Defending champions Hawkeye and highly fancied Impulse have secured semifinal places in the 2012 United Insurance J24 Match-Racing Cup which concludes tomorrow in Carlisle Bay.
A major event for local and regional sailors, captains Robert Povey and Neil Burke led their crews to commanding performances on Saturday, each winning five of seven races, which placed them among the top four. Team JCB of St Lucia , skippered by Michael Greene, also secured a semifinal berth while, up to late Saturday, the judges were being called on to decide the fourth semifinal position.
ISIS, the 2010 champions skippered by Nicholas Lashley; Esperanza , skippered by Ian Mayers and Team Powerboat, a Trinidadian team skippered by Don Stolmeyer , were all locked on three points after the elimination races.
Highly competitive semifinal and final races will be sailed over the Olympic route in Carlisle Bay on Sunday with rival crews continuing their bid to upstage the champions.
Eight crews contested the first day of ocean-racing in challenging conditions , brought about by choppy seas and steady south-east winds of between 12 and 15 knots.
The United Match-Racing Cup is organised by the J24 Club of Barbados and is the final event on the club’s calendar for this year. (BB)
