Amelia wins first US Nationals of Swan 42 Class

by Nick Gower on 18 Sep 2007 Alex Jackson (New York, NY), sailing Amelia, won the first US National Championship of the Swan 42 Class hosted by the New York Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island, which took place from 14 -16 September. In second was Mustang, co-skippered by Gary Jobson, Norwood Davis and Whitey Lipscomb, and finishing third was Tiburon, Mark Watson.

Alex Jackson and his team sailed consistently over the first six races taking two firsts and a second to build a strong lead, and while they struggled in the shifty conditions in the final race, their 2-8-5-11-1-1-15 finishes gave them a four-point victory. Mr Jackson commented, 'In general the fleet was very close.' He noted that up to the last race five or six yachts could have won. 'We certainly didn’t win by much. The good races had compensated for the bad ones.'

The wind was light to moderate from the south on Friday, but blustery on Saturday as a cold front whipped up Narragansett Bay. Jackson reported winds of over 30 knots on one downwind leg. Sunday it was a northerly breeze that lost its way throughout the day.

With a second and a fifth place finish Mustang, had the best results on the final day of racing and climbed into second place overall. Mark Watson (San Antonio, TX), sailing Tiburon, seemed to have won the regatta after winning the seventh race, but a disqualification in race six dropped him to third overall.

Gary Jobson sailing on Mastang commented, 'With seven races sailed, the fact that thirteen of the eighteen competitors placed in at least one of the races is exactly what we wanted for this class.'

The Swan 42 Class, which is just one year old, is a new one-design class commissioned by the New York Yacht Club in collaboration with Nautor’s Swan. This is an owner-driver class with limits on both professional sailors and sail inventory. Eighteen boats, many of them competing in their first event including Colin Buffin’s Uxorious III from Great Britain, participated in the championship. By the end of the year, the Swan 42 class will have 38 boats competing in 11 countries.

Final Results
1. AMELIA, Alex Jackson (New York, NY), 43 Points, (2,8,5,11,1,1,15)
2. MUSTANG, Gary Jobson/Norwood Davis/Whitey Lipscomb (Annapolis, MD) 47 Points, (14,1,9,10,6,2,5)
3. TIBURON, Mark Watson (San Antonio, TX), 48 Points, (1,9,11,4,3,DSQ,1)
4. ARETHUSA, Phil Lotz (Newport, RI), 49 Points, (11,3,2,7,4,12,10)
5. HOSS, Glenn Darden/Philip Williamson (Fort Worth, TX) 49 Points, (5,4,3,12,9,7,9)
6. CONSPIRACY, Cahoots Syndicate (Newport, RI) 53 Points, (13,10,1,3,10,4,12)
7. TSUNAMI, Bud Dailey/Preben Ostberg/John Aras (Annapolis, MD) 53 Points, (3,2,6,9,15,16,2)
8. DOWNHILL EXPRESS, Tom and Cindy Hirsch (Jamestown, RI) 53 Points, (10,5,4,14,2,14,4)
9. BARLEYCORN, Brendan Brownyard (Bay Shore, NY) 57 Points, (7,6,12,5,5,15,7)
10. CELERITAS, Malcolm Gefter (Newport, RI) 65 Points, (15,11,7,1,12,5,14)
11. UXORIOUS, Colin Buffin (London, England) 69 Points, (4,12,18,16,8,8,3)
12. MUTINY, Gibb Kane/Drew Shea (Rye, NY), 70 Points, (12,16,13,2,13,6,8)
13. BANDIT, Andy Fisher (Greenwich, CT), 71 Points, (9,14,10,17,7,3,11,71)
14. IMPETOUS, Paul Zabetakis (Jamestown, RI), 81 Points, (8,7,8,18,14,10,16)
15. ORBIT, Sandy Vietor/Dod Fraser (Rye, NY) 92 Points, (16,17,16,6,11,9,17)
16. DARING, John Hele (Newport, RI) 98 Points, (6,DSQ,15,15,17,13,13)
17. INTERLODGE, Austin Fragomen (New York, NY), 100 Points, (17,13,14,8,DNF,11,18)
18. THE CAT CAME BACK, Linc Mossup (Jamestown, RI) 102 Points, (18,15,17,13,16,17,6)