Pensacola Beach YC hosts US Multihull Championship

by Jason Thompson on 30 Mar 2006 What started out as a conversation between John Williams and some of his friends at the Pensacola Beach Yacht Club a couple of years ago came to pass last week as the PBYC hosted the U.S. Mulithull Championships.

'I've been involved in the administration (of U.S. Sailing) the last five years and before that, competed several times,' said Williams, the Outgoing Chair of U.S. Sailing.

'The superb race management, the warm Southern hospitality and the outstanding sailing conditions really conspired to make this one of the best championships ever that I've attended.'

Williams, who recently moved from the Pensacola area, wanted his final race with U.S. Sailing a memorable one.

'I wanted this to be my swan song, to show what my little club has to offer,' he said. 'It has a lot of heart.'

PBYC was able to get off a total of nine races in the five day tournament, which featured 20 two-person teams from across the country.

'We had to wait for some wind (Thursday) and had too much wind a couple of days, but overall, pretty good weather,' said Principal Race Officer William Paden.

The teams were assigned one of 10 Nacra 20 catamarans to compete in one of two heats in each of the nine races. Their worse finish in the nine was thrown out and the cumulative place totals were added together, with the smallest number determining the winner of the Hobie Alter Cup.

'I love the sailing venue here,' Williams said. 'It's one of the best in the United States...it has been for the last 30 years.'

Two men in particular, Robbie Daniels of Clearwater and Hunter Stunzi from Boston, really enjoyed the sailing venue, as they captured the Alter Cup, placing in the top three in eight of their nine races.

The duo of Greg Thomas and Jacques Bernier from San Diego, captured the bronze medals with 24 points.

Kirk Newkirk and Glenn Holmes, from Pensacola Beach and Gulf Breeze, respectively, finished 10th with 75 points.

Newkirk, who won the Alter Cup in 1994, got into Pensacola just three hours before the first race after a week of snowskiing in Colorado. He and Holmes, a member of the Air Force who spent a tour in Afghanistan and two in Iraq, hold the dubious distinction of being the first boat to capsize.

'We got a bad puff and a bad wave,' Newkirk said. 'We just had some bad luck...or maybe I fell asleep.'

The ninth and final race was run on Thursday.

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www.gulfbreezenews.com