Chris Perkins wins 48th International Knarr Championship

by STFYC on 13 Sep 2016 The 48th International Knarr Championship concluded on Saturday, September 10 with St. Francis Yacht Club sailor Chris Perkins and team earning a strong first-place finish in a fleet of 25 boats.

Following a challenging round robin series that included ten races in five different Knarrs, Chris Perkins finished with 14 points, a full 18 points in front of second-place Jon Perkins, Chris’s brother, who finished with 32 points. Though Chris’s win was definitive, six different teams won a race throughout the week, in a regatta that was defined by tough competition, international camaraderie and a powerful sense of tradition.

“This is a hard event,” said Chris. “Everybody in the fleet is great—they have to be great to get here—and there were several other skippers here who had won this race previously. The key to this regatta was consistency and we were lucky to never have an over-early or a bad start.”

Consistency was key, as the weather, wind and current were generally quite manageable for San Francisco. The early part of the week featured flood tides with modest breeze for aggressive short-tacking along City-front. The currents were lighter in the second half of the week, so sailors were making decisions based on tactics rather than local knowledge of how to play the current.

Consistency was also crucial because of the unique lottery system the fleet used to assign boats. The IKC is comprised of the top 25 teams in the world: seven from Denmark, six from Norway and twelve from the host-country USA. In order to ensure fair racing and easy traveling, the regatta sails in the local fleet of Knarrs, tuned to be as fairly matched as possible. Each team draws the boat it will sail at random, switching boats every two races. Though all boats have matching aluminum masts and booms, some hulls are wooden while some are fiberglass. Some have been meticulously cared for, but not all, so no two boats sail exactly the same.

Chris Perkins’ team, for instance, drew five boats: three wooden and one fiberglass. “That’s the beauty of the Knarr!” said Perkins. “You never know which boat you will get so you have to be able to adapt.”

Knarr sailors at this level are known for being talented, aggressive and brainy. According to Regatta Chairperson Mark Dahm, the fact that the Knarr goes about the same speed upwind as it does downwind makes sailing it more like a chess match than a video game. And, as the class prohibits hired guns, all sailing is Corinthian. Said Dahm, “Knowing that, the sailors that get the most performance out of a relatively low-tech, heavy, classic design and consistently make the best tactical decisions over 10 races (in five different Knarrs) are the deserved winner of the IKC.”

One of the unique things about this fleet is the longevity of those who sail in it. The IKCs rotate every three years between the Bay Area, Norway and Denmark, and many of the same sailors show up year after year. There are a couple new owners each year, but few owners ever stop sailing their Knarrs. Knud Wibroe, for instance, has sailed in the fleet since 1968 when he helped introduce the Knarr to the Bay and sparked the Wednesday Night Series that continues today. According to Chris Perkins, Wibroe is one of the early owners who is to be credited for creating a stable one-design fleet and culture. “Knud is a true gentleman. Over the years, if the racing ever got ugly, he was the one to pull you over by your ear, sit you down and make you shape up.”

Regatta Co-chair Dave Wiard said, “What sets the class apart is the people. It’s not just about the boat. The focus is also on the friendship and camaraderie. There is always talk about these factors missing from modern-day regattas but this class has found a way to preserve them.”

Camaraderie is something the Knarr sailors have in spades. For every race, it seemed, there was a social event to complement. There was the Tito’s Vodka Mid-Week Dinner Party at the Matthew Turner Tall Ship to connect the fleet to another interesting wooden boat project (the owner of which is a former Knarr sailor). There was a Taittinger Champagne Opening Ceremony on a sun-soaked race deck with three national anthems and singing by the “Sons of the Beach”, a Knarr-comprised acapella group. There was “Dram and Craft Night” with Glenmorangie Scotch and Fort Point Beer and to top it all of, a Martin Ray Winery Awards Dinner and Trophy Presentation in the Main Dining Room of the St. Francis Yacht Club.

“As hosts, we are invested in the vision of the entire event,” said Wiard. “We want to create a memorable experience for our fellow competitors because they are also our friends. We put a lot of thought into organizing the social events and finding sponsors who will be the right fit.”

What makes the IKCs special? Says Dahm: “It starts with the fact that all Knarr sailors love the boat: the beautiful lines, the great sailing. Then, off the water, there is a culture and friendships that have been going on for nearly fifty years! The beautiful old boats are simply the vessel of friendship.”

Results:

Place	Sail Number	Sailor(s)	Boat Name/Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Total	Net
1	USA C Perkins	Chris Perkins Hans Baldauf Phil Perkins Charlie Perkins	StFYC	1	1	(4)	1	2	2	2	(9)	4	1	27	14
2	USA J Perkins	Jon Perkins Melissa Purdy Tom Purdy Larry Swift	StFYC	(12)	5	1	3	6	7	6	(10)	2	2	54	32
3	DEN Carlsen	Tom Carlsen Nikolaj Heiberg Bestle Steen Henrik Ammentorp Ole Hiort	Vedbæk Sejlklub	9	7	3	2	(15)	1	7	(11)	3	5	63	37
4	DEN Gottfredsen	Lars Gottfredsen Jesper Kjer Kasper Bonnevie Anders Fisker	Rungsted Sejlklub	5	(20)	5	4	3	(15)	3	1	RDG-7	9	72	37
5	DEN Soederlund	Henrik Soederlund Peter Gorm Christiansen Kim Soederlund John Soegaard	Royal Danish YC	3	3	7	5	1	(OCS-26)	1	(20)	14	4	84	38
6	USA Green	Graham Green Doug Nugent David MacGregor Scott MacIntyre	StFYC	2	10	8	7	(18)	4	(17)	4	13	3	86	51
7	DEN Myralf	Anders Myralf Peder holm Jesper Rise Christian Nylykke	Royal Danish YC	6	6	2	(12)	10	5	(14)	6	7	10	78	52
8	USA Anderlini	Terry Anderlini Brooks Price Mark Dahm	StFYC	(19)	12	10	10	5	10	4	13	1	(14)	98	65
9	USA Nazzal	Don Nazzal Mark Heer Tim Dowling David Wiard	StFYC	7	2	9	(15)	14	12	11	8	9	(25)	112	72
10	USA Wibroe	Knud Wibroe Michael Ratiani Bradford Whitaker Bill Fredericks	SFYC	4	8	11	11	8	14	(16)	(19)	10	8	109	74
11	DEN Reinhold	Morten Reinhold Thomas Hartvig Vielsted Christian Milert Hansen Kim Fremlev Larsen	Hellerup Sejlklub	10	9	(15)	6	12	9	(19)	12	12	13	117	83
12	USA Griffith	Charles Griffith Millen Griffith Mark Desrosiers Peter Cameron	StFYC	8	16	(19)	(19)	4	17	8	5	15	12	123	85
13	USA Sams	Risley Sams Eliza Richartz Chris Churchill Klario Spindler Jim Egbert	StFYC	(22)	(OCS-26)	17	17	17	3	13	2	6	15	138	90
14	NOR Hvide	Johan G. Hvide Karianne F. Jaarvik Geir B. Myhre Audun Haldorsen	Bergens Seilforening	16	11	16	(24)	7	16	5	(22)	16	7	140	94
15	USA Drew	Larry Drew Jon Elliott Jim Colletto Mike Guzzardo	SFYC	15	14	13	14	(20)	13	12	7	11	(16)	135	99
16	DEN Bøttcher	Peter Bøttcher Peter Wied Lau Wogelius Lars Balling	Skovshoved Sejlklub	14	15	21	13	19	(22)	9	RDG-10	5	(22)	150	106
17	USA Crawford	Brent Crawford John Bobincheck Andy Barker Steve Wegner/Scott Sullivan	SFYC	18	19	(25)	8	16	20	10	3	17	(21)	157	111
18	USA Kelly	Chris Kelly Marc Bryan Bob Gerlach Lief Wadleigh	RYC	17	17	12	18	(24)	6	(21)	18	8	19	160	115
19	USA Taft	Steve Taft Mark Adams Bob McIntire	StFYC	(21)	13	18	20	11	(23)	18	RDG-13	20	6	163	119
20	DEN Andersen	Ib Ussing Andersen Jens Ive Jens Buhl Jørgensen Otto Langhorn	Royal Danish YC	11	4	6	(OCS-26)	13	18	23	23	22	(24)	170	120
21	NOR Eitrem	Per Trygve Eitrem Uffe Dreiser Steffen Raun Fjordside Henrik Kongsbak	Royal Norwegian YC	20	(DSQ-26)	14	9	9	19	15	14	(21)	20	167	120
22	NOR Joys	Carl-Fredrik Joys Bryan Kemnitzer Jes Thomsen Pål Albro	Bergens Seilforening	13	21	(24)	(23)	21	8	22	15	19	18	184	137
23	NOR Haugerud	Morten Heldal Haugerud Ulf Røgeberg Arjen Zwaanswijk Henning Olsen	Royal Norwegian YC	(23)	18	20	21	(22)	21	20	21	18	11	195	150
24	NOR Jarvik	Lars Jarvik Rolf Berge David West Even Skulstad	Bergens Seilforening	(25)	23	22	16	23	11	(24)	17	23	17	201	152
25	NOR Almeland	Inge-Bertin Almeland Randy Hecht Odd Gutteberg Knut Christian Hallan	KNS	24	22	23	22	(25)	24	(DNF-26)	24	24	23	237	186