Rolex Farr 40 World SF Finale

Light breezes on two days and atypically windless conditions for most of the final race day made this year’s FARR 40 one of the oddest in recent memory. 19 international teams from Austria, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, Italy, Canada and the United States who were used to battling strong San Francisco Bay winds were instead forced into a contest of crowding sail and coaxing forward motion. One entrant – Plenty (USA), owned by New York Financier Alex Roepers – possessed this skill above all others, placing first in four out of the seven races held.

“It has been a long time coming. I entered the class seven years ago and this is the seventh world championship I’ve participated in,” said a delighted Roepers. “To win it finally is a dream come true. It feels incredible, I couldn’t be happier.”

Since the competition’s first race in 1998, no one team or boat has emerged as the clear front runner/team to beat. In fact, Plenty is now the twelfth unique victor since the race’s inception.

Going into the seventh race, Plenty held an almost insurmountable lead over her closest rival – Estate Master (AUS) owned by Lia and Martin Hill. Careful sailing and a tenth place finish still left her ten points ahead.

Notable competitors included Wolfgang Schaefer’s Struntje Light who claimed first place in two of the seven races and Guido Belgiorno-Nettis’ Transfusion which turned in respectable finishes in five out of seven races. Transfusion would have finished near the top of the standings had it not been for a disqualification in race 5. Defending champion Enfant Terrible (ITA) managed to hold onto a podium spot with their overall third place finish.

Plenty received the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship Trophy and a Rolex time piece at the awards ceremony which was held of the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. The St. Francis Yacht Club was the host for this year’s event.

For more information about the race and statistics, please visit http://www.farr40.org

Cumulative Results (Top 5)

1. Plenty (USA) Alex Roepers 1-1-1-6-4-1-10 24.0
2. Estate Master (AUS) Lisa and Martin Hill 4-3-8-2-9-6-2 34.0
3. Enfant Terrible (ITA) Alberto Rossi 5-7-6-7-6-2-6 39.0
4. Struntje Light (GER) Wolfgang Schaefer 13-13-5-1-3-5-1 41.0
5. Voodoo Chile (AUS) Andrew Hunn 9-6-3-11-2-3-11 45.0

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