Wednesday, August 7, 2013

BLUE MEANIE Crowned J/30 North American Champion

J/30s sailing North Americans on Narragansett Bay (Barrington, RI)- The Barrington Yacht Club and the Southern New England J/30 fleet hosted this year's near record breaking fleet of nineteen boats in the 2013 North American Championship held in northern Narragansett Bay.

J/30 winning sailing team- Blue MeanieBlessed with good weather and some good sea-breezes during the course of the regatta, the team of BLUE MEANIE skippered by Steve Buzbee and crew from Raritan YC in New Jersey managed to hold off the fast-closing team on EVELYN (sailed by Luke Buxton from Salem, MA) to take the championship.  While both boats started off slowly, they both learned the ropes of the Bay as well as how to handle their competitors tactically.  BLUE MEANIE's 5-4-2-1-1-3-4-5 for 20 net pts was enough to take the gold by just 3 pts!  EVELYN's scoreline of 3-6-3-6-14-1-1-3 for 23 net pts was ten clear of the third place boat-- Chuck Stoddard on FALCON from the host Barrington YC.

J/30 one-design cruiser racer- sailing upwindThe battle for third was quite close, with just four points separating the next four boats!  Chuck's team were fast out of the gates the first day, as they should for being the "local hero's", but they couldn't keep up the pressure and managed to tally a 1-2-11-7-8-5-2-8 for 33 pts net.  Just behind them by one point was Clare McMillan's Barrington YC team on WICKED, taking 4th with 34 pts net.  Fifth was Carl Sherter's Cedar Point YC team on FAT CITY with 35 pts, sixth was Ken Deyett's Kittery Point YC (Maine) team on JEROBOAM with 35 pts (losing the tie-breaker) and seventh was Jon Burt's Hull YC (Massachusetts) team on MARGAY with 37 pts.  The balance of the top ten were Kevin Dakan on BLITZ in 8th, class leader Bill Kneller on RHAPSODY in 9th and Mark Rotsky on NEMESIS in 10th.   For more J/30 North Americans sailing information