Holmberg Takes on Top Talent in Atlantic Coast Championship
October 2, 1997

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Oct. 2 -- Designated skipper for the Virgin Islands America's Cup Challenge, Peter Holmberg drove the Corel 45 Rush to a second-in-fleet tie in the opener of the Atlantic Coast Championship being raced on Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay through Oct. 4.

With VIACC teammate, John Cutler, calling tactics and owner Tom Stark as skipper, Holmberg sailed to a 3-4-2 record that carried Rush to within a point of Tom Hill's Puerto Rican entry, Titan (2-2-4), after a wild day of racing. "Huge shifts made it very difficult," observed Holmberg. "Choosing the right side of the course for the shift became more important than boat speed."

Mumm 36 World Champion tactician, John Kostecki, is calling tactics for Titan's skipper Terry Hutchinson, who edged-out Holmberg in the finals of the Cigna Knickerbocker Cup. Driven by Whitbread veteran Lionel Pean, with Laurant Delage calling strategy, the French entry Faster K-Yote finished 1-3-5 to split the second-place slot with Rush and Tom Neill's Nitemare (5-1-3), helmed by America's Cup veteran Gary Jobson. Sal Giordano's Heatwave finished 4-5-1 for the day with Admiral's Cup US Team winners Chris Larson and Jim Brady settling for third.

"We had good starts and great boat speed today. Overall, we are pleased with the results," says Holmberg, "but, we plan to get aggressive on the tactics tomorrow -- and take charge." Sailing with eleven-man crews, the five-boat Corel 45 fleet is racing a rigorous three race-per-day schedule on a three-lap windward-leeward course that features a 1.5 mile beat, erratic breezes and repeated position changes.

Billed as the tune-up for November's Corel 45 World Championships in Ft. Lauderdale, this New England Boatworks-hosted single-design regatta, sponsored by Life Fitness, is expected to continue producing some very heated contests among skippers and crews regarded as among the world's best.