For Immediate Release
September 19, 2019
The opening day of the 2019 Sonar World Championship hosted by the Rochester (NY) Yacht Club was dominated by local sailor Michael Wilde. Wilde’s scoreline was 2-1-2-1 and there likely would have been another first had a race in which he had a significant lead been abandoned due to a 50+ wind shift. Playing the shifts was key as there was a persistent backing breeze all day.
Wilde’s take on the day was, “Overall, it was a difficult first day, but we enjoyed a solid breeze once it filled in from the left. It was unfortunate we had to abandon one race due to a major wind shift. That was a disappointment to me as I was in the lead, but I feel good about today. For me, today it was a boat speed game combined with getting off the line well in the 24-boat fleet. Once we were out in front, we could sail our own race. My crew told me to ‘drag race off the line.’ It was important to be in the neighborhood of the favored end but it was also critical to have clear air so you could focus on your boat speed.”
After Wilde’s six points, the next trio on the leaderboard are all within three points. Local sailors are in second (Eric Voss – 13 points and Jack Odenbach – 15 points, each having won a race) followed in third by Canadian Hall of Fame Sailor from Lunenburg, NS with 16 points.
Racing resumes tomorrow and continues through Sunday, September 22.
Results: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=6051
