It was 8 weeks — 24 races — 9 boats — and 2 venues — but when it was all said and done there was only one winner. On September 27th, Abella Beck took the Zinnemann Cup trophy .
She had never sail before in Second Life competitively. It wasn’t that long ago that she was very unsure of even how to work the sheets of a Tako, but she practiced alone, week in and week out — around and around that course honing her skills and quietly gaining confidence. Anella Beck was the only girl competitor of the Zinnemann Cup, with no competitive ranking in any of the yacht clubs in Second Life. No one took her seriously. But she didn’t quit.
The first week of competition she came in 3rd place. The second week she dropped to 4th. But weeks 3 through 8 she dominated the series, setting world time records and distancing herself from the pack. Only in week 6 was Skipper Nikolaidis abble to deny her — but only breifly. Abella came back in weeks 7 and 8 with resounding and definite wins. Eight weeks of competition left little doubt that unassuming girl with the cute little sail shop in Fishers Island would be the undisputed champion of the Big Cat boat Races.
The race for bronze and silver was incredibly close. Damn Writer, Skipper Nikolaidis, and Schnoogge Broome seem to beat each other out in alternating weeks with the lead between them constanting passed from one to the other. Where Abella won the over all Cup with a lead between the first and second place of 59 points, there were only 7 points that separated the second and fourth place finishers.
Man it was fun to watch these guys race. A big hug to all the racers that participated and if you haven’t seen Surf’s Video — you simply MUST this is so much fun to watch
