Stella Artois J/105 North American Championship at Larchmont YC - Day 1
by Christopher E. Howell 21 Oct 2016 00:14 PDT
Terry McLaughlin and Rod Wilmer's Mandate revelled in the blustery conditions on day one of the Stella Artois J/105 North American Championship, hosted by Larchmont Yacht Club in New York.
In winds between 16-20 knots, the Canadian team on Mandate lined up perfect scores in Thursday's three races to take a five-point lead over second place Damian Emery on Eclipse (4,2,2 for 8 points). Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault's Good Trade is in third with 9 points (2,4,3).
Thirty-seven teams representing Bermuda, Canada, Great Britain and the USA took to the waters of Long Island Sound for the 11 a.m. kick-off of the Championship. McLaughlin and Wilmer, winner of the North American crown in 2014, dominated the fleet.
Behind them in race one were the Stone/Breault husband and wife team on Good Trade and Adrian Owles on Mad Blue. Local favourite Eclipse earned the silver spot in the middle battle, with David Greenhouse's Skipperdee in the bronze position.
The top three in the final contest matched the top three overall for the day: Mandate, Eclipse and Good Trade.
Racing continues through Sunday. Photos are available on the J/105 Facebook page, and complete results may be found at www.j105nas.com