August 15, 2007

Big breeze arrived for the final day of the US SAILING Chubb U.S. Junior Championships, a three-day championship sailed on Barnegat Bay and hosted by the Lavallette, Mantoloking, and Bay Head yacht clubs. As the breeze wound up to double-digit speeds, so too did the pressure on the leaders in single-,and  doublehanded classes racing at this event sponsored by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and Vanguard Sailboats.

In the doublehanded 420 class, only four points separated the top four boats going into the final day. Pequot Yacht Club’s Brendan Kopp and Michael Costello (both Fairfield, CT) were in fourth going into the final day, but on the eve of the finale, this duo had a plan: "We needed two firsts; that was one-hundred percent our gameplan," said Costello.  The team were pleased with the conditions, which suited them better than the more moderate breezes earlier in the championship.  Kopp said, "We woke up, saw the flags and it was good."

Kopp and Costello captured two bullets on the last day, winning the final race by only half a boat length, to capture the doublehanded win. Costello then leapt off the boat and into Barnegat Bay, shouting with joy and excitement.

Laser leader Clifford Porter (Winnetka, IL) from Lake Geneva Yacht Club sailed to the starting line on the final day with healthy points margins in the singlehanded fleets.   Porter said that while he was a bit nervous before the start of the final race, he knew if he just didn't make any mistakes, he'd be okay. The stronger breeze and even stronger pressure to win added to the challenge, but Porter held tenaciously to his edge for championship title.