Melges IC37 US National Championship - Day 2
by Melges Performance Sailing 3 Oct 2020 23:49 PDT
October 2-4, 2020
The New York Yacht Club Race Committee fired off another three races on Day Two of the Melges IC37 National Championship. Teams were held onshore under postponement until the sea breeze built up to 7-15 knots.
Pacific Yankee has all but secured the trophy with a 16-point lead on the competition. Drew Freides and Bill Ruh have yet to place below the top three in the series. However, the fleet gave them a run for their money today with Qubit and Waka Jawaka also taking a couple of bullets.
Qubit, helmed by Chris Lewis, came in with a vengeance scoring 3-1 after mid-fleet showings on Friday. Lewis was able to find clear lanes during both races and keep pace with Pacific Yankee. "We had a few clean starts and we were able to focus on sailing our own race," said Lewis. "In the second race, we gybed early for building pressure on the right and laid the finish jumping ahead of three boats."
Race Three featured lead changes and tacking duels with Gamecock and Members Only catapulting themselves into the mix. Michael Goldfarb's Waka Jawaka barreled down to the leeward mark and made a left turn toward the right side of the course following the shifting breeze. Goldfarb was able to round the windward mark ahead of Pacific Yankee and stay to the inside of the fleet. The move paid off in dividends as they crossed the line clear ahead of the competition.
Going into the final day of racing, the podium is still up for grabs with only a five-point separation between the second and fifth place boats. Teams will have to minimize risk to optimize their point-spread and move into position.
"You always have to get off the line clean, pick a clear lane, and have a little bit of luck on these boats," claims Lewis. "If you pick a wrong shift you can end up losing half the fleet because the racing is just that close"
Day Three is scheduled to start at 1100. For more information visit www.melgesic37class.com, the Class Facebook page, and Class Instagram.