Sunday, July 13, 2014

J/130s Crowned Queen’s Cup Champs

J/130s sailing Queens Cup Race off Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee, WI)- With a steady SSE winds of 10-15 kts, this year’s Queen’s Cup sailors had a pleasant, easy 67nm crossing of Lake Michigan.  The 76th annual edition, hosted by South Shore YC had 149 entries for the annual sprint from Milwaukee, WI on the western shore of the lake across to Muskegon, MI on the eastern shore.

The Queen’s Cup is one of the most renowned offshore races on the Great Lakes, drawing plenty of tricked-out rockets with the latest carbon fiber sails and go-fast gizmos. For those who cruise with a barbecue on the stern and the wine rack well-stocked with primo Pinot, it’s also an unforgettable way to start an annual cruising vacation.

J/145 Main Street sailing Queens Cup race from Milwaukee, WIThe Queen’s Cup Race always delivers a great party at both ends, while also focusing on being a family-friendly event. Many boats will have multiple generations within their crew. The camaraderie, above all, keeps racers coming back year after year— especially fun-loving J/sailors from around Lake Michigan.

PHRF 2 Division saw J’s sweep the top two spots with Doug Petter’s J/130 WILLIE J winning by over 6 minutes corrected time over Bob McManus’s J/130 EDGE.  Sixth in class was Mitch Padnos’s J/122 SUFFICIENT REASON.

The J/111’s basically had a match-race across the entire lake with Tom Roop’s KASHMIR leading Richard Hobbs’s HOBGOBLIN home, both finishing 7th and 8th, respectively, in PHRF 3 Division.  The two boats finished nearly overlapped, just seven seconds separating them at the finish line!

J/Teams dominated the top five in PHRF 4 division with Bill Stellin’s J/42 JAYWALKER taking second, followed by Larry Taunt’s J/35 BAD DOG in third, Dave Timmer’s J/35 HAT TRICK in fourth, and Doug Evans’s J/109 TIME OUT in fifth.

In PHRF 5 division, Dorothy Mietz’s J/105 LATIS from South Shore YC took the bronze on the podium.  In fact, she sailed fast enough to be every boat except one on handicap time in the PHRF 4 division ahead of her!  Sweet!

The J/30 FRANK LLOYD STARBOARD skippered by Dennis Dryer managed a  12 hr 13 min crossing to take fifth on handicap in PHRF 8 division.

Finally, in the PHRF Double-Handed division, the trio of J/105s dominated the top five, with Tom Cairns’s BEDAZZLED taking second with Vanessa Gates’s STRIKING finishing third and Mike Hettel’s GLOBAL NOMADS placing fourth.   Queen’s Cup Facebook sailing page   For more Queen’s Cup sailing information.