J/35 AFTERSHOCK Shocks ORR 3, J's Sweep Level 132s(Chicago, IL)- As one of the only major offshore regattas held in America during the month of August, Chicago YC's Verve Cup has developed as a world-class event, attracting over 3,000 national and international sailors on 240+ boats. The fleet was greeted by three days of challenging weather, typical for Lake Michigan at this time ofyear.
Making the most of it was the team of Karl Brummel, Steve Henderson and Mike Mayer on the J/111 KASHMIR, sailing to a 1-2-2-1-3-1 to win the J/111 class with 10 pts. Dave Irish's NO SURPRISE gave them a strong run for roses, but came up short, managing to get a 2-1-3-2-4-2 for a cumulative score of 14 pts. The competition for the last podium finish was tight, with Paul Stahlberg's bright red MENTAL getting the edge with a 6-3-1-5-2-4 scoreline for 21 pts, just beating out Ed Dabrowski's NIGHTHAWK for fourth with a 5-4-4-3-1-5 tally for 22 pts. Fifth was Tom and Carol McIntosh's MISTY with 28 pts.
The
J/109s had solid racing, too, with David Gustman on NORTHSTAR winning
with five 1sts and one 3rd for a total of just 8 pts! That's both a
spanking and a "schooling" of their colleagues, fellow competitors are
still trying to determine where the newfound speed and tactical
brilliance arose since the SW NOOD Regatta! Second was Lenny Siegal's
LUCKY DUBIE 2 hanging tough, but not tough enough, to get five 2nds and
one 3rd for 14 pts overall. The SW NOOD regatta winner, Kevin Saedi's
MOMENTOUS sailed a nice series and hung on for third with a 3-1-2-3-4-3
record for 16 pts.As the biggest one-design class at the regatta, the J/105s always have strong, spirited competition and this year's event featured several new faces near the top of the pack. Winner this year was Clark Pellett on SEALARK with a 3-1-1-2-3-2 record for 12 pts. Second was Dorin Candea's MESSY JESSY with 19 pts and third was class newcomer on the newly "resurrected" red boat called CRASH TEST DUMMIES, sailed by Richie and Lori Stearns.
In
the ORR 3 handicap, the J/35s simply blitzkrieged their handicap class,
finishing 1-2. The winner was Bill Newman's J/35 AFTERSHOCK, winning
with six straight firsts for 6 total pts! Second was Bruce Metcalf's
J/35 BOZO'S CIRCUS with 19 pts. Over in the PHRF Level 132 class, three J's swept the division. Led by the J/27 TRUE NORTH skippered by Dan Arntzen, Dan's team also managed the perfect scoreline like their J/35 big brothers, getting six 1st for 6 pts. Second was the J/30 AWESOME sailed by Team Chi Nola and third was yet another J/30 PLANXTY sailed by the couple team of Kate and Dennis Bartley.
The CYC PRO's did a great job getting the regatta off in the crazy weather that swept the fleet over the three days. On Friday, they managed to get in three races. The race committee postponed the start for nearly an hour waiting for the wind to build. The wind was east to east southeast most of the day, building slightly from three to five, to seven to nine knots. On the second day, things were a bit more challenging, with changing winds, rain and thunderstorms leading to a significant postponement, with two circles completing one race each and Circle C completing no races. On the final day of racing the weather cooperated as did the sailors. It was a gorgeous day of racing and by the end the fleet was sailing home under full sun and half moon - what a beautiful day to be on the water. Circle C managed to pull off 3 perfect races. The wind was strong in the morning from the Northeast for the first and second race (a classic scenario after the large fronts on Saturday), shifting persistently to the right all day. The day's racing started on the course at 330 degrees and ended the last race at 035 degrees. For more Verve Cup sailing information
