Sailors from three countries enjoyed a long weekend of racing at the 2011 Miami Superbowl regatta, sponsored by Seiko and Zhik, and hosted by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. After 4 days of training the fleet of nine boats sailed 8 races over the weekend. The event has shown the North American fleet is growing with 3 new boats as of this weekend added to the over 20 boats racing on the continent. For a new class this is a great start to the 2011 season.

While the weather was sunny and warm, the wind seemed stuck at a 5-7 knot southerly for the pre-event clinic and 2 of the 3 racing days. Teams took the opportunity to improve their skills in this condition and the competition got tighter as the week progressed. The open nature of the class expressed each evening during the lively fleet debrief has made it easy for new teams to get up to speed quickly. Everyone was sharing rig settings, technique, and their GoPro videos with the rest of the fleet.

The brother and sister duo of Paris and Hans Henken (Coronado, CA) came out of the blocks strong winning all 3 races on the first day of racing.  While the duo held onto their number one rank from start to finish, there was a tight battle for second through 5th with positions changing every race. New fleet members Allie Blecher (Los Angeles, CA) and Molly Robinson (San Francisco, CA) really enjoyed the 29erXX. (In light winds they carried their waterproof iHome and music could be heard by all those nearby!)

On Day 2,  the fleet was able to stretch its legs in 14 knots and enjoy the speeds these boats are made for. Kristen Lane (San Francisco, CA) and Charlie McKee (Coronado, CA) found great pace in the breeze.

 

Sunday, 3rd and final day, the fleet members worked hard through the Miami motor boat chop. Paris and Hans finally showed a weakness as Finnish National Team member Silja Lehtinen and Mikaela Wulff were able to take a win away from the Henkens, moving their team up to 3rd overall. Jen Glass and Mallory Fontenot (Seattle, WA) sailed consistently in both the light and windier conditions to a 2nd place finish overall and were the top Women's Team.

The breeze continued to weaken after the first race on Sunday, and with more and more recreational boaters the race committee made the smart decision to call it a regatta.

29erXX continues to enjoy fantastic support. This year Seiko provided a pair of watches to winner of the "Seiko Weather Mark Challenge". The first team to the weather mark during the last race on Saturday. Sieko also heavily supports women's 29erXX teams, so the top female team (Jen and Mallory) took home a pair of women's Seikos. Zhik is new to supporting the 29erXX and provided fantastic trophies to the top 3 teams at the event. The sailors thank them both very much!

Final Results

Fried Elliott Photos