63rd Annual Catalina Ski Race: Race Results
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63rd Annual Catalina Ski Race: Race Results
Greetings!
Congratulations to team Nordic, and Todd Haig for his Men's Open & Overall Win! Plus, Erin Saunders for her win in the Open Women's Division. This gave Nordic and the USA Team a clean sweep at the 63rd Annual Catalina Ski Race.
It was a great weekend for the Mercury Racing powered Nordic Race Boats! This was Todd's 10th Catalina Ski Race and was won in record breaking time!
Men's Open
1st Place Todd Haig 50.13.90
Boat #191 - 47' Nordic Cyclone
Driver: Randy Davis
Observer: Dennis Hall
Navigator: Steve Davis
Women's Open
1st Place Erin Saunders 59.52.67
Boat #192 - 43'V Nordic
Driver: Wayne Murray
Observer: Jared Cooper
Todd Haig, a California kid who skips across that choppy channel like a moonstone, broke the course record on Saturday. In good, though not ideal conditions, Haig completed the ornery task six seconds faster than ever before.
"Today, I was a little Jell-O-y out of the gate, just nerves," Haig explained. "Then, I finally settled down."
The Catalina Ski Race has been held since 1949, when a guy by the name of Ed Stanley made the journey in 1 hour, 41 minutes. Ski legend Chuck Stearns would go on to win the race 11 times and was the first to try it on a single ski. Now Todd Haig is soon to go down in History as well! Both breaking the record in time and with this being his 10th win, will only need to win one more race to match Chuck Sterns' 11 wins!
Erin Saunders won the top women's division, completing the first American sweep since 2000!
Seventy-five skiers, 66 race teams, and 62 miles of open ocean. This year conditions were good, however some years, the island is so fogged in that the drivers can't locate the anchored boat that serves as the return marker at Catalina Island. In 63 years, some teams have completely missed the island. This Year was a Huge Win for Nordic Boats! We are very proud of our Race Team!