VX ONE: ONE OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE FLEETS AT CHARLESTON RACE WEEK

Doug Clark’s Angry Baboon Wins Charleston Race Week in a Tiebreak

After waiting two years since the last edition of Charleston Race Week, the VX One fleet was ready to leave it all on the water in the 2021 edition. Twenty-five teams from around the country arrived in Charleston for one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year. A 10-race series paired with great weather allowed for one of the tightest events the class has seen. Before the event got underway, North Sails’ Austin Powers, Mike Marshall, and Madeline Gill held a virtual happy hour for the fleet to review the winter series with tuning and sail trim takeaways, as well as preview CRW with a local knowledge briefing from John Bowden. The team previewed an update to the tuning guide which can be found below with the new adjusted turns found in red. A replay of the webinar can be found here.

Day one was dominated by Tudo Bem with Reed Baldrige, Austin Powers, and Michelle Warner. Jack Jorgenson’s SDR and Doug Clark’s Angry Baboon followed 8 and 9 points behind, respectively. The moderate and shifty breeze paired with substantial current convergence between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers rewarded the teams who found the best balance of current relief and wind velocity. Other highlights of the day included team Send It with a bullet right out of the gates.

Traditionally, day two is “moving day” at CRW and that is exactly what Chris Alexander’s team on Counterproductive did. With James Roe and Madeline Gill aboard, they were able to jump from outside the top five all of the way to a 6 point lead. Smart tactics amidst the tight racing in addition to superior boatspeed allowed them to find their way to top 3 finish positions in every race. Magic Bus came away with a race win in race 7, and Stan Stanton’s Zoo Crew took a bullet in race 8.

Going into the final day of the event, Counterproductive held a 6 point lead with three teams looking for some magic on the final day. With more west in the wind than the previous two days, the right side of the course was king to stay in phase with the current. After a race one victory by Tudo Bem followed closely by the Angry Baboon and USA 275, it was all to play for going into the final race of the regatta with four teams within two points of each other for the regatta win. The final start was won by Angry Baboon and they never looked back. Getting to the right early and staying between the competition and the mark, they were able to take the race and the regatta in a tiebreaker with Counterproductive. Not only did they win the regatta, but due to the competitiveness of the fleet, they were also awarded boat of the week.

Congratulations to Doug Clark, Rod Favela, and Emmi Triplett on the win; Chris Alexander, Madeline Gill, and James Roe in second; Michelle Warner, Reed Baldrige, and Austin Powers in third; and to all of the North Sails clients who competed. North Sails clients’ finished 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,and 10.