Beacon Group Viper 640 North American Championship at Fort Walton Yacht Club

by Viper 640 Class 2 Nov 2017 13:47 GMT 24-28 October 2017

Marcus Eagan's team win the Viper 640 North American Championship © Viper 640 Class

After three days of close, competitive racing, Charleston, SC, sailors Tom Loutrel, John Bowden and Karl Schutte held a fragile eight point lead in the fifty-four boat fleet having finished in the top four for all except one of the preceding nine races. The top four boats at that point were separated by only 13 points in a fleet that kept turning itself inside out. Loutrel held the lead throughout the first three days and credited his success to having stayed in the pressure and in phase as the winds had osculated unpredictably.

Going into Saturday's final two races, only 13 points separated the top four teams: Loutrel; Marcus Eagan in second, sailing for Mississippi's Bay Waveland Yacht Club with his brother Andrew and Jackson Benvenutti; Brad Boston from Sarnia, ON, sailing with Lee Shuckerow and Dave Shriner; and last year's Viper Worlds and NAs Champ Zeke Horowitz from Annapolis, MD, sailing with Ian Coleman and Luke Lawrence. It was anyone's Championship to win.

Loutrel's winning ways began to fade as he finished ninth in the penultimate race. Horowitz won that race with Boston third and Eagan fourth narrowing the gap between the top four to ten points. With the winds shifting to the southwest and increasing to the high teens, a general recall was signaled for the first attempt to start the final race. Loutrel was over early with the Z Flag flying earning him a penalty that would cost him the Championship. Horowitz had also won the final race, but he was still one point over Loutrel keeping Zeke and team off this year's podium. Boston scored another third moving him ahead of Loutrel but it was Eagan's fourth place finish that earned him the Championship in the final race.

Eagan noted, "What a great regatta and we're thrilled to have won. I really like sailing the Viper 640. It has great tuning capabilities and is physical enough to know you're really sailing. And the competition in this Championship was excellent with great event management, stellar conditions, and wonderful people to compete against. I look forward to doing more Viper racing."

For video highlights of the championship by Petey Crawford of Penalty Box Productions visit the event's Facebook page

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Boat Name	Skipper	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	Pts
1	USA 263	Cajun Underwriting	Marcus Eagan	2	1	1	ZFP	19	3	2	5	1	4	4	40
2	CAN 235	Jackpot	Brad Boston	12	9	2	4	18	6	1	2	2	3	3	44
3	USA 221	Choppy Seas	Thomas Loutrel	1	4	3	25	2	4	4	3	3	9	ZFP	46
4	USA 287	Moxie	Zeke Horowitz	10	2	13	1	13	1	ZFP	1	4	1	1	47
5	GBR 237	Mambo Kings	Rob Crane Justin Scott	4	7	14	9	10	2	3	13	ZFP	10	17	89
6	USA 248	Terminally Pretty	Mary Ewenson	8	16	8	ZFP	15	5	5	19	7	2	7	92
7	USA 208	Mo' Grins (Corinthian)	Dave Nickerson / Moise Solomon	3	11	23	3	7	15	11	12	22	12	16	112
8	USA 255	'Merica (Corinthian)	Paul Kleinschrodt	7	5	26	2	16	9	32	8	32	6	10	121
9	USA 250	Southern (Corinthian)	Patrick Ryan	5	15	6	5	12	20	46	11	13	22	15	124
10	USA 284	Chaos (Corinthian)	Brian Harrison	20	8	16	7	27	16	6	7	ZFP	21	5	133
11	Aus 280	NTS	Rod Beurteaux	26	17	24	10	14	7	9	15	11	15	13	135
12	USA 269	Great Scott! (Corinthian)	Jay Rhame & Peter Beardsley	9	23	12	30	20	13	8	10	12	8	UFD	145
13	GYA 49	Danger Noodle (Corinthian)	Karl Kleinschrodt	29	18	38	11	3	11	14	6	35	18	9	154
14	USA 283	True Grit	John Dane III	23	3	10	14	28	22	10	4	5	ZFP	UFD	155
15	AUS 278	Atheris (Corinthian)	Murray Howson	19	31	17	8	32	10	7	22	16	19	6	155
16	USA 276	Last Call (Corinthian)	Lee Eikel	13	6	4	OCS	8	29	16	23	26	23	22	170
17	GBR 259	259	Ian Nicholson	18	22	7	ZFP	36	12	12	17	9	27	19	170
18	USA 285	gulfperformancesailing.com	Craig & Deborah Wilusz	31	19	36	12	5	17	17	14	18	20	21	174
19	USA 227	Neal Russell & Henry (Corinthian)	Henry Amthor	17	13	5	27	1	27	15	30	8	OCS	UFD	199
20	USA 247	Boomslang (Corinthian)	Geoff Fargo	30	21	41	15	4	24	ZFP	20	ZFP	5	8	202
21	USA 202	Trigger Warning	Kevin Northrop	14	24	15	31	21	8	DNS	RET	ZFP	11	2	207
22	USA 260	Entourage	Nick Amendola	15	25	9	OCS	ZFP	14	13	18	6	29	UFD	218
23	USA 165	Proper Villain	Nick Ward	28	38	20	20	9	30	26	32	20	34	11	230
24	USA 152	Seco Tu Pelo	Pat Gibson	11	12	25	23	42	18	29	21	21	ZFP	29	231
25	USA 188	Trap Queen (Corinthian)	Jonathan Colarusso & Sarah Schaill	25	14	30	32	11	19	28	9	ZFP	46	24	236
26	AUS 279	Karma	Graeme Monkhouse	53	39	21	17	17	21	19	34	24	32	18	242
27	USA 171	Grey Bush	Alex Johnson / Rives Allen	36	30	42	13	30	23	21	25	RET	16	12	248
28	CAN 211	Oshunmare (Corinthian)	Steve Chapman	21	10	18	39	34	26	23	37	30	28	27	254
29	USA 286	SlingShot (Corinthian)	Robert Harrison	49	26	35	22	6	42	36	31	44	14	20	276
30	USA 277	Caterpillar	Peter Ill	35	28	29	26	29	49	ZFP	16	28	31	23	282
31	USA 220	220	Steve Taylor	16	34	32	24	31	38	25	38	19	37	UFD	294
32	GYA 11	Rat Snake	Hunter Riddle	37	33	43	29	33	33	31	26	31	17	26	296
33	USA 196	Mucca Mad Boys (Corinthian)	Eddie Adams	6	36	39	38	41	35	22	24	27	39	38	304
34	USA 264	USA 264 (Corinthian)	Jonathan Nye	24	40	46	36	23	40	20	33	RET	13	ZFP	307
35	USA 166	Porkchop	Matthew Hebert	22	35	19	33	26	45	27	42	42	30	32	308
36	USA 69	Ocean Slapper	Benjamin Croucher	34	45	22	43	38	36	18	29	37	33	28	318
37	USA 254	D.I.P.	Josh Dupree	27	44	ZFP	35	47	28	30	27	34	47	UFD	341
38	CAN 194	Black Sheep (Corinthian)	Darren & Steve Gilbert	38	48	33	28	25	34	34	45	43	35	30	345
39	USA 31	When in Rome (Corinthian)	Peter Brigaitis	47	52	51	18	22	39	33	40	25	43	34	352
40	USA 162	Basilisk (Corinthian)	Robert Matthews	41	41	31	45	35	32	38	44	40	24	31	357
41	USA 256	King Cobra (Corinthian)	Samson Vasquez	33	27	40	44	45	25	37	DSQ	36	38	33	358
42	USA 39	Patched Up	Cole Constantineau / Eleni Asimacopoulos	45	RET	DNS	RET	ZFP	37	24	28	15	48	14	374
43	USA 203	Peer Pressure (Corinthian)	Darren Cooke	43	43	28	37	OCS	31	40	41	ZFP	41	ZFP	383
44	CAN 55	Northern Honey Badger	Brian Johansen	48	37	34	41	39	43	41	43	41	40	25	384
45	AUS 281	Green Mamba	Bruce Mattinson	39	42	45	19	44	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	7	ZFP	411
46	USA 118	Flight Risk (Corinthian)	Timothy Carter	32	32	27	ZFP	49	41	DNC	DNC	DNC	42	37	417
47	USA 252	Bada Boom	Bob McHugh	40	20	47	42	37	44	42	46	45	DNC	DNC	419
48	USA 154	Ringle	Richard Samuels	42	29	ZFP	46	24	50	35	RET	RET	ZFP	35	420
49	USA 134	Strategery IX	Cliff Farrah	44	51	37	21	43	47	DNF	DNC	DNC	ZFP	36	428
50	USA 209	F.W.Y.C. (Corinthian)	Kip Keelin	46	47	49	RET	50	51	43	36	39	44	39	444
51	USA 181	Callsign VIPER (Corinthian)	Robert Muller	OCS	46	44	40	40	46	39	39	38	DNC	DNC	444
52	USA 234	Riptide (Corinthian)	Michael Ciaccio	52	49	50	47	46	48	44	35	RET	DNC	DNC	483
53	USA 205	None (Corinthian)	Bob Fisher	50	50	52	RET	51	52	TLE	DNC	RET	50	41	506
54	USA 97	Hot flash (Corinthian)	Nitin Bawa	51	RET	DNS	ZFP	48	53	45	DNC	RET	49	40	510
55	BER 262	Smokin	Somers Kempe	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	560