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Daily Reports
Day 6 –Wednesday,
June 28
The wind finally came in today, the last day of racing
at US SAILING’s 2006 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, sponsored by
Vanguard Sailboats and Nautica and hosted by Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.
After losing the second day of racing to a lack of wind, the weather
looked promising this morning as the sailors prepared to get on the water.
Chris Vetter and Kelsee Connor (both from St. Petersburg, Fla.) took an
initial lead in the 29er class’ inaugural appearance and never let it go.
The same could not have been said for the remaining three classes –
Laser, Laser Radial, and Club 420 - where it came down to the last race.
The top teams in each fleet sailed a remarkably consistent regatta, so
the outcome was by no means assured for anyone. The competition was fierce
throughout the regatta among the 150 sailors who were selected by sailing
resume from a list of more than 300 applicants.
Before the final race in the Laser Radial class, Colin
Smith (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Teddy Himler (Manhasset, NY) were locked
in a tie for first place, but it was settled with a tie breaker as the
final race had to be abandoned and Himler’s two firsts in the series gave
him top honors. Himler called this final day “a nail biter, especially
after the last race of the day when I hadn’t finished well. When I
thought about who was coming and how they would finish, it turned out that
everything was flip flopped.”
Meanwhile in the highly competitive Club 420 fleet,
2005 U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Champions Rebecca Dellenbaugh
(Easton, Conn.) and Leigh Hammel (Warren, Vt.) were locked in a close
contest with only one point separating them from Taylor Canfield and
Nathan Rosenberg (both from St. Thomas, USVI). At the same time, four
other teams were nipping at both teams’ heels with only six points
separating the leader from sixth place. In the end, it was Dellenbaugh and
Hammel who will be bringing home US SAILING’s Manton Scott Trophy. This
is the second consecutive win of this trophy for Leigh Hammel, who won it
last year with Emily Dellenbaugh and the second time that a female team
has won the event.
In the Laser fleet, even more was at stake. Almost
every competitor had raced in this championship last year and each was
competing for a spot on the US Youth World Team - which heads to Weymouth,
England, next month for the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship -
and a slot at the U.S. Singlehanded Championship. Zeke Horowitz (Sarasota,
Fla.) and Royce Weber (Surf City, NJ) were locked in a tie before today’s
final race. Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) was one point
behind the pair and Derek Vranizan (Shoreline, Wash.) was two points
behind. Finally, as the final race had to be abandoned due to weather, US
Sailing Team member, Royce Weber won the tie-breaker and took home the
Robert L. Johnstone III trophy and prepared to pack his bags for Weymouth,
England. This is his second time as a member of the Youth World Team.
Royce noted that he was a bit heavier than his competition and heavy air
is what he likes. “But I knew what I had to do,” said Royce, “even if the
conditions were not what I’d hoped for.”
For Chris Vetter and Kelsee Connor, the 29er
championships, had previously raced Club 420s but had recently moved to
29ers. When asked why he’d made the switch, Chris said that he and Kelsee
had heard they were a lot faster and raved, “They’re just so much fun!”
In keeping with the tradition of the U.S. Youth
Championship, the Dave Perry Sportsmanship Trophy was awarded to sailors
in each fleet as voted by their peers. All of the competitors exhibited
good sportsmanship throughout the event, especially under very trying
conditions at times. Jake Sororsky (Agura Hills, CA), a well-respected
competitor and a leader, won in the Laser fleet, and the Club 420 class
winners were Andrew Mason (Corona del Mar, CA) and Rachael Neal (San
Diego, CA). Fellow San Diego resident, Rex Cameron won Radial fleet based
on his willingness to help during the challenging launching arrangement
and Willie McBride and Craig Shifferns (both from Santa Barbara, CA) were
selected by the 29er fleet.
All of the competitors raved about the hospitality of
Grosse Pointe and described the Opening Ceremonies sponsored by Nautica,
as “Awesome”. The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club welcomed the competitors as if
they were members and let them have the run of the club including the
bowling alley and Olympic swimming pool.
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