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 Team Quaglio won the ABC Qualifiers with a perfect 5-0 score in the final round robin at Oakcliff Sailing. Skipper Mike Quaglio sailed with his wife Kyra Quaglio and Mike Tolsma, who joked that he was their adopted son, trying to keep it all in the family.
"We are very proud of how we sailed this weekend," said Mike Quaglio, following the regatta. "The support that we've received from the Oackcliff team, as well as all the training/racing opportunities the organization offers has really helped elevate our level. We feel like we are just starting to climb the steep learning curve of match racing, so we are very excited to keep on progressing."
The Grade 3 match race event was sailed over two very windy days, with Saturday's wind speeds in the 20s with a top recorded gust of 39 and rain exacerbating the 40-degree temperatures. Sunday was sunny and warmer but steady 25-knot winds and higher gusts continued whipping down the race course on beautiful Oyster Bay.
A record number of teams applied for the event and 10 were accepted. The teams were divided into groups A and B on Saturday and the top three from each group moved into the gold round on Sunday. The racing was extremely close with many finishes separated by inches, putting the pressure on the race committee to call a perfect line. With this high level of competition, it was not surprising that there were multiple ties to be broken.
Bobby Martin of Boston's Piers Park Sailing Center won a three-way tie in group B to move into the gold round and then again won a three-way tie to end up in second place overall. He will now proceed to the April 30-May 1 ABC-area Quarterfinals, held at his home sailing center. Frank Tybor traveled from Boston to sail undefeated in Group B. Listing his home town as Coronado, CA, the San Diego Yacht Club sailor finished in third place. The final team in the tie breaker, Mike "Koko" Komar of Oakcliff, placed fourth in the regatta.
It could be argued that Oakcliff's policy of coaching and training helped with the level of competition. Dave Perry ran a one-day clinic on Friday, focusing on how to maximize performance in the Shields. It was educational and entertaining; for instance, when each team introduced themselves and their crew and Mike Quaglio introduced his wife Kyra as his mainsail trimmer and bow person, Dave quipped, 'now this is something I've got to see!' Each member of Team Quaglio have been training and sailing with Oakcliff regularly over the past year-and-a-half, and it has paid off in the best of ways. |
than opening your home to some great traveling competitors and/or join us on the race course as a volunteer. Contact Oakcliff's Race Director Bill Simon at 
