Breezy Northwest winds were in order for the first racing day of the 1998 season. 15-25 with gusts over 30, and lots of chop in the middle of Boston Harbor.

RC Dan Mullane, Hatch Brown, Chuck Loomis and Rob Oulette started the star fleet just west of Deer Island Light, and sent them to the green government can #3 just to starboard of the airport runway pier. The course was a windward-leeward twice around.

The wind clocked right at the gun and Team Costa and Cavicchi\Davis who started at the boat instantly seemed to have a great lead over Larson\Hungerford and Braverman\Rezac who started at the middle of the line. The leaders tacked over toward the Deer Island shore in the next header while Larson and Braverman continued on starboard into the middle of the harbor.

Larson's upper shroud exploded with a loud pop about five minutes after the start, and he quickly tacked and dropped out to in order to save his rig. This left Braverman on his own in the middle of the harbor while Cavicchi hugged the shore, and Team Costa played the shifts on the middle-right side of the course. Costa rounded the can first with Braverman, fighting the current all the way into into the mark, a few boatlengths behind, and Cavicchi a few behind him in the building breeze.

It was a wild ride downwind with spray everywhere, but they all kept the pointy end up, and surfed their way down to the yellow can. Costa rounded wide, and Braverman was able to sneak inside. Costa broke the cover halfway up the windward leg in the still building breeze, and was able to maintain the lead around the windward mark, and extend it downwind to the finish.

Pretty exciting for a first day of racing.