There is a new leader in Farr 40 class as Barking Mad vaulted from third to first on the strength of two bullets on Saturday. Skipper Jim Richardson and crew are sailing so well they were able to win Race 6 despite being on-course-side at the start.

  Barking Mad was 26^th out of 28 boats after restarting, but played the wind shifts well enough to work back up to fifth by the first windward mark. Richardson got the gun in Race 7 as well then added a sixth to bring his cumulative score to 42 – nine points ahead of previous leader Opus One.

   Terry Hutchinson, formerly with America’s Cup runner-up Team New Zealand, is calling tactics on Barking Mad, which is seeking to pull off a rare double by winning both Acura Key West and Acura Miami Grand Prix in the same year.

   “Terry did a really great job today because it was so shifty out there. It was one of those days when the potential for big gains or big losses was very high,” Richardson said. “We’re happy with what we did today, but there is still a lot of racing to do. We just have to try to sail smart, sail conservatively and stay out of harm’s way.”

  Opus One skipper Wolfgang Stolz sustained a pair of double-digit results on Saturday, but rebounded by winning Race 8 to remain in contention. Opus One is four points clear of Mascalzone Latino, the Day 1 leader owned by Vincenzo Onorato of Napoli, Italy.

  “This regatta has been incredibly fascinating. There are so many good boats and things can change from race to race,” said Onorato, who was over the line early in two starts yesterday. “One day you can have two firsts and be a hero. The next day you can have two bad results and be a zero.”

Miami - 09 March 2008 23:45