Thursday, November 3, 2016

McChesney Crowned J/70 Corinthian Champion

J/70s sailing Annapolis, MD (Annapolis, MD)- Forty-four all-amateur teams vied in Annapolis, MD for the honor of being named the first ever J/70 Corinthian US National Champion. Peter McChesney’s Alice & WondeRRRland (with crew Alice Christman, Scott Snyder and Shane Zwingelberg) earned that distinction by tallying just 9 points in the six-race series, including three bullets and three second-place finishes.

The regatta opened on Friday with perfect breezes and close battles- truly “chamber of commerce” conditions with sunny skies and 12-14 kt winds on Chesapeake Bay.  Eastport YC’s PRO and regatta management team set a perfect race course and ran three races. 

Working his way to the top of the leaderboard on Friday was local Peter McChesney, who notched a 2,2,1 for just 5 points. Jack Franco’s 3BALL JT won two races, but added a sixth-place tally, landing him in second place overall at 8 points. Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY stood in third with 11 points.

J/70 off AnnapolisFranco got things going with the day’s first bullet, followed by McChesney and the Wulff’s. Behind Franco in race two were McChesney and Henry Filter’s WILD CHILD. McChesney secured the day’s overall advantage by winning the last meeting, as John Wilsey’s SEA BAGS SAILING TEAM and the Liebel/Rubin/Walsh/Britts gang on REACH AROUND rounded out the top three.

After Saturday’s races were postponed due to high winds on the Chesapeake Bay (25-30 kts!), sunny skies and breeze between 15-20 knots allowed three more races to be completed on Sunday. Reach Around won the day’s first battle, trailed by McChesney and Peter Bowe’s TEA DANCE SNAKE. McChesney returned to the top spot in the final two races, with 3BALL JT and REACH AROUND comprising the top three in both cases.

J/70 Corinthians winnersAs a result, McChesney’s ALICE & WONDERRRLAND won by 11 pts.  Taking the silver spot on the podium was the Liebel/Rubin/Walsh/Britts gang on REACH AROUND with 20 points.  Franco’s slow start on the day came back to haunt them, having to count an 8-2-3 to finish one point back and secure the bronze medal.  Rounding out the top five were Jenn & Ray Wulff’s JOINT CUSTODY in 4th place with 25 pts and fifth was Wilsey’s SEA BAGS SAILING TEAM.  Jenn Wulff was also Top Women’s Skipper for the regatta.

Joe Colling, US J/70 Class Association Past President, summarized, “The J/70 Class may only be four years old, but it has proven to have Championships that serve all levels of the membership. Whether it be a Corinthian division of an open event or a Corinthian Championship like this, there’s a place in this Class for pros and amateurs alike.”   Sailing photo credits- Dan Phelps/ Spinsheet.com   For more J/70 Corinthian Nationals sailing information