The 35th Annual Carolina Keelboat One Design Regatta, held in early November on Lake Norman YC was a great success with 47 boats competing across five fleets, including the 30th edition of the U20 North American Championship.
U20 sailors had three races on Friday with conditions improving with each race. Jeff Linton, with crew Steve Shaw and Tim Porter, ended the day in first with Brad Boston, Curtis Florence and Zach Mason a close second and Mark Aspland, Mark Gise and Joe Asplaand in third. All three skippers shared their overview of the races and their tips during a debrief and social.
The weather forecast for Saturday promised instability and it held true. The fleets saw as much as 2 knots from every direction on the compass. The competitors were held ashore in postponement which provided ample time to catch up with friends. The U20 fleet took advantage of the time and had a terrific two-hour session led by Steve Shaw of Shapes of Speed. The RC wisely cancelled all racing for the day by late afternoon.
Fortunately, Sunday’s forecast was for great breeze, building as the day went on, and it did. The wind was 10 to 15 with higher gusts, which delivered terrific conditions for the U20s, VX Ones, E Scows, J/24s and San Juan 21s. The SJ21s had three races while the other fleets had four races. In the U20s, Jeff Linton won three of the four races to secure the championship with only 10 points. This victory marked Linton’s 60th National, North American, or world championship title, an extraordinary milestone. Additionally, as the highest-placing first-time skipper at the U20 North Americans, Linton was awarded the Don Corey Award, adding another well-deserved honor to the weekend.
In second overall, Brad Boston finished with 17 points, while BJ Jones together with brother Bill and wife Emily, finished third with 19 points. Mark Aspland and Matt Rush rounded out the top 5.
Across the other fleets, John Polek dominated the E Scows, followed by Cliff Russell, and Steve Lyon in third. Stanley Hassinger won the VX One fleet with John Porter and Jim Harris in second and third. Dave Rink captured first in the J/24s with Jamie Davis and John Collins in second and third. And the SJ21s saw Robert Bouknight edging out Mike Robinson by 1 point and Paul DiMarco finishing third.
Hearty thanks to all the competitors for coming to race at Lake Norman YC for these two milestone events, particularly the U20 sailors who came from California, Utah, Nevada, Ohio, Florida and Connecticut. Special praise to the club’s chef extraordinaire, Bill Mongrain, for three days of great breakfasts; all the RC team headed by PRO Ken Gorni; Mark Allen who brought beer from Two Roads Brewing in Connecticut; Ca’n Dar for sharing his music talent with everyone on Saturday night; Mark Jump Photography, Deborah Young Studio, JH Peterson and Pete Lalli for their terrific photos, along with all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this a successful weekend.
Sponsors who generously contributed their support for the event include: Auctus Advisors, Brandspeed, Capn Dar, Charlotte Perio, Shapes of Speed, Two Roads Brewing, Ullman Sails and The Windward Rail.
