J/105 North American Championship at San Diego Yacht Club - Overall
by Chris Howell 22 Oct 2012 09:20 BST
18-21 October 2012
Chris Perkins on Masquerade earns the title
Chris Perkins led his Masquerade team to victory at the J/105 North American Championship. Hosted by the San Diego Yacht Club, the San Francisco-based boat led from race 1 through race 9 with a remarkably consistent line of 1,2,2,1,3,2,4,4,4 for 23 total points. The team consisted of Perkins, Steve Marsh, Tom Purdy, Mark Chandler, Larry Swift and Rose Eberhard. This triumph marks the boat Masquerade's third North American Championship, after winning in 2006 and 2007 with Tom Coates. Perkins, Marsh and Chandler were part of those crews.
Perkins praised Masquerade, veteran hull #17, and the team's familiarity with it. "We know this boat intimately. It's well prepared in its set-up with a nice new set of sails," he stated. He also applauded his crew for their flawless efforts, saying "There were no crew mistakes, despite the fact that we're all very busy and we had little practice. That's where luck comes in sometimes." It was easy to notice that Masquerade quickly launched to the front of the 25-boat fleet at the starts. "We had consistent starts where we got the nose out and didn't have to play ping pong," Perkins explained. "Some regattas go your way, and this one did for us. We were in the right place for the shifts."
Gary Mozer's Current Obsession 2 finished as runner-up with 37 points, and new J/105 owner Dennis Connor placed third on DC's Pholly with 45 points.
Sunday's first race was won by Conner's DC's Pholly, with Mozer's Current Obsession 2 and Chuck Driscoll and Tom Hurlburt's Blow Boat behind. Dennis Case's Wings closed out the regatta's final contest successfully, trailed by DC's Pholly and Bennet Greenwald's Perseverance. The day saw winds from 6-8 knots at the start, up to 10-12 knots with building seas in the second race.
Overall Results: (top ten)
1st Chris Perkins, Masquerade, 23pts
2nd Gary Mozer, Current Obsession 2, 37pts
3rd Dennis Conner, DC's Pholly, 45pts
4th Chuck Driscoll/Tom Hurlburt, Blow Boat, 57pts
5th Bruce Stone, Arbitrage, 58pts
6th Dennis Case, Wings, 73pts
7th Tom Fisher/Joe Dagostino, Viggen, 74pts
8th Bennet Greenwald, Perseverance, 84pts
9th Rick Goebel, Sanity, 93pts
10th Dave Vieregg, Triple Play, 99pts
The J/105 Class Association extends it appreciation to everyone at the San Diego Yacht Club for their first-rate regatta management and hospitality. For complete results, go to www.j105nac.com