U.S. Multihull Championship action heats up

by Jake Fish on 27 May 2010 US Sailing’s 2010 U.S. Multihull Championship (USMC), hosted by the Houston Yacht Club.

Day one leaders Pete Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Nat Shaver (Long Beach, Calif.) expanded their lead from one point to three with six races completed.

Similar to Monday, sailing conditions were ideal today for the 20 teams competing for this year’s Hobie Alter Trophy. Winds ranged from 10 to 14 knots with light chop on Galveston Bay. Melvin and Shaver posted a bullet in race five after starting the day’s racing with a fourth place finish in race four. They added a second place finish in race six. Last year’s runners-up Michael Easton (Lexington, Ma.) and Tripp Burd (Marblehead, Ma.) remain in second place. They posted a 2-5-4 line on Tuesday. The 2008 USMC Champion, Alex Shafer (Clermont, Fla.) and his teammate Nigel Pitt (Hartwell, Ga.) are in third place and five points back. They posted two third place finishes and a fifth.

Greg Thomas (Temecula, Calif.) and Jacques Bernier (San Marcos, Calif.) took a leap into contention when they won race four. They stand in fourth place and seven points behind the leaders. One of the youngest teams competing, 15-year-old Taylor Reiss (Panama City, Fla.) and crew Matthew Whitehead (Panama City, Fla.) had a strong showing again today by winning race six and advancing to the top fleet for tomorrow's racing. Reiss and Whitehead are in fifth place followed by the team of Olli Jason (Oldsmar, Fla.) and Patrick Gilles (Madison, Wisc.). Two-time winners of the event and defending champions, John Casey (Longwood, Fla.) and John Williams (Long Beach, Calif.), moved up two spots from ninth to seventh, and 15 points behind. Weather permitting, racing will resume on Wednesday and conclude on Thursday, May 27.

Results: http://championships.ussailing.org/Adult/USMHChampionship.htm.

This event is sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Dry Creek Vineyard, and Hobie Polarized Sunglasses. The C2 F-18s are provided by our official suppliers at Australian High Performance Catamarans and Fun in the Sun Services.