Verve Cup Inshore Regatta at Chicago Yacht Club - Overall

Shifty winds and great competition on the final day of racing

Hot, gusty winds led to challenging conditions and some tight competition as the Verve Cup Inshore Regatta wrapped up today at Chicago Yacht Club's Belmont Station.

"We had wind eight to 12 knots, typical Chicago southwester. This was the first offshore breeze we've had this summer on a race day, which was shocking, and the competition was good," said Race Officer Janet Baxter.

After a solid day of racing on Saturday, today's variable winds made things interesting for both race committee and the competitors.

"We'd have 15 knots followed by seven knots, so it was a little bit challenging to figure out where the racers wanted to be sent – they were all kind of tired from yesterday," said Race Officer Lynn Lynch. "I would've liked some more consistent breezes today, because not all of the runs were as square as they could have been. Yesterday was really, really solid racing – today we had a little bit more breeze, so that was more fun that way. I thought the competition was very tight in some of the fleets."

Race organizers said the annual regatta features two days of the best one-design sailing in the Midwest, with identical classes competing to determine which boat has the best skipper and crew.

Laser, Vanguard 15, Melges 24, Etchells, Shields, Luders 16, Colgate 26, Rhodes 19, Solings, J/70s and J/24 keelboat classes took part this year.

Of the 86 boats registered, 20 were J/70s, an impressive turnout for the fleet's debut year at Verve Inshore.

"We're very happy we have the J70 class and the Colgates for the first time," said Race Co-Chair Jessica Jamieson. "I think the event went very well, we're getting a lot of positive feedback."

Taking first in the J/70s was Extreme, owned/skippered by Dan Cheresh of Saugatuck, MI. Second place went to Catapult, owned/skippered by Joel Ronning of Minneapolis, MN. Rounding out third in the J/70 class was CloudSourced, owned/skippered by Ronald Copfer of Cleveland, OH.

Chicagoan Nicholas Petrovits' Recess took first place in the Colgate 26 fleet.

Boats owned by Chicago Yacht Club members filled the top three spots in the Etchells fleet, with Byron Ehrhart's Lucky taking first, Donald Maxwell's Pyrate taking second, and Mark Teborek's Resolute claiming third.

Race Co-Chair Sam Veilleux said participation was high for this year's Verve Cup Inshore Regatta and organizers hope to attract even more racers next year.

"We hope to keep growing this regatta as a premier one design sailing destination for sailors," Veilleux said.

Full results can be found here.