Samson Women’s Junior and Master Lightning North American Championship

by Christine Maloney on 15 Aug 2016 Racing wrapped up Sunday for the 2016 Samson Women’s, Junior, and Master Lightning North American Championships at the Rochester Yacht Club.

The Masters fleet ended the series with four total races, while both the Women’s and the Juniors finished theirs with five. Two races were sailed on Friday for each championship in medium to heavy wind before storms rolled into the area for the afternoon. Saturday not a single race was ran despite the race committee’s best efforts due to a combination of unsettled breeze and more thunderstorms. On Sunday, however, the weather cooperated to allow for races 3, 4, and 5 for the Women and the Juniors, and races three and four for the masters.

Debbie Probst sailed an impressive regatta, winning the Women’s Championship by seven points. Probst won four of the five races sailed, only letting one race slip by her thanks to a keelhauled spinnaker sheet. The Women’s Championship also had the event’s youngest skipper, Sabrina Starck (10), and the event’s youngest competitor, Jamie Starck (8).

The Junior fleet was won decisively by Doug Wake who took first place in all five races. He was followed by Ben Folds from the Buffalo Canoe Club with 14 points and Robbie Robinson, also from the Buffalo Canoe Club, with 16 points overall. In the Masters division, local sailor Mark Sertl took first place finishing the event with two firsts and two seconds, eight points in front of Marvin Beckmann who finished second. David Peck finished third just one point behind Beckmann. Both Team Peck and Team Sertl were all family boats, as was the fifth place Masters finisher, Tom Allen.

Thank you to the Rochester Yacht Club for putting on a wonderful event and the race committee for getting races off in trying conditions. Congratulations to all the competitors!