Class titlists to race for Championship of Champions

by Jake Fish on 7 Oct 2016 US Sailing’s Championship of Champions is recognized as one of the more unique adult racing events in the country.

All sailors have qualified for this event by winning a one-design class National, North American, or World Championship in the qualifying years (2015 – 2016). These champions will be tested this Friday through Sunday, October 7-9, in the Sunfish on Lake Bluff to see if they can hold their own against a strong fleet of class titlists.

Nineteen sailors have been selected to race for the Jack Brown Trophy while representing their class at the 2016 Championship of Champions, hosted by the Lake Bluff Yacht Club. Racing will be preceded by a special Sunfish boat clinic and local knowledge briefing on Thursday, October 6.

The competition will be challenging with many decorated sailors competing on the same course. Every year, US Sailing invites one special guest to join the competition. Invited helms have included winners of the Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year, Olympians, and other sailing luminaries. Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine) is this year’s Championship of Champions special guest. Freund won the 2016 Paralympic silver medal in the Sonar event with Rick Doerr and Brad Kendell in Rio last month.

This championship, inaugurated in 1976, is held in a different location and in a different class each year. Classes in which the event has been held run the gamut from conventional to cutting edge and have included Y-Flyers, Snipes, Hobie Cats, J-24s, Sunfish and Etchells, to name just a few. The championship trophy is named in honor of Jack Brown who was noted for his service as a judge, regatta organizer and member of US Sailing Committees.

Sailor list with representing classes and hometowns. Racing will take place on the waters of Lake Michigan east of the Lake Bluff Sunrise Beach. The Sunfish boats will be provided and racing will be a round robin format.

The 2016 Championship of Champions is a US Sailing National Championship, sponsored by Gill North America, Switlik Survival Products, and Old Pulteney.

For standings, photos, Twitter updates, and more information from the 2016 Championship of Champions, please visit the event website.