Banks Esperanza, skippered by Ian Mayers, are the match-racing kings of J24 yachting in Barbados for 2013.
They grabbed the United Insurance J24 Match-Racing Cup for the first time on Sunday, with a 2-1 win over major contenders HawkEye in the sail-off for the championship in Carlisle Bay.
Williams Industries’ HawkEye, the 2011 champions skippered by Robert Povey, were second, while ISIS, captained by Nicholas Lashley, finished third after a sail-off with fourth-placed Impulse.
It was another show of late season magic from the Esperanza crew who enjoyed an outstanding run this year with wins in their last three events, hosted by the J24 Club of Barbados.
After victory in the First Citizens series in June, Esperanza also won the Harris Paints regatta in July before closing the year with the United Insurance Match-Racing Cup.
“We had a very good run this year and we always wanted to get the Match-Racing Cup in our hands. It was tight and competitive sailing over the two days but our crew did well. We are happy with our performance,” said captain Mayers.
The event, which featured shifty winds but generally good conditions, was contested over two days over an Olympic route and Esperanza maintained the pressure on their rivals with seven wins in ten preliminary races. HawkEye and Impulse were equally impressive in the early stages but were unable to suppress the champions.
Last year’s champions, Team JCB of St Lucia, were absent from the Cup.
President of the J24 Club, Gregory Webster, also the owner of ISIS, praised the sailors for helping to make the Match-Racing Cup a fantastic year-end event.
“We must also thank the sponsors for their support for the fourth year and the umpires and race committee for giving us a well run regatta,” he said.
The United Match-Racing Cup is organised by the J24 Club of Barbados and is the final event on the club’s calendar for 2013. It is sponsored by United Insurance, a leading insurer in the Caribbean with operations in 13 regional territories and a supporter of regional yachting events such as the Grenada Sailing Festival and the Bequia Easter Regatta. (BA/PR)
