SUBARU J/105 North Americans a Power Play

Stone Overcomes Slow Start to Win
(Rye, NY- Nov 1) - Bruce Stone racing POWER PLAY secured victory at the Subaru J/105 North American Championship at American Yacht Club in Rye, NY. After stumbling out of the gate on the first day with a 6-15-10, the San Francisco-based team’s comeback hit overdrive on the third day when they won all three races to vault them to the top of the standings; garnering four firsts in a row since the last race the day before. A manageable 5-4 on the final day guaranteed their win.

The fleet was blessed by remarkably variable conditions over the four days of racing with plenty of wind from all four quadrants.  Whomever prevailed was going to have overcome significant challenges to overcome a very strong and deep fleet of talented sailors racing in this year's North Americans.

It all started out on Thursday with light to medium breezes out of the ENE.; competitors were greeted with blue skies, temperatures in the 50s and winds between 8-12 knots that diminished throughout the three races.  James Rathbun of Toronto, Ontario with world renowned World Champion Canadian sailor Terry McLaughlin in the afterguard calling tactics and boat speed led the 28 boat fleet after three races; their J/105 HEY JUDE finished with eight points for the day.  A perennial J/105 Champion Brian Keane from Weston, MA sailing SAVASANA ended the day in second with eleven points. One point behind were New York Long Island Sound locals Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes on KINCSEM with twelve points.


On Friday, competitors enjoyed brisk fall conditions on Long Island Sound. Winds blew between SSE 10-14 knots, and temperatures remained in the 50. This day belonged to Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes on KINCSEM who scored a 1-1-3. After six total races, the Katonah, NY team sat with seventeen total points; an enormous twenty point lead over their closest competition. James Rathbun HEY JUDE didn't have such a great day and dropped to second place overall. Josh Burack on PEREGRINA (New Rochelle, NY) rounded out the top three with forty points.  Following Esdorn/Hennes in Race 4 were Rob Marsh on BLOWBOAT and Bruce Stone on POWER PLAY.  Foreshadowing what was to come the next day, the POWER PLAY team finally got off the starting line clean and led the fleet around the race track, trailed by HEY JUDE and KINCSEM.

Saturday's racing dawned grey and nasty.   The forecast was equally as bad- rain, gusty winds 15-30 knots out of the SSW.  It was also a day that produced dramatic and significant changes amongst the fleet leaders.   In a remarkable display of consistency and outright boatspeed, POWERPLAY won all three races on day three--- a feat never achieved before- four consecutive victories in a row at a J/105 North American Championship.  Following POWER PLAY in Race 7 were Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes on KINCSEM and Damian Emery on ECLIPSE.  In second place in Race 8 was George Wilbanks racing REVELATION, then KINCSEM in third. Trailing POWER PLAY in the day’s final contest were Kevin Grainger on GUMPTION 3 and Paul Strauch on ANDIAMO.

It was readily apparent to the fleet leaders, POWER PLAY, HEY JUDE and KINCSEM that anyone of the three had reasonable odds to win the overall championship as only ten points separated all three boats with two races to go.  To add to the drama, the forecast was for light-medium shifty, very streaky winds from the NNW-NNE off the northern Long Island Sound (Connecticut) shore.  Despite two less than stellar starts, POWER PLAY managed to extricate themselves from literally the bottom of the fleet to win the regatta.   Two races were completed on the final day of the championship. Jeremy Henderson and Harald Edegran on CONUNDRUM ended the regatta on a perfect note, winning both contests. KINCSEM followed CONUNDRUM in Race 10, then Kenneth Colburn on GHOST. In the concluding race, Damian Emery on ECLIPSE came in second.  POWER PLAY sailed two remarkable come-back races to garner a 5-4 to win the regatta.  HEY JUDE sailed beautifully to get a 3-4 to finish second overall.  And, KINCSEM seemingly couldn't buy a shift, getting a 2-19 to finish the regatta in third overall.

The winning San Francisco-based team on POWER PLAY, consisting of skipper Bruce Stone, Stuart Johnstone, Nicole Breault, Bob Dearborn, Mark Lindquist and Dave Marshall, finished with 55 points over 11 races, beating their closest competitor by nine points overall.  The J/105 NA's concluded a remarkable season for Bruce Stone's team-- having won the ROLEX Block Island Race Week and nearly won a second watch at the ROLEX Big Boat Series with a close second.

Complete daily and overall results for all four days of sailing, plus regatta reports.