Posted by 
Courageous owners Ray Douglas and Kris Maybach jumped the gun in the opening race of the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Chicago series, drawing an over-early penalty and forcing them to re-start behind the rest of their eight-boat J/109 fleet. They recovered quick enough to catch the fleet right before the end of the race. “Six or seven boats converged right at the finish line,” says Courageous’s spinnaker trimmer Aldo Caronia. “It was so close that the race committee declared a first-place tie between us and Slapshot II (a J/109 owned and driven by Scott Sims).
“From dead last at the start of the race to finishing with a split-first place—it’s a big win for our team,” Caronia says.
Courageous is currently in second place overall behind Smee Again, owned by George Miz, Peter Dreher and David Neenan, of Chicago. “Smee Again is definitely fast and very strong,” says Caronia, “But everything is up for grabs and it’s going to be a nice fight for tomorrow.”
Nearly 150 competitors enjoyed the first of three days of the Chicago NOOD, which is taking place across four racing circles set within sight of the Chicago skyline. Racing will continue throughout the weekend with winds expected to be light and challenging for the sailors…
Follow Us!