2015 12 Metre North American Championship - Courageous dominates

by Barby MacGowan on 29 Sep 2015 Ralph Isham and his brother-in-law Alexander Auersperg (both Newport, R.I./New York N.Y.) co-skippered the 12 Metre Courageous to win the Bai Trophy for best overall performance at the 2015 12 Metre North American Championship sponsored by Bai. The event concluded Sunday, September 27 after three days of racing on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.

The crew aboard Courageous won four of eight races in Modern Division (for yachts built from 1967-1983) and never finished worse than second. Victory ’83, with defending champion and past 12 Metre World Champion Dennis Williams’ (Hobe Sound, Fla.) at the helm, was runner-up in Modern Division.

“Victory ‘83 was one point behind us going into Sunday,” explained Isham, noting that six races had been held on Friday and Saturday in moderate to heavy breezes, and Sunday’s wind had been forecast to weaken. “With the light air, we thought there’d only be one race, so we knew we had to nail it. We caught every one of the 30-40 degree shifts to win that race.”

When the wind held strong enough for a second race, Courageous started admirably but then struggled with some mechanical failures. “We were in a tacking duel with Victory ‘83, and Intrepid (skippered by Jack Curtin of New York, N.Y.) was able to sail off on its own and win,” said Isham. “We were literally one second behind Intrepid when we converged at the finish, but the most important thing was that we were ahead of Victory ’83.”

Courageous, which last won the North Americans in 2010, successfully defended the America's Cup for the USA in 1974 with the late Ted Hood at the helm. Three years later, Ted Turner steered her to another successful defense of the America’s Cup.

Gunther Buerman (Newport, R.I.), defending champion in the Grand Prix class (for yachts built from 1983-1987), steered KZ-3 to win all of its races against Kip Curren (Newport, R.I.), who skippered KZ-5/Laura. According to KZ-3’s co-tactician Brad Read, KZ-5 had beat them at the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta and the Edgartown Yacht Club 12-Metre Regatta earlier this summer. “They really ramped up and got faster, so we’ve taken that very seriously,” said Read.

Herb Marshall’s (Barnstable, Mass.) American Eagle, with Bob Morton (Newport) at the helm, won the Traditional Division (for yachts built from 1958-1967). Marshall, who is also vice president of the International 12 Metre Association and head of the Americas Fleet, was the recipient of the Ted Turner Trophy for annual recognition of an individual who has helped most to develop the 12 Metre class in the prior year.

The 12 Metres were the iconic boat of choice for the America’s Cup races from 1958 through 1987. The aura of mystique that envelops these classic yachts has created a vibrant class association with large and competitive fleets on the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, as well as on the USA’s northeast coast, especially in Newport, Rhode Island, which was home to the America’s Cup for 12 editions (nine sailed in the 12 Metre) between 1930 and 1987.

At the Bai Awards Ceremony on Sunday afternoon, the Gubelmann Trophy was awarded to the three division winners, while the Ted Hood Trophy was awarded to the 12 Metre teams with the highest points overall for the season: KZ-3 (Grand Prix), Victory ’83 (Modern) and Weatherly (Traditional).

Bai Brands, based in a Princeton, N.J. manufacturers all-natural antioxidant infusion drinks. It is the new title sponsor for the event, while the Turner Foundation, Coppola Winery, Tito’s Vodka and Mt. Gay Rum are returning sponsors. Ida Lewis Yacht Club was the Organizing Authority for the event.