Howard Hamlin, Mike Martin, and Trevor Baylis, sailing the 18-foot skiff General Electric US Challenge are the first American team to win the Skiff World Championships since 1938.
The event, sailed in Sydney Harbor, has long been dominated by Australian teams but the US Challenge sailed a strong regatta, going in to the final heat neck and neck with Rag & Famish Hotel and Derwent Racing. The American team had the hardest job of the three, as their score on the final day was such that they had to have two boats between them and the other two teams if they were to take the series.
For a complete report and the scores, see: http://www.18footers.com.au/JJ_Giltinan_Trophy_Championship.html
Tim Healy and the crew of the J/24 US 5277 beat out Andy Horton’s Money Shot and Brad Read’s Blind Squirrel to win the 2002 J/24 Midwinters in Key West, Fla.
Healy’s low total score of 22 points reflected his strong performance of 1-3-1-12-1-4.
For complete results, see: http://www.j24class.org/usa/racereps/2002midwinters/Final.htm
George Szabo and Bran Janney of San Diego have won the 12-team Championship of Champions in San Diego. Szabo, a four-time Snipe national champ, who was invited to the event after winning the Star nationals, went into the final race trailing Kevin Funsch and Walt Duffy but managed to lure Funsch and Duffy into a trap. “We were both on starboard,” said Janney. “The leeward mark was coming up and we decided to slide left and try for an inside. We rolled onto the other chine and started to go left. Duffy saw us roll and called for a jibe. When he realized we hadnt jibed they tried to jibe back but their pole got hung up and they couldnt. So they were on port, we were on starboard, and by this time we were overlapped. We had to dodge them, which forced them to do a 720.”
Funsch and Duffy fell back and finished fifth while Szabo got a first, exactly Duffys worst-case scenario. The two finished with 32 points, but Szabo/Janney won on the tie-breaker. See: http://www.ussailing.org/championships/CofC/2001/RegattaNews.asp
