithy, Mark Thornburrow / Malcolm Page / Mike Huang / Duncan Gregor, HKG, 11.0
4. Oatmeal, Peter Duncan / Andrew Palfrey / Mark Mendelblatt, USA, 13.0
5. Veracity, John Sommi / Victor Diaz de Leon / Will Ryan / Beccy Anderson, USA, 17.0
6. Skanky Gene, Jay Cross / Taylor Canfield / George Peet / Franny Schulte, USA, 18.0
7. Eat,Sleep,E,Repeat , Paul Ward / Charlie Cumbley / Paul Childs, GBR, 18.0
8. Lydia, Josh Powell / Chris Bush / Patrick Powell, USA, 22.0
9. Rock On, Argyle Campbell / Alex Curtiss / Mark Ivey / Jessie Kirkland, USA, 26.0
10. Lifted, Jim Cunningham / Steve Hunt / Erik Shampain / Serena Vilage, USA, 27.0
Full results here
