North American Challenge Cup 2010 - Three days of competitive racing

by Christie Denson on 10 Aug 2010 North American Challenge Cup winners have been announced following three days of competitive racing.

Disabled athletes from around the hemisphere competed in Chicago this weekend at the Chicago Yacht Club’s 18th annual regatta for disabled sailors held August 6th - August 9th.

Overall conditions for the weekend were varied, from light winds at 5 -7 knots, up to gusts of over 30 knots causing racing to be abandoned on Sunday. The variable conditions tested the skills of the 36 competitors who represented twelve U.S. states as well as international sailors from Canada and Antigua. Three classes competed in this regatta: 2.4mR, the Sonar and the Freedom 20.

The 2.4mR singlehanded class was a very tight matchup between Chicagoan Kristi Walker and Canadian Paralympic hopeful Nigist Sewnnet, who Saturday took three bullets out of the first five races. In the end Walker prevailed, pulling two bullets of her own today to win the regatta by one point.

In third place is Joseph Hill of Houston, Tex. 'She made me a better sailor,' commented Walker on her tough competition with Sewnett. 'I wouldn’t have sailed as well without her in the regatta.'

Walker, who learned to sail at the age of 13, was brought back into sailing through the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program in Chicago after a brain tumor left her with a loss of strength, coordination, and range of motion in her left hand and arm. 2010 marks Walker’s sixth year as a competitor and the first time she has won the regatta.

When asked what it’s like to sail in a 2.4, Walker explained 'I describe it to people like a go-cart on water. We can turn fast, tack fast, point higher than a lot of other boats. There a lot of lines on the 2.4, so there is always something to work on, little things you can change that can make it better.' Walker uses the boats adaptive foot-pedals to steer the boat and her right arm to grasp the lines.

'I’ve never won anything in sailing before, so I’m pretty shocked and excited.' In the triple handed Sonar class, competition was increased by opening the class to able bodied competitors. Every boat had to have at least one disabled crew member. Skipper Bert Foster (Wayzata, Minn.) and crew beat out Paralympic Gold medalist Maureen McKinnon-Tucker for his second NACC win. Foster also won in 2007.

'The competition this year was outstanding in that there were able-bodies admitted,' Foster commented. 'This year they were able to attract some professional sailors to assist the disabled people in the Sonars to make for very good racing.' In third place in the sonar class was Christopher Murphy (Newbury Park, Calif.).

Finally, in the Freedom 20 class, it’s a repeat victory for US Disabled Sailing Team member Bob Jones, who maintained his 1- point lead over Bridget Bodo (Chicago, Ill.) going into today’s racing, to capture his second consecutive NACC win. Jones’ crew this year was Ken Kelly, Canadian silver medalist from the 1996 Paralympics. In third place Is Make Jaffe of Chicago and crew Dan Daniher.

2.4mR (5 boats) Series Standing - 9 races scored
Regatta results last updated: Monday, August 09, 2010 2:59:04 PM CDT

Pos. Sail, Skipper, Yacht Club, Results, Total Points
1. 114, Kristi Walker, JGASP, 1-2-2-3-1-2-1-1-2- ; 15
2. Can 40, Nigist Sewnnet, NYC/DSAO, 3-1-1-1-2-1-3-3-4- ; 19
3. 123, Joseph Hill, Nassau Bay Yacht Club, 2-4-5-6/DNS-4-4-4-2-1- ; 32
4. 66, Tamara Vermette, Noroton Yacht Club, 6/DNF-3-4-2-5-5-2-5-3- ; 35
5. CAN 8, Audrey Kobayashi, Kingston Yacht Club, 4-5-3-6/DNS-3-3-5-4-5- ; 38

Sonar (7 boats) Series Standing - 9 races scored
Regatta results last updated: Monday, August 09, 2010 3:26:51 PM CDT

Pos,Sail, Boat, Skipper, Yacht Club, Results, Total Points
1. 757, Captain Hook, Albert Foster/David Burdette Ernest Brody, Wayzata Yacht Club, 1-2-1-4-1-4-3-1-1- ; 18
2. 807, charter, John Porter/Gerard Tiernan Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, Sailing Anarchy YC, 4-3-3-3-2-3-1-4-3- ; 26
3. 806, Hot Tuna, Christopher Murphy, none, 3-6-2-1-5-1-2-3-6- ; 29
4. 783, , Carmella Foster, wayzata yacht club, 6-1-6-6-3-5-5-2-2- ; 36
5. 782, , Julia Dorsett, Upper St. Regis Yacht Club, 5-5-5-2-4-6-4-6-4- ; 41
6. 805, Goldman boat, Eric Roberts, BAADS, 2-4-4-5-6-2-6-8/DSQ-5- ; 42
7. 784, TBD, Chris Martin, Antigua Yacht Club, 7-7-7-7-7-7-7-5-7- ; 61

Freedom 20 (5 boats) Series Standing - 6 races scored
Regatta results last updated: Monday, August 09, 2010 2:56:51 PM CDT

Pos,Sail, Boat, Skipper, Yacht Club, Results, Total Points
1. 1, Freedom 20, Bob E Jones, corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle, 3-2-1-1-1-1- ; 9
2. 5, Bridget Bodo/Larry Campbell, JGASP, 1-1-3-3-4-2- ; 14
3. 2, Mike Jaffe/Maurice (Dan) Daniher, Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing, 2-4-2-2-2-3- ; 15
4. 6, Lansing Hinrichs/John Tarrant, Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating, 4-3-4-4-3-4- ; 22
5. 4, Joseph Del Vecchio/Roger Scholes, Sail to Prevail, 5-5-5-5-5-5- ; 30

Information is provisional and subject to modification.

For more information on the North American Challenge Cup, go to www.chicagoyachtclub.org/nacc

Chicago Yacht Club would like to thank all competitors and also NACC partners American Airlines, World Sport Chicago, Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program, Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, and Chicago School Transit; and NACC Supporters and Suppliers Hyatt Regency Chicago, Helix Camera, Chicago Park District/Westrec Marinas and Carol’s Cookies.