Monday, June 26, 2017

Golison Wins J/70s @ Cleveland Race Week

J/70 sailing Long Beach MO’MONEY Tops J/22 Great Lakes Championship
(Cleveland, OH)- In one of the largest Cleveland Race Week events ever, 138 one-design boats were welcomed at Edgewater Yacht Club for the 37th annual Cleveland Race Week One-Design Weekend from June 15th to 18th. One-design fleets that participate include J/22, J/70, J/24, and J/105 classes.  And, the PHRF Division has nine racing divisions and three JAM divisions.  This year’s event is also the Great Lakes Championship for J/22s and J/70s.

J/70s started their Great Lakes Championship on Friday with sixteen boats. After seven races in three days, Bruce Golison and his crew out of Alamitos Bay Yacht Club on the J/70 MIDLIFE CRISIS, went home with the title and 17 points. Trey Sheehan and his crew on HOOLIGAN: FLAT STANLEY RACING placed second with 24 points, Dave Koski on SOUL came in third with 33 points, in fourth place was James Prendergast on USA 167 with 36 points, Lee Sackett on USA 364 placed fifth with 37 points and in sixth was Tod Sackett’s FM with 39 points. Sheehan and Koski qualified for open berths and both Sackett teams, as Corinthians, to the J/70 World Championship in Marblehead, MA next fall. Additionally, Trey Sheehan, from the ILYA Area E, earned a berth for the Mallory Cup in St. Petersburg, FL this November.

J/70 sailing Long Beach startThe eleven-boat J/22 fleet from across five states in the northeast and midwest saw Victor Snyder and Kevin Doyle on MO’ MONEY out of Youngstown Yacht Club take the overall title, winning four of six races.  Second was Mark Stuhlmiller’s EUDAIMONIA with 19 pts, third was John Huebschmann’s ESCAPE with 23 pts, fourth was David McBrier’s VAMANOS/ HARDWARECHIMP.COM with 26 pts, and fifth was Scott Gelo’s VENTUS with 28 pts.

The J/105s had five local boats, and Chip Schaffner and team on FALL LINE placed first in class with 12 points after seven races and taking four 1sts along the way.  Taking the silver was Robert Mock’s UNBRIDLED and sitting in the bronze position on the podium were the Uhlir Brothers on TRIO.

The nine-boat J/24 class has incredibly spirited competition.  Winning his class with three bullets in six races was Ryan Lashaway’s ESCAPE PLAN on an equal points tiebreaker over John O’Brien’s FLY BY.  Third on the podium was Park McRitchie’s NO B.S. with 18 pts.

Following racing each day, competitors were greeted with live music, food trucks and cocktails. The Race Committee did an outstanding job on all four courses and in all weather conditions. Following two days off, Cleveland Race Week starts up again with the Junior Day on Wednesday, and Women’s, Doublehanded and RC Boat Racing Wednesday evening. Offshore Racing will begin on Thursday evening and continue through the weekend.  For more Cleveland Race Week sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.