Marshack wins first U.S. Multihull Championship

by US Sailing on 27 Aug 2016 2016 U.S. Multihull Championship - Catamaran sailing is alive and well on Carlyle Lake. The 2016 U.S. Multihull Championship for the Hobie Alter Trophy, hosted by Carlyle Sailing Association, wrapped up a full week’s worth of racing on Friday.

For the first time since 1988, this championship was raced in the Hobie 18. This opened the door for six-time Hobie 18 North American Champion, Ken Marshack (Ridgefield, Wash.). Seeking his first Hobie Alter Trophy in over 20 attempts, Marshack seized the moment and dominated the action from start to finish with crew Valerie Pioszak.

“I had never one the Alter Trophy,” said Marshack. “I have been competing at this event for over 20 years and second place was my highest finish. It feels great to win it. The whole fleet was pushing me the entire time. It was tough. I always come back to this event because of the people and the competition.”

Marshack and Ploszak won eight of the 10 races conducted this week.

The five-day regatta, which was run in conjunction with Hobie 17 North American Championship, was scheduled to begin on Monday. Due to insufficient winds, there was no racing on Monday. Several competitors enjoyed paddleboarding and other activities around the lake to occupy their unscheduled off-day.

On Tuesday, the fleet was greeted with plenty of breeze in the 10-14 knot range, which allowed the fleet to tally four races. Teams completed another four races on Wednesday under similar conditions, with gusts over 20 knots. Two races were completed on Thursday in light air. Friday’s final set of races was cancelled due to lack of wind.

Top 5 – Final Standings

1. Ken Marshack, 1-1-1-[2]-1-1-1-2-1-1- ; 10
2. James Sohn, 2-2-4-1-2-3-2-1-2-[6]- ; 19
3. Jim Doty, Jr., 3-3-2-[4]-3-4-3-3-4-2- ; 27
4. Christina Bradshaw, 4-[6]-6-3-4-2-5-5-6-3- ; 38
5. Stephen Cooley, 7-8-3-5-[10]-6-7-4-5-4- ; 49

Quotes of the Week

• On Tuesday’s racing – David Leimbach (St. Louis, Mo.) – “There wasn’t a moment to take a break out there today. It was windy and a lot of boat traffic on the lake. It was very exciting racing.”
• On Wednesday’s racing – Gillian Thompson (Kelowna, British Columbia) – “It was super windy; not quite nuclear, but it was challenging, fun, and we love to be out on the trapeze. This is one of the better Hobie 18 fleets we’ve raced against in a while.”
• On the history of the championship – Gordon Isco (Gulfport, Fla.) – “When we started the event, we wanted to integrate multihull sailors into the system. It’s great to see this event still going strong.”

Series Standing - 10 races scored:

Pos	Skipper	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10		Total	Pos
1	Ken Marshack	1	1	1	[2]	1	1	1	2	1	1		10	1
2	James Sohn	2	2	4	1	2	3	2	1	2	[6]		19	2
3	Jim Doty, Jr.	3	3	2	[4]	3	4	3	3	4	2		27	3
4	Christina Bradshaw	4	[6]	6	3	4	2	5	5	6	3		38	4
5	Stephen Cooley	7	8	3	5	[10]	6	7	4	5	4		49	5
6	Gillian Thomson	6	4	5	6	5	7	[9]	6	9	7		55	6
7	George Kuney	5	7	9	9	6	5	6	7	3	[12]		57	7
8	Chris Johnston	11	10	7	7	7	8	8	10	[14]	8		76	8
9	Paul Evenden	8	5	8	13	11	[15/DNF]	4	12	11	10		82	9
10	David Leimbach	10	9	10	8	12	[15/DNF]	10	11	8	5		83	10
11	Cal Bridge	9	11	13	[16/DSQ]	9	15/DNF	14	8	7	9		95	11
12	Doug Weston	12	12	12	11	8	9	11	9	12	[13]		96	12
13	Brock Tuffli	14	14	[15]	10	15	10	12	13	13	14		115	13
14	Gordon Isco	13	13	11	12	14	[16/DNC]	16/DNC	16/DNC	10	11		116	14
15	Bryan Gill	[16/DNC]	15	14	14	13	11	13	14	15	15		124	15