(Manhasset, New York- Oct. 23-24)- It only took one race on the final day of the season to decide the champion of the Manhasset Bay Fall Series. Sailing in a fresh easterly breeze, Damian Emery's ECLIPSE picked off PLANET CLAIRE on the second weather leg and JADED on the final downwind leg to capture victory in both the race and the series. There was still another race to sail, but with ECLIPSE holding a throwout of 5 points, the win gave it all the margin it needed to assure first place in the Fall championship. Then, almost as if performing a victory lap (or two), ECLIPSE went on to comfortably win the eighth and final race of the series--leading from the favored pin end all of the way to the finish.
The regatta completed an exceptional season for Emery, who entered more East Coast J/105 events than any other boat and who won four of them: Cedar Point, Block Island, the West Passage Regatta and the J/105 East Coast Championships in Newport. Second place for the Manhasset Fall Series went to KINCSEM, sailed by Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes. Third went to Josh Burak on PEREGRINA; fourth to 2009 winner Kevin Granger on GUMPTION, and fifth to Paul Strauch on ANDIAMO. Eleven J/105s participated in the event, but the competition was tight as the entrants were all among the area's top performers in 2010. For more J/105 Manhasset sailing information.