Ken Read and his crew top the IC24 fleet racing at the 2007 BEYC ProAm

The Pro-Am took on a different format this year. The Am's asked for more fleet racing in the IC24s instead of match racing and team racing...they got it...16 races in all with no discards. In the final analysis Ken Read did enough to hold off Team Homberg and Team Baird.

If you start a series with 4 bullets and then place no worse than 3rd for nine of the following 12 races you have a pretty good chance of winning the regatta. That is precisely what Ken Read and his crew pulled off. It was enough to beat Peter Holmberg who counted five bullets and five second places and Ed Baird with four bullets and five second places.

Bob Phillips, who officiated the first day of racing remarked, "Ken Read seemd to sail flatter, point much higher with no loss of speed compared to anyone else...he just did an horizon job on the fleet". The six time J/24 world champion has obviously not lost his touch finishing 7 points clear of Peter Holmberg in second place. Even if discards were allowed it would have made no difference to the top three, the series belonged to Ken Read.

First Master in the fleet racing was the evergreen Keith Musto who enjoyed a 29 point cushion over second place Butch Ullmer. The IC24s were once again a big hit. Even with the brisk trade-winds blowing all week the BEYC amateurs wanted all they could get. No lounging around on the Ponce de Lyon watching match racing waiting for a turn it was fleet racing that dominated the week. The guests are even sailing the IC24s back home to Nanny Cay as I write this - thank you guys and gals - it's always depressing to tow a sailboat downwind on a perfect sailing day!

So that rounds off another Drakes Challenge and Pro-Am. It's been a pleasure working with Mikhail, John Holmberg and John Glynn to put the package together.

Here are the overall points totals and standings for the fleet racing:

Ken Read (J1) 42, Peter Holmberg (J2) 49, Ed Baird (J3) 52, Keith Musto (M1) 74, Ben Ainslie (J4) 86, Dawn Riley (J5) 102, Butch Ulmer (M2) 103, Rod Johnstone (M3) 107, Bruce Kirby (M4) 126 and Lowell North/Tom Leweck (M5) 134.