Virgin Gorda, BVI (October 25, 2016) - Taylor Canfield, the defending champion of the Bitter End Yacht Club's Pro Am Regatta, is retaining a firm grasp on his crown after the first seven fleet races of the resort's 30th annual event.
Sailing in IC24s, with randomly assigned guests of the BEYC as crew, Canfield holds a three point edge over Dave Ullman with Ed Baird just two points further back.
Canfield, who grew up in the US Virgin Islands, readily acknowledged his love for Virgin Gorda's North Sound. "There are a lot of wind shifts there," he said with a huge smile on his face. And those wind shifts, plus Canfield's aggressive sailing skills, which have helped him climb to the #1 spot on the world match racing rankings, have also moved him to the top of the Pro Am leaderboard.
Interestingly, both Ullman and Baird will be inducted into the US National Sailing Hall of Fame this weekend, and they both will be flying to San Francisco on Friday afternoon when the Pro Am's match racing finals are scheduled. With their absence, the door could be opening for the other competitors.
Tomorrow is a lay day at the Pro Am Regatta, but the fleet racing action resumes Thursday morning, with the match racing finals scheduled for Friday.
Pro Am Results
1. Taylor Canfield, 20 pts
2. Dave Ullman, 23
3. Ed Baird, 25
4. Dave Perry, 26
5. Steve Benjamin, 31
6. JJ Fetter, 35
7. Anthony Kotoun, 36
Event details - Pro list
Background: The 30th edition of the Bitter End Yacht Club Pro-Am Regatta, an adult fantasy camp held annually in the British Virgin Islands, brings together an all-star line-up to join resort guests for a week of competition on October 22-29.