{"id":66010,"date":"2016-11-01T17:30:22","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T21:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=66010"},"modified":"2023-05-06T21:27:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T01:27:37","slug":"thrice-bitten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/regatta-series\/thrice-bitten\/","title":{"rendered":"Thrice Bitten"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"NOOD\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Jim Sears’ Team Viper keeps close tabs on the competition as they pass through the BVI’s Great Thatch Cut on the final leg of the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean Championship.<\/span>\n Dave Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

As 10-year-old Ryan Becker crossed the finish line of the final leg of the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean Championship, he pumped his fists into the air, celebrating his family\u2019s victorious arrival into The Bight at Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

The Becker family\u2019s win of the championship\u2019s fourth distance race was their second of the nine-race regatta. They\u2019d also won the long down-winder from Guana Island to Sandy Cay the previous day, and while it helped them edge closer to the NOOD Caribbean championship title, it was little too late. Two-time defending champion Dr. Jim Sears had already built an unassailable lead in the standings, and when he followed Becker\u2019s Team Awkward Turtle into The Bight, he locked it up for the third consecutive year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

With a cumulative score of 11.5 points (which included three buoy races, dinghy races at the Bitter End YC, and four distance races) Team Viper, from Southern California and Ohio, squeezed more speed from its 47-foot charter boat provided by Sunsail, but it was hardly a stroll through the BVI\u2019s natural wonders, says Sears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were happy to come out of the first day [buoy races on Sir Francis Drake Channel] with a 2-2-1,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve learned from the past is to get out from the base early so we can dive and look at our bottom. We were blessed with a pretty clean one this year, but more than that, it\u2019s just getting out and figuring out the mechanics of the [jib] pole and the sail controls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Tactically, in the buoy races, Team Viper\u2019s plan was to stay clean and minimize tacks, which meant starting on port so as to either duck or cross the fleet, get to the starboard layline, and tack once. \u201cIt was really shifty that day, which made it hard to weigh the difference between sailing through the headers or tacking,\u201d says Sears, \u201cbecause, in light air, the tacks are brutal. Turns out, as it got shiftier, everyone else was tacking a lot, so we did, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"NOOD\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Alex Schmidt, on the bow of Stephen Hosch’s Team Omaha, guides them into a crowded committee boat start in the buoy races on the opening day. Team Omaha stood second overall after three races and went on to win the first distance leg from The Baths to Bitter End Yacht Club.<\/span>\n Dave Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Despite his experience from previous Caribbean NOODs, Sears says he\u2019s still not totally used to sailing a much heavier boat than the Viper he typically races. \u201cYou find yourself trying to foot and waiting for it to accelerate, but there\u2019s not a lot of feel. It takes a lot of patience and maybe that\u2019s why some of the teams that come from smaller boats tend to struggle on the first day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

One of those that did struggle was Becker\u2019s squad, unable to steer their boat in straight line. After racing, they discovered their boat\u2019s rudder was severely damaged [they were later awarded points for redress]. Sunsail\u2019s service team was dispatched to Cooper Island the following morning to replace the rudder on the water, getting Team Awkward Turtle to the first distance race start, from the Baths to the Bitter End YC, 30 minutes before the warning signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

The long leg to Bitter End belonged to Stephen Hosch\u2019s impressive squad from Omaha, Nebraska, the regatta\u2019s lone outside challenger. In a nailbitter of a finish, Sears came in with speed while Hosch’s team stalled at the line. The difference was only five feet. Becker followed Sears into the finish, establishing the regatta\u2019s pecking order from there on out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

In the dinghy races at Bitter End that immediately followed, Becker and Sears padded their teams\u2019 leads ever slightly, but it was Team Bight Me, Marblehead NOOD winners, that trounced the evening\u2019s Mount Gay Rum drink contest, judged by the race committee. With a potent mix of Mount Gay Rum, champagne and juices delivered seconds before the time limit expired, the Marbleheads perhaps knew it was better to be late to the judging than early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

*Here’s the recipe for what Team Marblehead called “Stripper Dust”<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Ingredients: Mount Gay Rum, Champagne, Guava\/mixed fruit juice, Red Twizzler (for pole), granulated brown sugar and lime on the rim.*<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"NOOD\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n John Spierling’s Team Rebel, S27.9 winners of the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta in St. Petersburg, fight for the controlling leeward position during the start of the first distance race, from The Baths to the Bitter End YC.<\/span>\n Dave Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Once back to business after a lay day at the Bitter End YC, teams were settling into a groove and weeping their water tanks for the long downwind test to Guana Island, a roughly 7-nautical mile race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe changed two major things after the second day,\u201d says Becker. \u201cWe readjusted our weight significantly, for starters. We\u2019d initially stored our bottled waters in the bow and moved them under the dinette, but the bigger change was that we actually put the saildrive into neutral. We\u2019d had it in reverse, like you typically would on a raceboat, not realizing it was not a folding prop. With it turning, at least, it wasn\u2019t dragging as much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Becker also experimented with changing from a wing-on-wing mode to more of a looser reach style because their custom pole wasn\u2019t as long as those used by other teams. \u201cWe were having a really hard time in the light air holding the jib out, so instead,” he says. “We found the best apparent-wind angle and just stayed on it the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

The changes seemed to work as they led toward Guana Island and what could have been their first leg win, but just as they were about to jibe toward the finish, the wind shifted 40 degrees. \u201cWe actually expected the wind to go the other way,\u201d says Becker. \u201cWe got screwed by the shift there, but we can\u2019t fault the wind. We learned, though, that reaching was better in light air and there\u2019s a time for winging it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

The shift allowed Team Viper to cruise to yet another leg win, followed across the line by Hosch\u2019s Team Omaha, and Becker\u2019s Awkward Turtle, third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"NOOD\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Soon after their arrival at the Bitter End YC, competitors switched into Hobie Waves and Lasers for the dinghy racing portion of the regatta, leading this race is Team Awkward Turtle’s Geoff Becker, winner of the J\/70 fleet at the Annapolis NOOD.<\/span>\n Dave Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Having a pole that was longer was an advantage, says Sears. \u201cThe guys on the Omaha boat had one about the same length \u2014 ours was 22 feet and theirs was 21 \u2014 but they didn\u2019t seem to have the same downwind gear. There were times where they tried to sail faster higher, but we just kept looking for the pressure and staying in it, allowing us to sail lower. We had plenty of luck, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

On the day\u2019s second distance race, from Guana Island to picturesque Sandy Cay, Team Awkward Turtle found its groove and got to the palm-lined islet first, followed by Team Viper and Team Omaha. Mathematically, Sears had it locked, but he was unsure how Becker\u2019s first-day redress would play out the following day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were consistent and didn\u2019t score anything worse than a second, which gave me a bit of cushion in the last race,\u201d says Sears. \u201cBut that leg [from Jost to Norman Island], is one I seem to struggle with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Becker got ahead before the leaders passed through Great Thatch Cut, crossing tacks with Sears several times before others came into the picture, including Team Omaha, and Chicago NOOD winner Martin Johnson\u2019s Team Aquaholics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

For a fleeting moment, says Sears, he found himself sitting in fourth, wondering how the points would play out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"NOOD\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Rounding the starboard channel marker at Bitter End YC, Team Omaha prepares to exit Gorda Sound en route to the Leg 2 finish at Guana Island’s Monkey Point.<\/span>\n Dave Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we started that day we didn\u2019t know the redress situation, so we thought the main competitors were the Omaha guys, so we went for the clean start and everyone else was late. I don\u2019t think he [Becker] knew the math either. It seemed like he wanted us between him and Omaha because that was what he needed to do to get second.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

As the reach through Great Thatch Cut turned into a long beat into the Norman Island finish, Team Awkward Turtle was noticeably faster. \u201cWe figured out that a tack takes about two minutes from tack to tack and eventually we got faster,\u201d says Becker. \u201cOur top speed was a bit faster than the other guys going up wind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Becker\u2019s 15-year-old son, Josh, was hard at work on the main, working his magic. \u201cEarlier in the week he wasn\u2019t sure what to do, but by that point, he really got the hang of it,” says Becker. “That was cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

As they finished with whoops and hollers, the Becker family (assisted by friends Parker Mitchell and Coco Solsvig) had accomplished what they\u2019d set out to do: introduce their kids to big-boat sailing and Caribbean bareboating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe kids loved it,\u201d he says, \u201cespecially the day after racing when we went to three different islands and snorkeled the wreck of The Rhone. They\u2019d never done anything like that before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"NOOD\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Geoff Becker’s Team Awkward Turtle leads the fleet from Guana Island’s Monkey Point to the finish at Sandy Cay off Jost Van Dyke.<\/span>\n Dave Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"NOOD\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Celebrating their Helly Hansen NOOD Overall Championship title win, Geoff, Laura, Ryan and Josh Becker, and Parker Mitchell demonstrate the Awkward Turtle hand signal.<\/span>\n Dave Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

As top finisher of the five invited Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta champions, Becker, who won his J\/70 class in Annapolis earlier in the year, was crowned the 2016 overall season champion. Sears, as it now seems tradition, earned another invitation from Sunsail to defend in 2017, which he says he intends to do. Next time, though, he\u2019ll leave the bimini up, and not take himself so seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"NOOD\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Jim Sears’ Team Viper, both race team and mothership supporters, win the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean Championship, Sears’ third consecutive.<\/span>\n Dave Reed<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jim Sears’ Team Viper Strikes Again at the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean NOOD Championship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"20161101","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"157","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"After a week of racing in the British Virgin Islands, Jim Sears and his teammates on Team Viper repeat as the Helly Hansen NOOD Caribbean champions; Geoff Becker's family takes second to win the 2016 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Overall title.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Thrice Bitten %%sep%% %%sitename%%","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"D45SYHWYPCH2JO4F7W3ST5OYJA","arc_website_url":"thrice-bitten\/","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"right-sidebar","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":0,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[157],"tags":[181,204],"class_list":["post-66010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regatta-series","tag-helly-hansen-sailing-world-regatta-series","tag-helly-hansen-sailing-world-regatta-series-caribbean-championship"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}