(New Orleans, LA)- For three-straight days, the thirty J/22s that made a giant leap-of-faith to head south and pray (hope!) that weather Gods would cooperate and permit them to enjoy the amazing Southern hospitality offered by the host Southern Yacht Club was ultimately fulfilled. The fleet was treated to a full-on, highly-competitive, nine race series. In the end, it was Glenn Darden's BABY DOLL that screamed to the front of the fleet on the first day of racing and was never severely tested for the duration of the regatta, earning the coveted 2021 J/22 Midwinter Championship crown. Here's how it all went down over those three days.
Day 1- Breezy, Choppy, Cool Day
Besides the sailors, perhaps the most excited person on the first day of racing was Southern Yacht Club's PRO and RC team. With such a solid forecast for breeze all three days, it made their job easy to layout the race course and manage the aggressive fleet. Conditions were breezy and bumpy on Lake Pontchartrain, testing some boats and equipment. Glenn Darden's BABY DOLL mastered the shifts, winning two of three races and placing second in the other for 4 points and the early advantage. Travis Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER bounced back from being over early in race two and added a pair of top three finishes for second place overall (14 points). Casey Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING stood three points back in third. Nine total races are planned through Sunday.
Eager teams were greeted with a grey sky, and winds consistently in the mid-teens. Odenbach opened the regatta with a bullet, trailed by Darden and Benz Faget’s FATS (the local hero and super star on Lake Ponchartrain). Darden earned his first victory in the next contest, ahead of Tommy Meric Jr.’s CARNIVAL TIME and Lambert. Following Darden in the day’s final match were Alexander Schwinn’s TILT and Odenbach in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Day 2- Classic, Shifty, Lake Racing
After four more races were completed on the second day, making a total of seven to count, only one point separated the leaders heading into the final two races Sunday.
Day one leader Darden’s BABY DOLL opened Saturday with a pair of bullets but added a 5 and 13 (their discard) for 11 net points. Odenbach’s HONEYBADGER notched all top-three finishes on the day, and now dropping a 10 from Friday, bringing him within a single point of the lead. Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING remains in third place with 27 net points.
The teams enjoyed a brightening day on Lake Pontchartrain in winds averaging 7-10 knots with lighter chop. Darden picked up where he left off the prior day with back-to-back wins (first ahead of Lambert and Odenbach, then again topping Odenbach and Faget’s Fats in the second race). Odenbach took race six for his second victory of the series, followed by Boo Heausler’s REBOUND GIRL and Schwinn’s TILT. Mark Foster’s PRESSURE DROP led the fleet back to shore, as Odenbach placed second allowing him to close in on the overall Championship, and Faget came in third place.
Day 3- Spectacular Sunny Finale
The final day saw a sunny day, mostly breezy and lumpy conditions on Pontchartrain. The Southern YC RC and PRO team knocked out two more races to complete the planned nine-race series.
Darden, of Fort Worth, TX, with crew Marcus Eagan, Jackson Benvenutti, and Sarah Raymond won Sunday's opening race. Odenbach’s HONEYBADER, just one point off the pace at the start of the day, placed seventh. HONEYBADGER stormed back to win the final contest, however, BABY DOLL placed fourth and secured the Championship with 16 net points (Odenbach ended with 20 pts). Lambert’s BLACKBURN MARINE RACING put together a solid weekend for third place (40 points).
Darden’s crew members were all from the New Orleans area. “Marcus and Jackson are wizards of this lake,” said Darden. “(It was) very streaky and shifty all three days. We like the lump with the breeze. We got off the line well, which was probably our key.”
Rounding out the top five were Foster's Corpus Christi, TX team on PRESSURE DROP in fourth place and Schwin's Fort Worth Boat Club team on TILT taking fifth. Sailing photo credits- Chris Howell/ J-22 Class. For more J/22 Midwinter Championship registration & sailing informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.
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