{"id":80936,"date":"2025-02-16T23:47:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T04:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=80936"},"modified":"2025-03-04T12:49:45","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T17:49:45","slug":"racers-reap-rewards-of-windy-final-day-in-st-pete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/regatta-series\/racers-reap-rewards-of-windy-final-day-in-st-pete\/","title":{"rendered":"Racers Reap Rewards of Windy Final Day in St. Pete"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/linktr.ee\/sailingworldregattas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FINAL RESULTS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }<\/style><div class='embed-container'><iframe src='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E1hghXvFqoE' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>On the morning of the final day of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Petersburg, sailors were pacing the docks of St. Petersburg YC in anticipation of a high-wind outing on Tampa Bay. A few classes and individual sailors opted to stay ashore\u2014A Class Catamarans, S2 7.9s, Windmills and Hobie 33s\u2014but those who did set out for ultimate races of the long weekend were rewarded with spectacular fast races and stories to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"x8aa2rgac1\" src=\"https:\/\/Sailingworld.dragonforms.com\/x8aa2rgac1\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad we went out,\u201d said perennial <strong>Lightning Class<\/strong> champion Dave Starck, who was keen to race but happy to oblige whatever his fleet mates decided. Starck and his team\u2014brother Tom and forward crew Becca Jordon\u2014were sitting on a 1-point lead, so the goal for the day was simple: minimize the maneuvers and the mistakes. Let others make them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/starck-1024x736.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Lightning sailors Dave Starck, Tom Starck and Becca Jordon\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/starck-1024x736.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/starck-300x216.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/starck-768x552.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/starck.jpg 1200w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Lightning sailors Dave Starck, Tom Starck and Becca Jordon work their way to a win at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Petersburg.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cI said before we left that dock that we&#8217;re going to sail conservatively, do as few maneuvers as we have to and do them perfectly,&#8221; he added, &#8220;and that&#8217;s exactly what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starck and his crew won the race with a wire-to-wire lead and closed out the Lightning class\u2019s eight-race series with 28 points, an impressive win given the high caliber of the sailors in the 25-boat fleet this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103476-1024x726.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Team Gamecock\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103476-1024x726.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103476-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103476-768x545.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103476.jpg 1523w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Team Gamecock enjoys a fresh day of surfing on Tampa Bay, planing off to another race win and the Melges 24 Midwinter Championship title.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>On the same racecourse, which had been repositioned closer to the St. Petersburg shoreline in anticipation of the building breeze, less than half of the <strong>Melges 15<\/strong> fleet ventured out to play, leaving an open course for the class\u2019s top teams to battle it out for the top three positions. Patrick Wilson and Lauren Koch won both races, but a 3-2 was just enough for Mike Funsch and Hal Gilreath to win the regatta by 4 points. Top juniors Cole Schweda and Grayson Tella were third overall with an impressive series of top-10 finishes over 10 races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Melges 24<\/strong> class hosted its Midwinter Championship with a fleet of 14 with Peter McClennen\u2019s <em>Gamecock<\/em> winning eight of 10 races.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cToday was fast,\u201d McClennen said. \u201cThe Melges 24s love big breeze. We hit 18 knots going downwind today and it was just super fun. We knew it was gonna be windy, and we had to really work the boat really hard. And that&#8217;s what we did today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103675-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Al Minella&#039;s Level5\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103675-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103675-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103675-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103675-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-103675.jpg 1620w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Al Minella&#8217;s Level5 was the standout team of the J\/70 class, winning enough races to lock the series after two days.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe waves were pretty significant, maybe two to three feet, and especially down at the start line they were even higher. So, it was, it was a battle. Many times, we would slide the tactician in to help with the main sheet so that we could move the mainsail a lot, but the waves were great. They make it fun. And then downwind, when you come around and you can surf those waves, that&#8217;s where you get the gains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-5565-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"2025 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Petersburg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-5565-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-5565-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-5565-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-5565-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-5565.jpg 1620w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Mike Funsch and Hal Gilreath (594) poke out from a crowded start at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Petersburg.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>On the same circle, <strong>J\/70<\/strong> sailors were chasing the hard-charging team on Al Minella\u2019s <em>Level 5<\/em>, which won seven of 10 races to close the series with a 25-point win. Onboard <em>Level 5<\/em> as tactician was reigning J\/70 world champion Jeremy Wilmot, and Minella\u2019s team were indeed at another level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019d won it before the last race so we went at it as a learning experience for the next regatta, working on upwind driving and downwind sailing,\u201d Wilmot said. \u201cThey\u2019re fast so I didn\u2019t have to do much on the tactics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minella, who\u2019s been sailing J\/70s for years and has won plenty of hardware in the class, picked up a few new pointers that had him faster in the weekend\u2019s breezy conditions. \u201cThe thing was to heel the boat more than you think,\u201d Minella said. \u201cI\u2019m trained to not let the boat layover, but you need the heel angle to get through the waves. The level of activity of these guys is constant. They\u2019re making adjustments all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8544-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Hobie 33s gathered\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8544-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8544-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8544-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8544.jpg 1200w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Hobie 33s gathered again for their Midwinter Championship, with Craig and Deborah\u2019s team on Hoof Hearted taking the win.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>There were six classes sailing for their Midwinter Championship titles at the regatta, including the <strong>Hobie 33<\/strong>s, which went to Craig and Deborah\u2019s team on <em>Hoof Hearted<\/em>, the defending champions. Pat Huntley and his teammate, from Pennsylvania, won all but one race to secure the <strong>Windmill<\/strong> class title; Kevin Holmberg\u2019s <em>Team Fawkes<\/em> was the top <strong>Sonar<\/strong>; and Jeff Padnos\u2019 team on <em>K2<\/em> returned to Michigan with the S2.7.9 title in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a class winner, Padnos\u2019 win also earned his team the regatta\u2019s overall title and a berth at the Helly Hansen Caribbean Championship in October. \u201cThe weekend was a real thrill,\u201d Padnos said. \u201cI had my son as tactician and the crew are good friends that we&#8217;ve sailed with for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8196-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"S2 7.9 fleet\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8196-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8196-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8196-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8196.jpg 1200w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The 12-boat S2 7.9 fleet enjoyed close racing around the course on Friday and Saturday with Jeff Padnos&#8217;s K2 securing the Midwinter title.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Throughout the weekend, the racing was impressively tight in the S2s, with boats clustered at the marks and overlapped at finishes, which Padnos says is the draw that has kept him racing these vintage boats for four decades. \u201cYou gotta get the boat moving, and then it will point,\u201d is his one tip to mastering the S2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same skill will apply on the Sunsail-provided bareboat that Padnos and his team will race against the Regatta Series&#8217; other winners come October, and the opportunity to race in the BVI, he says, has been a long time coming. \u201cMy wife and I have been married over 50 years,\u201d Padnos said. \u201cWe&#8217;re coming up on 55 and COVID came right during our 50th Anniversary year, so we have a pent-up demand for doing stuff like this. We&#8217;ll be there. We will definitely be there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"543\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-104598-1024x695.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Jeff Padnos wins the S2 7.9s class at the 2025 Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta in St. Pete\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-104598-1024x695.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-104598-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-104598-768x521.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-104598-1536x1042.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-104598.jpg 1592w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series Day 3<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>Only three of six <strong>L30<\/strong> class teams ventured out to the racecourse today, and Michael Norris\u2019s team on <em>Morning Breeze <\/em>wasn\u2019t among them. Having won every race of the L30 North American Championship on Friday and Saturday, <em>Morning Breeze<\/em>&#8216;s win was assured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>A Class<\/strong> Catamaran sailors, also not keen to take on the big waves and strong winds, packed up early, with past world champion foiler Ravi Parent sweeping the series. Parent, who\u2019s been racing high-performance catamarans internationally over the past year, was in a world of his own, often finishing races legs ahead of his competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8970-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Sitella and their M32 rivals on Fleetwood\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8970-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8970-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8970-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8970-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HHSWRS2025-8970.jpg 1620w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Ian Hill&#8217;s Sitella and their M32 rivals on Fleetwood pace upwind on the second day of racing at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Petersburg.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>For the big boats of the regatta in <strong>ORC<\/strong> and the <strong>PHRF<\/strong> distance-race fleets, today\u2019s big breeze conditions had reefs tucked in mains and crews battling hard over the long miles and around the buoys. Ian Hill\u2019s immaculately-prepared Melges 32 won the long battle with its rivals on Jeremy Alexis\u2019 <em>Fleetwood<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Melges 32 is a really good boat in either extreme,\u201d Hill said. This was his second time bringing the boat to the St. Petersburg regatta and coming away with a win. \u201cIt\u2019s a good boat in the light air, and it\u2019s a great boat in the heavy air. And it seems like when we come here, that\u2019s what we get. We either get really light or bigger breeze, and we&#8217;ve had a lot of fun with this boat in both conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/ruse-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Distance Racing&#039;s PHRF Spinnaker fleet\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/ruse-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/ruse-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/ruse-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/ruse.jpg 1200w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">William Marsh&#8217;s Beneteau First 36, from Massachusetts, traveled south for warm racing and was rewarded in St. Pete with great conditions and a top finish in the Distance Racing&#8217;s PHRF Spinnaker fleet. <\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p>The distance racers set off on another 20-miler or so and returned to the docks exhausted but exhilarated by the challenging conditions, especially William Marsh and his teammates on the Beneteau First 36 <em>Ruse<\/em>, which hails from Cape Cod, but has been relocated to Florida for a full winter season of regattas to prepare for a slate of planned events this summer in New England. After more than three hours of hard sailing, <em>Ruse<\/em> collected its overall hardware in the PHRF Spinnaker division, while <em>Tangeaux<\/em> was the top Racer\/Cruiser team and <em>Charisma<\/em> was the standout Cruising division winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n        <section class=\"hydra-container\">\n\n\t\t\t                <div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/fireandice-1024x683.png\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Distance Race Spinnaker fleet\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/fireandice-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/fireandice-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/fireandice-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/fireandice.png 1200w\" \/>                <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n            <figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">The Distance Race Spinnaker fleet sets off into a stiff southerly on the final day of the regatta.<\/span>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t            <\/figcaption>\n        <\/section>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With nearly 200 boats across the 14 divisions, the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Petersburg was a race-packed weekend that ended with fast and thrilling big-breeze races.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":80983,"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":"","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"","arc_website_url":"","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":false,"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":true,"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":"","ad_targeting":"","ad_settings_ads_on_this_page":true,"ad_settings_automatic_ad_injection_into_the_content":true,"sponsored_url":"","social_share":true,"alternate_title_newsletter":"","alternate_content_newsletter":""},"categories":[157],"tags":[181,311],"class_list":["post-80936","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-st-petersburg"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80936","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\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}