US Sailing’s Championship of Champions preview

by Jake Fish on 27 Sep 2012 A fleet of 20 of the top one-design skippers in the country will gather in Wisconsin this weekend for three days of racing at US Sailing’s Championship of Champions, hosted by the Pewaukee Yacht Club from Friday, September 28 to Sunday, September 30.

These skippers and their teams will race for class bragging rights and the Jack Brown Trophy.

All of the competitors are masters in their respective sailing classes and have a track record to prove it. However, this week on Pewaukee Lake they will be tested in C-Scows to see if they can hold their own.

This US Sailing National Championship event has a reputation for being one of the toughest and most unique events in the country.

All competitors have qualified for this event by winning a 2011 or 2012 one-design class National, North American, or World Championship. The competition will be challenging with many decorated sailors competing on the same course.


Among the entries is Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) who has been selected as this year’s special guest competitor.

US Sailing’s 2009 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year has had a high level of success in a number of one-design classes. Most recently, Gulari led a team to victory at the 2011 Melges 24 US National Championship. In 2009, he became the first American in 33 years to win the Moth World Championship.

The 2009 winner of the Championship of Champions, Skip Dieball (Mason, Ohio), will be competing again this year. Dieball qualified by winning the 2011 Thistle and Highlander National Championships.

US Sailing Development Team member Mitchell Kiss (Holland, Mich.) has qualified for his first Championship of Champions as a skipper. Kiss won the 2012 and 2011 Laser Radial U.S. National Championships. Most recently, he won the 2012 U.S. Youth Sailing Championships in the Laser Radial division. His father, J. Michael Kiss (Holland, Mich.), who won the Melges 20 U.S. National Championships in 2011 and 2010, will also be racing this week.

Check out the roster for a full list of sailors competing in Wisconsin this week here

http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/CofC.htm" target="_blank">Championship of Champions website