VIM, with Peter Holmberg driving, is now standing in second place in the Southern Ocean Racing Conference in Miami. Three days into the five day regatta, VIM has moved towards the front of a highly competitive IMS grand prix class.
Conditions have run the gamut from over 20 knots of steady breeze to puffs of 6 to 8 knots changing direction by almost 90 degrees. The IMS class is smaller than the previous Key West Race week, and the larger 50 foot boats have been combined with the boats around 40 feet like VIM. Many of the rivalries from Key West have continued, including the combat between VIM and the Italian entry BRAVA, which ended up beating Holmberg and VIM by only one point at Key West.
Six races have been sailed in the first three days and the 50 foot IDLER has a strong grip on the top spot of the class 17 points ahead of a three boat group of VIM, BRAVA, and RUBIN which are separated by only three points. To illustrate the international nature of the class, VIM is a USA boat, BRAVA represents Italy, and RUBIN hails from Germany.
Regatta plans call for another three or four races over the weekend and with this field, it is impossible to predict the outcome.