Osterville, Mass. (August 6, 2015) – The 2015 Chubb U.S. Junior Sailing Championships, hosted by Wianno Yacht Club, wrapped up on Thursday with one race in each of the three championship fleets.
Following another brief morning postponement, steady breezes moved in from the Southwest on Nantucket Sound later in the morning for the final race of the regatta.
U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship – Smythe Trophy – Byte CII
The battle for the Smythe Trophy came down to the wire, as leader Sam Morrell (Red Hook, USVI) tried to hold on to his one-point lead over Joseph Hou (Newport Beach, Calif.).
“I tried to match race him today to the bottom half of the fleet,” explained Morrell. “On the downwind he passed me and other boats, but he finished sixth and couldn’t place worse than fifth in order to pass me for the lead in the standings.”
Morrell went on to win the championship by just two points. He finished strong on Wednesday with three consecutive wins. Hou dashed out to an early lead in this fleet on Monday by winning the first four races of the championship.
Morrell, who placed third last year, said “I trained really hard this year. The conditions were better for me here. Everything started to break my way, especially at the end of the regatta. The first half of the regatta I was trying to re-learn the Byte. I’m really stoked to win and Joe is such a good sailor.”
Final Standings: Top 5
1. Sam Morrell, St. Thomas Yacht Club, 5-2-3-2-1-4-1-1-1-[18]- ; 20
2. Joseph Hou, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, 1-1-1-1-2-2-5-[7]-3-6- ; 22
3. Gerard Eastman, Seawanhaka Corinthian YC, 3-4-9-[10]-7-3-2-4-2-9- ; 43
4. Jack Bitney, Minnetonka Yacht Club, 6-3-2-[18]-5-1-7-5-5-10- ; 44
5. Lucas Pierce, Santa Barbara Yacht Club, 8-6-4-3-3-7-6-9-[12]-2- ; 48
Complete Standings
U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship – Bemis Trophy – Club 420
Thursday proved to be just a formality in the standings for Jack McGraw (San Diego, Calif.) and Dot Obel (Los Angeles, Calif.), who won the Bemis Trophy by 13 points. They led by ten points over Will Martens (Corte Madera, Calif.) and Noble Reynoso (Mill Valley, Calif.) entering the final race. McGraw and Obel hadn’t placed worse than sixth through the first nine races.
“We finished strong yesterday, which put us in great position today,” said McGraw. “I sailed the last two years for the Sears Cup, which was great, but I’ve always been envious of the 420s who qualified. Personally, I think our Area has a difficult qualifier. We’ve had some great sailors come to this event.”
“I had never been here before,” added McGraw. “The venue and racing here is incredible.”
Final Standings – Top 5
1. Jack McGraw/Dot Obel, Southwestern Yacht Club, 1-6-1-2-6-2-1-2-4-[11]- ; 25
2. Will Martens/Noble Reynoso, SFYC, [21/DSQ]-2-4-3-14-1-2-1-2-9- ; 38
3. Mark Davies/Graceann Nicolosi, Chicago Yacht Club, 6-1-5-[12]-4-11-6-3-1-7- ; 44
4. Timothy Greenhouse/Jack DeNatale, Wadawanuck Club, 7-12-6-1-1-15-9-6-[19]-1- ; 58
5. Andrew Sheerin/Taylor Kirkpatrick, Sail Newport, 4-4-7-8-9-[19]-10-8-9-5- ; 64
Complete Standings
U.S. Junior Quadruplehanded Championship – Sears Cup – Wianno Senior
Dane Byerly (El Lago, Texas), Howdy Hughes (Seabrook, Texas), Collin Scoville (Clear Lake, Texas), and Carson Shields (Clear Lake, Texas) ran away with the Sears Cup. The team from Texas took a commanding lead and never looked back. They won 6 of 11 races this week, including Thursday’s lone race.
They figured out the tricky Wianno Senior boats early in the regatta and won by a 24 point margin. The Judges Trophy, awarded to the second place team, went to Reid Shanabrook (Watertown, Mass.), William Bedford (Arlington, Mass.), Grant Adam (Marblehead, Mass.), and Benjamin Pitman (Swampscott, Mass.).
“It was a blast out there sailing with my friends this week,” said Byerly, who was racing in his third U.S. Junior Sailing Championship. “It was an interesting experience and a lot of fun in these boats. We focused a lot on playing the puffs and making sure we hit those. We couldn’t point very well in these boats, so we decided to go for speed. I was focused on our telltales and the waves. We were able to separate our jobs pretty well. We’ve developed a good system.”
Final Standings: Top 5
1. Dane Byerly/Howdy Hughes/Collin Scoville/Carson Shields, Lakewood Yacht Club, 1-[9]-1-1-2-6-2-2-1-1-1- ; 18
2. Reid Shanabrook/William Bedford/Grant Adam/Benjamin Pitman, Pleon Yacht Club, [9]-4-4-3-8-5-1-5-3-3-6- ; 42
3. Jacob Seicshnaydre/Dawson Doucet/Grant Kalil/Mallory Edwards, GYC, 6-3-2-5-3/SCP-3-[8]-3-6-8-5- ; 44
4. Charlie Hibben/CJ McKenna/William Cannistraro/Morgan Farber, Wianno Yacht Club, 2-1-5-2-5/SCP-2-5-7-[11]-11-7- ; 47T
5. Sammy Shea/Nolan Van Dine/Chloe Bohannon/Jackson Ritter, San Francisco Yacht Club, 5-5-7-4-5-4-6-6-[9]-2-3- ; 47T
Complete Standings
Quote of the Day:
Tracy Daugherty (mother of Will Bedford): “I just wanted to thank everyone who put this regatta together. It was an amazing experience for the boys who couldn’t say enough about it. The hospitality was amazing. They were taken care of the sailing conditions and the boats were tremendous. This is one of the best sailing experiences they have ever had.”
First sailed in 1921, sailors compete regionally to earn an opportunity to race at this championship in one of three fleets. Competing sailors range in age between 13 and 18. Each Area is eligible to send at least one sailor/team to compete in each of the fleets. The top two Youth Champs eligible single- and doublehanded teams not already qualified and finishing in the top 30% of competitors receive early acceptance to the 2016 U.S. Youth Championships in a boat of their choice.
Competing sailors engaged in an onshore clinic on Sunday and an on-water clinic on Monday with several notable college sailing coaches from around the country. The clinics are led by Richard Feeny, US Sailing Junior National Coach. Here is a list of coaches working with the sailors this week:
- Amanda Callahan: Head Coach, Roger Williams University
- Cappy Capper: Head Coach, University of Minnesota
- Brian Clancy: Head Coach, Cornell University
- Molly Vandemoer: Director, Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation
Sportsmanship and Seamanship Awards
- Faye Bennet Sportsmanship Award (Singlehanded): Jack Bitney
- Bemis Sportsmanship Award (Doublehanded): Dana Haig and Zack Zeelander
- Cox Sportsmanship Award (Quadruplehanded): Grant Gridley, Dylan Brady, Alexa Ripple, and Conor Chapman
- Seamanship Trophy (Quadruplehanded): Sammy Shea, Nolan Van Dine, Chloe Bohannon, and Jackson Ritter
The equally matched Club 420 and Byte CII sailboats were supplied by Zim Sailing. The 2015 Chubb U.S. Junior Sailing Championships is sponsored by Chubb Insurance Group, Gill North America, Zim Sailing, and Switlik Survival Products.
For social media coverage, daily video highlights, results and standings, photo gallery, and more information from the 2015 Chubb U.S. Junior Sailing Championships, please visit the event website.
Social Media Highlights
Watch highlights from Day 3 at @ChubbInsurance U.S. Junior Sailing Championships. #ChubbChamps15 – http://t.co/iFpWtdNGjM
— US Sailing (@ussailing) August 6, 2015
Last day at the @ChubbInsurance U.S. Junior Champs. @zimsailing C420s racing through the finish line! #ChubbChamps15 pic.twitter.com/BBWsXamF6Q — US Sailing (@ussailing) August 6, 2015
US Sailing Media Contact: Jake Fish, jakefish@ussailing.org
– Photo credit to Matt Cohen.
About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
About Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
Member insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies form a multi-billion-dollar organization providing property and casualty insurance for personal and commercial customers through 4,000 independent agents and brokers worldwide. Since its founding in the seaport district of New York City in 1882, Chubb has been a leading insurer of marine-related operations. Chubb provides comprehensive insurance and loss control services to private yacht clubs, marina operators and yacht owners. Chubb’s global network includes branches and affiliates throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia. More information on Chubb may be obtained at www.chubb.com.
About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, GA is the exclusive importer and distributor of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, US and Canada. Gill is a worldwide apparel and accessories brand serving the marine industry with over three decades of experience. Gill specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company develops and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Gill products are available through hundreds of independent dealers and select West Marine Stores. For further information, please contact: Gary Barker at 941 505 2111 or gary.barker@gillna.com.
About Zim Sailing
Zim Sailing, headquartered in Warren, RI is the fastest growing manufacturer of one-design sailboats in North America. Currently, Zim manufactures and distributes the most comprehensive line of training, recreational and performance sailboats in North America. Zim is best known for its C420, Optimist, Byte CII and CFJ. The durability of Zim boats has been proven at all levels to include High Schools, Colleges, Yacht Clubs, and Community Sailing Centers along with the passionate dinghy sailor. In addition, the Zim performance has elevated sailors to podium finishes at several local, regional, National and North American championships since the company’s creation in 2008. Zim is dedicated to the success and growth of dinghy sailing and Zim’s experienced staff and support vehicles can be found at many regattas. For more information please visit www.zimsailing.com or email info@zimsailing.com.
About Switlik Survival Products
Established in 1920, Switlik Parachute Co. has been owned and operated by the Switlik family for four generations and is known worldwide as a manufacturer of the highest quality sewn and heat sealed inflatable safety and survival products for the aviation, marine, and military/government markets. Our capabilities include a wide variety of anti-exposure and anti-g suits, inflatable life rafts, inflatable life vests, inflation systems and other specialty textile-based military equipment all manufactured at our 85,000 sq. ft facility located in Trenton, NJ USA. www.switlik.com