Vince Brun and Drew Freides win 2019 Farr 40 Worlds
While some may claim beginners luck, the first place team, Far Niente, of the 2019 Farr 40 World Championship earned their win with an amazing team and by going back to the fundamentals.
Brand new to the Farr 40 class, Vince Brun and Drew Freides, Far Niente co-owners, have only been sailing in the fleet for 10 days prior to taking the win in Long Beach, California this week from Wednesday, October 2 to Saturday, October 5, 2019.
Drew Freides commented on their win. “It was a learning experience the entire way. This was the 10th day we’ve sailed the boat and we’re sailing against guys who have been sailing these boats for over 10 years. We put together an amazing team with some of the best including Vince Brun and Eric Doyle, focused on the fundamentals, tried to get good starts, sail smart and sail clean.”
Closely behind Far Niente was 2018 World Champion Wolfgang Schaefer’s Struntje Light, finishing with 36 points, only three points behind Freides/Brun. In third was Jeff Carter’s Edake with 41 points.
The regatta took place in the waters off Long Beach, generally south of Alamitos Bay Harbor. On Wednesday, the sailors embraced the 20 knot conditions. As the regatta carried on, the average breeze filled in at 10-12 knots daily.
The 2019 Farr 40 Worlds will be held October 2-5 at the Long Beach Yacht Club. The Pre-Worlds will be held September 28-29 at the Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in San Pedro.