National Champions crowned

by Cynthia Goss on 17 Aug 2007 Big breeze arrived for the final day of the US SAILING Chubb U.S. Junior Championships, a three-day event sailed on Barnegat Bay and hosted by the Lavallette, Mantoloking, and Bay Head yacht clubs.

But as the breeze wound up to double-digit speeds, so too did the pressure on frontrunners in the single-, double- and triplehanded fleets racing at this event, sponsored by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and Vanguard Sailboats. Ninety-three youth sailors from throughout the U.S. competed, representing their yacht club or sailing association.

Singlehanded leader Clifford Porter (Winnetka, IL), sailing for Lake Geneva Yacht Club, and the triplehanded team of Mission Bay Yacht Club sailors Scott Hoffmann, Evan Hoffmann, and Eric Alamillo (Escondido, CA/Escondido, CA/Spring Valley, CA) headed to the starting line on the final day of racing today cushioned by healthy points margins. But stronger breeze and even stronger pressure to win added to the challenge of finishing the day with national titles to their names. For both teams, competitors whittled down their points leads, but both Porter and Hoffmann and his crew held tenaciously to their edge.

Porter's performance in the Laser class was textbook smooth on the first two days, which saw light breeze in the morning replaced by moderate afternoon seabreeze. 'I didn't make too many mistakes [on the first two days], and I played the shifts,' said Porter. Entering the last day, his one discard was already spent on an OCS in Race 8. On the final day, 'I just had to make sure I wasn't over the line…' he said. An 8-11 in the last two races earned Porter the singlehanded championship and the D. Verner Smythe Trophy.

Scott Hoffman, racing with his twin Evan Hoffmann and Eric Alamillo, had a 13-point lead going into the final day—and room to gamble for an even bigger points spread. With an 8-3 score on the last day, they earned the triplehanded title and the Sears Cup. Their victory was well-earned: after losing last year by only one point, these young sailors practiced for six weeks at home, in the Nomad raced at this event, learning every go-fast trick they could absorb before heading to the East Coast for the regatta. 'We learned lots of techniques for making the boat go fast—and it paid off,' said Scott.

In the closely contested doublehanded 420 class, only four points separated the top four boats going into the final day of racing—and the leader board in this class was like a game of musical chairs, with different players rising to the top after each day of racing. Entering the finale, this class had escalated to a points tie for the lead, with Chicago Yacht Club sailors Stephanie Hudson and Laura McKenna (Winnetka, IL/Lake Forest, IL) and Newport Harbor Yacht Club team of Mac Mace and Jeff Aschieris (Newport Beach, CA/Costa Mesa, CA) tied for the lead going into the final day.

But on the eve of the finale, Pequot Yacht Club sailors Brendan Kopp and Michael Costello (Fairfield, CT)— who lead after day one but slipped to fourth place after two days of racing—had a plan: 'We needed two firsts; that was one-hundred percent our gameplan,' said Costello. Kopp's birthday fell on the second day of the regatta, and a birthday present for this sailor who likes the bigger breeze arrived on the final morning of the championship: 'We woke up this morning and saw the flags waving—and it was good!' said Kopp. By the end of the day, this Connecticut duo had their two bullets, winning the final race by only half a boatlength, and the F. Gregg Bemis Trophy for their doublehanded win. This team also won the F. Gregg Bemis Sportsmanship Award.

The Faye Bennet Sportsmanship Award went to singlehanded competitor Michael Schalka (Seattle, WA), who was unfailingly helpful to his fellow competitors. The Pleon Yacht Club team of Fritz Stunzi, Trevor Burd, and Callie Naughton, all of Marblehead, Massachusetts, won the Cox Sportsmanship Trophy. The Shipshape Award went to the triplehanded crew of Gavin Rudolph, John O'Riordan, and Collin Weston (Allen, TX/Fort Worth, TX/Corinth, TX), representing the Corinthian Sailing Club.

Sponsors Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and Vanguard Sailboats played a major role in helping these young sailors achieve their goal of vying for these National Championships. Throughout the year, Chubb has provided racing clinics at the regional qualifying levels, giving aspiring champions access to some of the nation's best coaching talents. Vanguard Sailboats played a major role in supporting youth sailing in the United States; this year, as manufacturer of the Nomad, Club 420, and Laser, Vanguard supplied boats to all three events.

Daily results, daily reports, and photos are posted at the websites for each event, with singlehanded competition at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/single; doublehanded competition at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/double; and triplehanded competition at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjr/triple.

US SAILING’s Chubb U.S. Junior Championships are part of US SAILING’s National Championship series. For more information about these championships, visit www.ussailing.org/championships.

About Chubb
Member insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies form a multi-billion-dollar organization providing property and casualty insurance for personal and commercial customers through 8,000 independent agents and brokers worldwide. Since its founding in the seaport district of New York City in 1882, Chubb has been a leading insurer of marine-related operations. Chubb provides insurance and loss control services to marina operators, charterers, ship repairers, stevedores, terminal operators, wharfingers and vessel builders. It also insures yacht owners. Chubb’s global network includes branches and affiliates throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia. More information on Chubb can be obtained at www.chubb.com.

About Vanguard Sailboats
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, Vanguard Sailboats is a sponsor of US SAILING's Chubb Junior Championships and supplies the Nomads, Club 420s, and Lasers sailed at these events. A dedicated sponsor of numerous U.S. National Championships for more than a decade, Vanguard Sailboats supports and sponsors sailing at many levels—encouraging sailors in the U.S. to participate in and enjoy the sport and ensuring great competition. Visit their website at www.teamvanguard.com.

About US SAILING
The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization provides leadership for the sport of sailing in the United States. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

FINAL RESULTS

Singlehanded/Laser (20 boats/top 5; 10 races/1 discard)
1. Clifford Porter/Lake Geneva YC (Winnetka, IL); 2, 2, 3, 7, 1, 1, 1, [21/OCS], 8, 11: 36 points
2. Brendan Faria/FAST, Ida Lewis YC (Middletown, RI); 3, [19], 4, 2, 2, 9, 4, 4, 11, 4: 43 points
3. Caleb Paine/SWYC (San Diego, CA); 12, 3, 1, 1, 10, 5, 13, [21/OCS], 2, 2: 49 points
4. Ben Leibowitz/Stamford YC (Stamford, CT); 6, 4, [13], 3, 8, 2, 5, 7, 7, 9: 51 points
5. Cam Cullman/American YC (Rye, NY); 8, 6, 10, 4, 9, [21/OCS], 6, 8, 1, 1: 53 points

Doublehanded/Club 420 (20 boats/top 5; 10 races/1 discard)
1. Brendan Kopp, Michael Costello/Pequot YC (Fairfield, CT); 5, 2, 1, 9, 6, [21/OCS], 11, 4, 1, 1: 40 points
2. Stephanie Hudson, Laura McKenna/Chicago YC (Winnteka, IL/La