Mike Martin and Steve Bourdow Win Both Races and Take the Lead!

In sunny light-to-medium (mostly light) conditions, Californians Mike Martin and Steve Bourdow won both of today's races and took the overall lead away from Race One Winners Howard Hamlin and Peter Alarie. With three races completed, and with a maximum of three more possible in the next two days, this sets up a great battle between the 1999 505 World Champion skipper, Howard Hamlin, and the 1999 505 World Champion crew, Mike Martin. Currently in third overall is four time 505 World Champion Krister Bergstrom, racing with Thomas Moss. The top three teams are within one point overall, with fourth place close behind.  The Bergstrom/Moss team have been very consistent with finishes of 2,4,2, while Martin/Bourdow were 7th in Race 1, and may be able to throw that result out when a fourth race is completed.

"We gated early in the first race", said Martin.  "Steve [Bourdow] was all over the shifts and we slowly worked our way into the lead." The Martin/Bourdow team passed silver medalist Ian Barker, sailing with his long time 505 crew Danny Cripps, on the third beat, and stretched a little for comfort over the remaining legs, winning by about 50 yards.

"In the second race, we tacked on them [Martin/Bourdow] on the first beat and sent them left", said Peter Alarie. "They found a shift and came back in ahead of us." Both these teams rounded the first windward mark in the teens, but both used excellent reaching speed to close on the early leaders; Martin/Bourdow rounded the first leeward mark fourth. Martin/Bourdow played shifts to get into second, where they stayed most of the race, and then got a big left hand shift on the last beat to take the lead from the Danish team of Jan Saugmann and Morten Ramsbaek.

"I just drove the boat", said Martin. "And when I looked up Steve had us in the lead."

With a promising forecast for tomorrow -- NE 15-20 knots, going E/NE 15-25, and 3.5 -- 4.5 meter swells - competitors are looking forward to two more good races tomorrow.