A-Class: 10th Annual Admirals Cup , 2018 Edition: Bruce Mahoney 1st

Photos by Dan Howland / danhowlandyachts.com . Pics & Report by Ben Hall sent by Bailey White / US A-Class Association. Ben Hall is a living legend, this is His own event and already a Classic after 10 years. Check Ben’s Nikita above, inspite of being in flaoting he is using a DS sail, but with a pretty small foot and a wider top. Compare vs Bruce Mahoney’s (USA 311) or USA 127 (pic above) Mischa pinhead DS.

3 Classic were on the top ten against the Foilers. Ben himself finished in 4th overall, check his report below.
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10th Annual Admirals Cup
The 10th annual Admirals Cup was held at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron over Easter weekend. We had a great turnout with 20 Foilers and 19 Classics registered. The traditional Mudslide registration got all the sailors wound up with the decibel level of all the bragging getting very high near the last blender serving. Nan Hall and Rebecca Krantz checked everyone in and made sure sail numbers matched their entry and dues was paid up. Sailors from all over the USA, plus Canada and even South Africa attended.

Many sailors came for early practice and coaching sessions. Bruce Mahoney did another great job with coaching both Foilers and Classics.
Racing started Saturday with North East breeze from 8-16 knots. The shifty conditions necessitated course changes on the second beat of all four races. Bruce Mahoney once again dominated the Foilers with his consistent flying through a variety of conditions. Newcomer to the class, Jeremy Wilmot, was immediately competitive with consistent finishes. Larry Woods from Canada was right in there as well with his typical “send it” foiling style.

The Classic division had great racing as well. Woody Cope dominated the day with Ben Hall (Admiral) and Craig Yandow close behind. Overall the Classics gave most of the Foilers a good run with many in the top ten.

Due to the forecast of fading breeze on Sunday the start time was moved up to 10 AM. The 4-5 kt conditions were ideal for the Classics. Ben Hall finished first overall (first time Bruce Mahoney did not win all winter) with Kiwi Burdett second and Richard Stevens (last years winner) was third.

Once again custom carbon trophies for the first five in both divisions were awarded. Ben Hall just snuck by Woody Cope by one point to win the Classics and Bruce Mahoney won the Foiling division as well as the overall winner of the perpetual Admirals Cup. A special bottle of wine was awarded to Geoff Stevens (Richard’s dad) who traveled all the way from South Africa to sail in this regatta!

The Sarasota Sailing Squadron was once again a great host, providing excellent camping for tents , RVs and camper vans, good dinners and excellent volunteer and race committee.

In terms of gear, the classic boats at the top were quite varied though they have converged on deck sweepers from a variety of sail makers, including a local loft in Tampa. The top finishing foiling boats were by eXploder”.
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Top ten , full results  here