La Tempete IS BACK IN THE SADDLE!

WINS SINGLE-RACE ZUKASKY REGATTA

(Chicago,  Saturday, August 11, 2007)   After an interminable postponement today of over two hours, a fair wind delivered victory into the hands of La Tempete, skippered by Tom Weber, at the Kathryn Zukasky (Breast Cancer Awareness) Regatta hosted by the Burnham Park Yacht Club.  This is the first regatta of the year that La Tempete has won, a year in which five different boats have won the six 40.7 class events held so far.  

12:30 PM.  Waiting for wind

The course was set at 120° at a distance of 2.25 miles and four legs when the 40.7’s finally got underway at 1:40 PM.   La Tempete was called “over early” at the start but obviously Weber and his crew overcame this impediment.

After rounding the first windward mark, La Tempete in about 4^th place, gybed and headed to the left (downwind) while most of the boats ahead were continuing on starboard gybe to the right side of the course.  The breeze freshened first on the left to about 16 knots.

Vayu, who had rounded the windward mark in 6^th place also did an early gybe.  La Tempete was first around the leeward mark, followed by Turning Point, Excalibur, Vayu, and Collaboration in that order.

In the end it was La Tempete in first place, followed by Turning Point in 2^nd, and Excalibur in 3^rd.  Turning Point’s skipper is Bill Bartz and Excalibur’s skipper is David Tarson.

Updated standings for the 40.7 Fleet are at:  40.7 Standings