In the fourth and final day of racing for the 2001 Prince of Wales Bowl (POW), the U.S.Match Racing Championship,  the weather was at its best for exciting sailing. Following yesterday's front,  the air was a brisk 50 degrees when competitors headed on the water from Fort Worth Boat Club. The wind was a steady 10-12 knots from the northeast. Predictions were that the wind would go east later in the day and die, so the race committee was determined to get the consolation, semi, petit and final rounds started and finished before this happened. Oscillations of 30-40 degrees, tending to the right, kept PRO Bob Gough on his toes, but crisp committee work managed to squeeze starts in with square lines, leaving the racers to cope with the later shifts.  

The semi-final rounds were won convincingly by Watch Hill YC, defending POW champion from 1999 and 2000, and by Seattle YC, each winning their best-of-three rounds in 2 matches each. The finals and petit finals provided some of the best racing of the regatta. After winning their first match, Watch Hill showed their stuff on the final downwind leg of their second match while engaging Seattle in a protracted luffing duel that covered most of the race course. They went on to win and claim their third consecutive POW championship.  

In the petit finals, Southern YC and Long Beach YC each took a match, going into the third match (also a best-of-three round) tied. By this time the wind was nearly due east and had lessened to 6 knots. The race committee was still battling shifts, but the final match of the regatta finally got off. Long Beach took an early lead right at the start and held into the start of the second windward leg, with a dying breeze. After rounding the leeward mark, Southern split on port tack (Long Beach was working up the left on starboard) and Long Beach responded with a loose cover. A surprise 30 degree shift to the right allowed Southern to capitalize on their leverage and placed them in the lead, just ahead of Long Beach. Long Beach's strenuous efforts to regain the lead weren't sufficient and Southern held on to claim third in the regatta. 

Thursday, October 4th, 2001

In day two of the U.S. Match Racing Championship for the Prince of Wales Bowl (POW), early leaders continued to consolidate their positions as racing progressed through the sixth flight (of nine) in the second of two planned round robins. Conditions started at a relatively light 6-8 knots in the morning and built steadily to a challenging 20 knots by late afternoon with shifty gusts to 25. With an expected front moving into the Fort Worth area sometime tonight or tomorrow, Fort Worth Boat Club and POW organizers are hoping to complete the second round robin on Friday and still have wind enough to run the Semi, Petit, Consolation and Final rounds on Saturday (fingers are crossed).

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2001

The 2001 U.S. Match Racing Championship for the Prince of Wales Bowl (POW), sponsored by Rolex, got off to a strong start today with the completion of 8 of 9 flights in the first scheduled round robin. The weather god's provided a beautiful day for racing. The first gun at 0915 saw a sunny day in the mid-sixties with a southerly breeze of 5-7 knots. This was ample to provide good racing for the J/22's that were used. By mid afternoon, the breeze was a brisk 15-18 knots and the temperature in the high 70's. The breeze remained a fairly steady southerly, which allowed the race committee to turn races around without excessive course reconfiguring.

Entries for this year's POW were based on a slightly modified program, where entries were accepted from ladder events, resumes and the top U.S. finishers in major match racing events around the country. The event format is 2 round robins for the 10 competing teams, followed by knock out semi-final, petit-final and final rounds on the fourth and final day of competition. The event is being hosted by the Fort Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth Texas. Bob Gough as PRO was assisted by Kirk Brown, US SAILING POW Committee Vice Chairman and Tuna Wullschleger, Chief Umpire.

Sadly, a good day's racing was marred by one unfortunate event late in the afternoon. At a windward mark rounding in the 7th flight, an 800 pound catfish rammed a competitors boat, causing some minor hull damage. Two crew members suffered from catfish scratches and one umpire fell backwards into the water while reaching for the black flag, intending to penalize the catfish. The umpire was recovered without incident, none of the injuries were serious and an excellent catfish dinner was enjoyed by all.

Results after day one, with 8 of 9 flights completed in the first round robin: