(East Tawas, MI)- The 31-boat fleet that sailed in this year's J/22 North American Championship at Tawas Bay Yacht Club in Michigan were in for an unexpected treat- fabulous sailing on the gorgeous Carribean-blue
waters of Lake Erie! The sailing conditions were quite a bit
better than initially forecast, especially because the Midwest has been
living with in sufferable heat and light winds all summer long. 
After
the first day of racing, Lee Sackett of Edgewater Yacht Club in
Cleveland, OH held the lead. Winds started light and shifty, but
increased during each race to around 12 knots in Race 3. Sunny skies and
temperatures around 70 degrees made for a gorgeous day on the bay.
Three races were completed with Lee scoring a consistent line of 2,3,5
for 10 points, and Allan Terhune of Arnold, MD and Terry Flynn of League
City, TX were tied for the next position with 12 points. In the day's
first race, Richard Hallagan of Canandaigua Yacht Club took top honors,
followed by two teams from the Cleveland area- Lee Sackett in second and
his father Tod in third. In Race 2, Brad Julian of Severn Sailing
Association grabbed first, with Chris Doyle of New York and Lee Sackett
next. Terhune rounded out the day with a victory. Chris Doyle trailed in
second, and Flynn in third.Chris Doyle took over the lead on day 2. With stellar scores on Tuesday of 1,2,1, the team launched into first after Race 6 when the throw-out took effect and they dropped their 22 from Race 1. Chris Doyle had 8 points heading into the final day of the regatta. Allan Terhune trailed in second with 16 points, and Terry Flynn was just one point behind him. The J/22 teams reveled in the Tawas Bay wind and waves throughout Tuesday, with breezes between 10-18 knots and surf-able waves.
After
the racing completed on day 3 Wednesday, it was pretty clear that
Doyle's team had finally gotten their boat in gear and were sailing both
smart and fast. With crew Will Harris and Adam Burns, the team ended
the nine-race regatta with just 16 points, after dropping a 22 from Race
1. During the other eight races, they had all top three tallies. Behind
Chris Doyle was Brad Julian of Annapolis, MD with 28 points and Terry
Flynn of League City, TX with 29 points. Tod Sackett of Edgewater Yacht 
Club
in Cleveland, OH got the day started off with a victory, with Julian
and Chris Doyle behind. In the next race, Allan Terhune of Arnold, MD
earned the win, Chris Doyle second and Julian third. Flynn ended the
regatta with a victory, ahead of Julian and Chris Doyle. Conditions were
ideal again on Tawas Bay with breeze between 8 knots at the beginning
of the day, and building to 16 with gusts to 18 by the last race with
2-4 foot waves. The top 10: Chris Doyle (16 points), Brad Julian (28),
Terry Flynn (29), Allan Terhune (31), Lee Sackett (38), Marvin Beckmann
(43), Chris Wientjes (54), Tod Sackett (65), Jeffrey Todd (69), Nick
Turney (86). For more J/22 North Americans sailing information
