33rd season gets underway in St. Pete

The 2023 Sailing World Regatta Series attracted 245 teams for 14 classes on February 17-19 in St Petersburg, FL. Tampa Bay delivered good conditions on the first two days but a lack of wind cancelled all racing on the final day. This is the 33rd edition of what was formerly known as the NOOD, with the 2023 schedule also including San Diego, Annapolis, Chicago, and Marblehead.

Twenty-six-year-old skipper Ed Lebens and his teammates on the J/70 Reggae Shark had a clear plan for the final day: cover their rivals and carefully defend their lead in the ultra-competitive and pro-laden class.

The primary focus was keeping tabs on Bruce Golison’s Midlife Crisis, just 14 points behind. “We had a pretty healthy gap so we were really just going to try not to have a shocker and sail our own race,” says the young professional sailor from Oyster Bay, New York.

But when the wind failed to materialize, race committees across all four of the race circles pulled the plug and sent all competitors to shore. “We were okay with it,” Lebens said.

Onboard with Lebens for the regatta were teammates Malcolm Lamphere, Scott Ewing, and US Sailing Team 49er skipper Ian Barrows. Sailing together for the first time in their positions on the boat, they had a decent start to the series with a ninth in the first race, but then logged top-five finishes over the next seven races, a streak that was highlighted by a surprise win in the last race of the day on Friday.

“We got a third in that race, but the two boats that finished in front of us were both UFD [disqualified for starting early], so out of a 50-boat fleet…the odds of that happening is pretty amazing. We were fired up about that and it was a good way to end the first day.”

Lebens’ summary of his team’s success was straightforward: “Clean starts, being conservative and not committing to a side until the top of the beat, and just having fun with my friends.”

The same was true for Tom and Mary Bryant (above) on their S2 7.9 Matros. The team from Holland, Michigan, was only beat in one of eight races in the 13-boat fleet, and as the winner of their class they won the S2 7.9 Midwinter title and were later selected as the regatta’s overall winner, earning them a berth at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Caribbean Championship in the British Virgin Islands hosted by Sunsail and BVI Tourism.

With Tom on the helm and Mary managing the middle of the boat, this close-knit crew was clearly the fastest on the course all weekend.

“Good sails, good crew work and knowing how to tune the boat and sails for the conditions,” was Tom Bryant’s assessment of his team’s win. “I’m not very good in the lighter winds, so the 8 to 15 knots of breeze we had this weekend was fantastic for me and the boat. When we can get out front and get clear air we’re faster.”

The event was also used by one design classes for their championship titles as skippers Michael Norris and Pete Merrifield won the L30 and Weta North Americans respectively, while Steve Boho’s The 300 won the Melges 24 Midwinters.

Event information – Race details – Results

2023 Schedule
St. Petersburg, February 17-19
San Diego, March 17-19
Annapolis, May 5-7
Chicago, June 9-11
Marblehead, July 27-30
Caribbean, October 21-28

Source: BonnierCorp.com