Tuesday, October 15, 2013

DAZZLER Glitters @ J/22 Worlds XXX

J/22s starting in World Championships (Newport, RI)- Allan Terhune and the DAZZLER team won the first race of the J/22 World Championship and never looked back. His crew of Katie Terhune, Kristine Wake and Marcus Eagan are now the 2013 J/22 World Champions (sponsored by Fidelity Investments and hosted by Sail Newport).  Seventy-one teams from Canada, the Cayman Islands, South Africa and the USA competed in the five-day event, marking the 30th anniversary of the J/22.

J/22s crossing tacks upwind in front of Newport BridgeAfter dropping a 19th in race nine, Terhune's remarkably consistent scores of 1-2-3-9-2-2-1-4-4 for 28 net points in 10 races kept the DAZZLER gang in the lead. Brad Julian’s THREEDORIES.COM, with Matthew Schubert and Colin Robertson, made an impressive attempt to take over DAZZER with four consecutive bullets, but wound up six points shy and in the silver position with 34 points. Mark Foster with Brian Babbitt and Matt Romberg on TEJAS collected third place with 54 points.

J/22 DAZZLER sailing team- Alan Terhune and crew“I had an awesome team. It was a total team effort,” commented Terhune. “Marcus was great on trimming and keeping the boat pointed in the right direction. Katie and Kristine were awesome at boat handling, keeping the mood light and getting everything done.” He also praised the host location, saying, “There’s nowhere better than Newport. Brad Read, Anderson Reggio and the whole SailNewport team are awesome!! We had great sea breezes, we had some Northerlies, we had shifty races, we had a little bit of everything, and that’s what makes it so fun. It was spectacular!”

Only one race was completed on the last day due to light winds. Julian’s THREEDORIES.COM continued a hot streak from Friday by tallying a third-straight bullet in race 10. Foster's TEJAS trailed in second, and Martin Kulman’s NEW WAVE in third. “I’m really excited for Brad and his team,” commended Terhune on his fellow Annapolis-based team. “They sailed a great event and didn’t make it easy on us at the end. They sailed well and fought to the end.”

J/22 sailboats- starting at Worlds in Newport, RIThe first day was notable for light, unstable winds which postponed racing and led to the abandonment of one race. The 71 teams had trouble starting too, with the Z-Flag coming out for both completed races. Despite the conditions, Terhune posted a 1-2 to lead the field.  After Thursday's pair of races, Terhune’s DAZZLER kept up the momentum and had accumulated just 11 points including a first and a second. THREEDORIES.COM, helmed by Brad Julian, held second place with 31 points and Chris Doyle’s THE JUG 4 1 stood two points further back in third.  After two more races were completed Friday, Julian’s THREEDORIES.COM knocked out two bullets to make a move toward the Championship crown. Terhune’s DAZZLER acquired a fourth in race eight but had to settle for a 19 in race nine, leaving them with 24 net points. Julian stood at 33 points. In third place, Chris Doyle’s The Jug 4 1 had tallied 50 points.  Saturday's final race day was marred by a light, unsteady breeze.

In the end, Terhune's DAZZLER team were declared J/22 World Champions.  They were followed by Julian's THREEDORIES.COM in second and Mark Foster's TEJAS from Corpus Christi, TX in third.  Rounding out the top five was Doyle's THE JUG 4 1 from Rochester, NY in fourth and Benz Faget's FATS team from New Orleans, LA in 5th.

Top women's team was Rochester, NY/ Jamestown, RI native Cory Sertl sailing LUCY with Amy Moran, Meg Myles and Annemarie Cook.   Sailing photo credits- Paul Todd/ Outside Images.  For more J/22 World Championship sailing information