Acura SORC starts off amid tropical conditions

by Shawn McBride on 8 Mar 2002 Dark skies, humid air and intermittent rain, try as they might, did
little to dampen first day action at the Acura SORC.

On the Acura Course, the Farr 40s gathered to begin contesting their US National Championship. El
Seguendo, CA's John Kilroy, aboard Samba Pa Ti, began defense of his Acura SORC class title by winning
the day's first race. After a sixth place finish in the second race, Kilroy was runner-up in the days' third and
final race to George Andreadis aboard Newport, RI-based Atlanti XII. As a result, Samba Pa Ti finished the
day with a three-point first-place cushion. Andreadis clearly became more comfortable with the 'tropical'
conditions as the day progressed however, as Atlanti XII demonstrated the most marked improvement in
the class, recording finishes of seventh, fourth and first places, respectively.

The Sailing World Course was alive with activity today as the IMS and three PHRF classes kept the action
rolling. In the IMS class George David of Hartford, CT, ran the table with three first place finishes aboard
Idler.

In the PHRF competition two first place finishes were the key to a Day 1 lead. George Collins' Chessie
Racing of Fisher Island, FL, led the way in the PHRF 1 competition while Garth Dennis of Ithaca, NY aboard
Smiling Bulldog and Annapolis, MD's Bruce Gardner on L'Outrage followed suit in the PHRF 2 and 3
competitions, respectively.

The Acura SORC resumes tomorrow with the J/80, Melges 24 and Mumm 30 classes joining the action.
Racing commences at 10:00am.

The Acura SORC, in its 61st year, is one of the premiere participatory race-weeks in sailing, featuring
approximately 100 racing sailboats and more than 1,500 participants including America's Cup sailors,
business leaders and ocean navigators from around the world in a week-long lifestyle festival in Miami
Beach, Florida.

Final results, Acura SORC, Day 1, March 7, (owner name, boat name, city, state, places, points):

Farr 40:

John Kilroy, Samba Pa Ti, El Segundo, CA, 1-6-2, 9

George Andreadis, Atalanti XII, San Diego, CA, 7-4-1, 12

Hasso Plattner, Morning Glory, Newport, RI, 6-2-7, 15

IMS:

George David, Idler, Hartford, CT, 1-1-1, 3

Ennio Steffini, Uarshek 2, Annapolis, MD, 3-2-2, 7

Doug Croker, Canvasback, Easton, MD, 2-4-4, 10

Bulman/Winston, Javelin, Bethesda, MD, 4-3-3, 10

PHRF 1:

George Collins, Chessie Racing, Fisher Island, FL, 1-2-1, 4

Wayne Colahan, Rio, Marblehead, MA, 3-1-3, 7

Stephen Murray, Decision, New Orleans, CA, 2-3-2, 7

PHRF 2:

Garth Dennis, Smiling Dog, Ithaca, NY, 1-1-2, 4

Gordon Schiff, The Wall, Tampa, FL, 2-2-1, 5.5

Tony Fano, Reactademo, Fisher Island, FL, 3-2-4, 9.5

PHRF 3:

Bruce Gardner, L'Outrage, Annapolis, MD, 1-1-2, 4

S.A. Spencer, Triptease, Miami, FL, 2-2-1, 5

Richard Stearns, Thirsty Tiger, Wilmette, IL, 3-3-3, 9

For complete results visit www.acurasorc.com.

Boats competing at the Acura SORC are racing three-day or four-day series. The Farr 40, IMS and PHRF classes
are all racing from Thursday through Sunday. The Melges 24, Mumm 30 and J/105 classes will race Friday
through Sunday.

Race management is provided by volunteers from the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, the Coral Reef Yacht Club,
Miami Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club and Nassau Yacht Club.

The Acura SORC is an Octagon managed event. Octagon, an international event marketing company
headquartered in Stamford, CT, also manages the Swedish Match Tour, Bermuda Gold Cup and several corporate
sailing outings.