They say that going around “the Block” is never the same experience twice. Today’s experience for over 1000 sailors on 190 boats at the Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex was nothing short of remarkable. A solid seabreeze built from 10-12 knots at the start to a high end of 20 at the finish, and sunny, clear skies allowed the competitors a fabulous view of the island’s bluffs and beaches and, conversely for the islanders watching from ashore, an even more fabulous view of the colorful fleet.

“You couldn’t have asked for a better brochure day,” said the event’s Chairman John Fisher. The 19- mile course was counterclockwise around the island and became a true test of navigation and wits as the boats crowded each other near the shore and around 12 government marks that kept them safe from natural obstructions. At the race’s half-way point, the fleet was flying its spinnakers, speeding along past the Southeast Lighthouse, when Tom Hill’s (San Juan, PR) Titan XII, the largest boat in the fleet at 75 feet, seemingly turned on a motor and gave new meaning to the word “horizon job.” The yacht, which had started last with the other IRC Super Zero class entrants, powered through the fleet at 18 knots, threw in a showy jibe and made its way to windward to avoid barelling down on any smaller boats. By the time the rest of the fleet rounded the Block Island North Reef and made its way back upwind to the finish, Titan XII had long been finished. “I wish I had been off the boat,” said Titan’s captain Scott Bradford, “so I could have seen us!”

For its performance today, Titan won the Island Sailing Club of Cowes Perpetual Trophy. It has been awarded since Race Week’s inception in 1965 and commemorates the link to Cowes Week in the UK, which Block Island Race Week was originally fashioned after. This year, the trophy, along with a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner timepiece, was awarded to the best overall IRC-rated boat in the Around the Island Race.

Another great show was in the J/109 fleet, which is sailing its East Coast Championship with 16 boats in the class. Eventual class winner Phoebe’s Phling (Charlie Milligan, Newport, R.I.) rounded in first at the first mark of the course, having stayed into shore and out of the current, but the increasing breeze helped out the laggards from behind, and Phling lost its prime position. By the 1BI mark (at the tip of the Block Island North Reef), there were five boats from our class ahead of us,” said crewman Billy Burke of Newport, R.I. “But the others went directly into the beach and we legged out a bit with a tack and then went to the beach. We climbed over the whole lot of them.” Burke commented that while going downwind in the brisk breezes there could have been carnage on their boat, but they averted disaster. “It was tough. We got caught a couple of times and layed the boat over.” Classmate Warrior (Tom Burrows, Brewster, MA) ripped its spinnaker when Electra (Craig Crossley, Warwick, R.I.) relentlessly forced her beyond her limit to windward. Incommunicado (Ed Treacy/William Polk, Severna Park, Maryland), in PHRF class 3, lost its mast.

In the Beneteau 36.7 class, M&M’s (Mark and Mara Ploch, New York, N.Y.) added another bullet to its scoreline today, as did Big Time (Michael Rajacich, Easton, Md.) in PHRF class 5 for a perfect record of four victories each.

“We had a fantastic day,” said Tom Castiglione, main trimmer and tactician aboard Avalanche (Craig Albrecht, Sea Cliff, N.Y.), which after posting a second in today’s race is leading the Farr 395 fleet. “The rounding at 1BI was a scene!,” said Castiglione. “We were power reaching through a lot of boats. Our fleet stayed pretty tight around the island. Because of light air two years ago, we didn’t sail the Around the Island Race and I really missed it. Windward/leeward courses are great, but this is a nice change. Winds, shore effect and current make it challenging. There’s a lot to talk about under the tent tonight.”

The fleet will return to around-the-buoys racing tomorrow and conclude the event on Friday.

Compliments of Rolex, daily video shows of the racing, produced by Annapolis-based T2Productions, are broadcast on-line each night by 9 p.m. on www.t2p.tv. The videos also are shown each day under the “Big Top” tent where all of Race Week’s sponsors have a presence. Sponsors are B&G, Gill, Hall Spars, Heineken, J Boats, Jeep, Lewmar, Mt. Gay Rum, 1bigthink, Power Water, the Rhode Island State Yachting Committee, Sailing World, Samson Ropes, UKHalsey Sailmakers, Vineyard Vines, West Marine and Yellow Tail wine.

To follow the racing, go to www.blockislandraceweek.com.

Results Day 2

RED 1-IRC SUPER ZERO
1. Titan, Rp75 (1-2-1-1), 5 pts;
2. Numbers, Farr 60 (4-1-2-2), 9;
3. Hissar, Farr 60 (2-3-5-3), 13;

RED 2 - IRC ZERO
1. High Noon, Ilc 40 (2-1-2-1), 6 pts;
2. Bandit, Swan 45 (1-2-4-5), 12;
3. Better Than, Swan 45 (4-4-1-3), 12;

RED 3 FARR 40
1. Warpath, Farr 40 (1-3-2-2), 8 pts;
2. Groovederci, Farr40 (2-4-3-4), 13;
3. Mean Machine, Farr 40 (7-6-1-1), 15;

RED 4 - IRC ONE
1. Rum Funny, J133 (2-2-1-1), 6 pts;
2. Chris Dragon, J130 (4-1-5-4), 14;
3. Settler, Ctm42 (3-3-6-3), 15;

RED 5 - IRC TWO
1. Lora Ann, Exp 37 (2-1-5-1), 9 pts;
2. Troubador, Express 37 (1-5-3-2), 11;
3. Schock Therapy, Schock 35 (3-3-4-4), 14.5;

WHITE 1 - FARR 395
1. Farr 395 (3-3-1-2), 9 pts;
2. Tsunami, Farr 395 (2-1-6-1), 10;
3. Coyote, Farr 395 (1-5-4-3), 13;

WHITE 2 - J/44
1. Gold Digger, J44 (2-2-2-3), 9 pts;
2. Challenge Iv, J44 (1-1-3-6), 11;
3. Maxine, J44 (4-6-1-8), 19;

WHITE 3 - BEN 40.7
1. Dame Blanche, Ben 40.7 (1-3-4-1), 9 pts;
2. Down Time, Ben 40.7 (3-1-3-2), 9;
3. Shadowfax, Ben 40.7 (4-7-1-4), 16;

WHITE 4 - J120
1. Ricochet, J120 (1-3-1-7), 12 pts;
2. Sarah Beth, J120 (3-2-4-3), 12;
3. Euro Trash Girl, J120 (2-4-3-5), 14;

WHITE 6 - J105
1. Pretty Sketchy, J105 (2-4-1-3), 10 pts;
2. Indefatigable, J105 (1-5-7-2), 15;
3. Eclipse, J105 (10-1-3-4), 18;

WHITE 5 - J109
1. Gut Feeling, J109 (1-2-2-7), 12 pts;
2. Electra, J109 (2-1-4-6), 13;
3. Storm, J109 (3-6-7-2), 18;

BLUE 1 - BEN 36.7
1. M&m’s, Ben36.7 (1-1-1-1), 4 pts;
2. Quokka, Ben36.7 (3-3-2-2), 10;
3. Jubilee, Ben 36.7 (2-2-3-3), 10;

BLUE 2 - PHRF 87-108
1. Remedy, Evelyn 32 (2-1-1-2), 6 pts;
2. Xlr8, Carrera280 (1-2-10-1), 14;
3. Freightrain, Frers 36 (5-3-3-6), 17;

BLUE 3 -PHRF 111-123
1. Cooch, J29 (2-1-1-3), 7 pts;
2. Exhilaration, X332 (1-3-3-1), 8.5;
3. Showdown, J29 (4-2-2-2), 10;

BLUE 4 -PHRF 129-135
1. Chinook, J30 (1-1-1-7), 10 pts;
2. Lunatic Fringe, Ls 10 (7-2-3-1), 13;
3. Pirate, Abbott 33 (3-3-5-3), 14;

BLUE 5 -PHRF 156-171
1. Big Time, Cal 33 (1-1-1-1), 4 pts;
2. Hocus Pocus, J24 (2-4-3-3), 12;
3. Mad Cow, J24 (4-3-5-2), 14;

GRN 1 - PHRF NON-SPI
1. Xenophon, Swan 44 (3-1), 4 pts;
2. Rogue, Taylor 38 (2-2), 4;
3. Rascal, J34c (1-4), 5;

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