US Match Race Championship Qualifier at Oakcliff Sailing Center
by Oakcliff Sailing 26 Apr 2018 13:33 BST
20-22 April 2018
Yankee Creole Racing at the prize-giving From left: Bob Savoie (bow), Johanna Kinkade (trim), Dylan Vogel (trim), Pearson Potts (skipper), Bryce Kopp (pit), and Lucas Adams (tactician/main) © Oakcliff Sailing
Day one of Oakcliff's Grade 3 US Match Race Championship Qualifier saw sunny skies, temperatures in the 50's, and eight knots gusting 12 with dramatic shifts. Most of the competitors were shaking off the cob webs at their first regatta of the season but many of them squeezed in a practice day with a clinic from four-time America's Cup sailor Dave Dellenbaugh.
The key to success on the first day was dialing in the boat-handling and reacting to the puffs. "The wind has been all over the place but Luke's done a really good job of calling the puffs and keeping us in phase," said Pearson Pott's trimmer, Dylan Vogel, of their main trimmer and tactician Lucas Adams.
Potts and the Yankee Creole Racing Team are the 2017 US Match Race Champions and they lived up to their title going undefeated in the first round robin. They were followed close behind by Oakcliff Graduate Charlie Lalumiere who suffered only one defeat against Charlie Welsh of Red Star Racing, the third-place seat going into quarters.
The breeze dropped to five knots when PRO Patrick Burks commenced the first-to-three quarterfinals but it picked back up to nine knots for the second and third flights. Potts advanced three-straight against Christophe Chaumont and his team of high school juniors from Texas. Kevin Dooley and his team of Coast Guard cadets advanced three-straight against Doug Shannon. Lalumiere went 2-1 against Steve Lowery's Midwestern team who sailed at Oakcliff in October at the US Match Race Championship. Welsh went 2-1 against Chris Kennedy and the Oakcliff crew that included Ladi Oguntoyinbo, Sean O'Halloran, Indigo Leslie, and Executive Director Dawn Riley.
On day two the wind refused to cooperate. It oscillated between zero and 2 knots until time ran out and RC abandoned. With an incomplete quarterfinal and no further racing, there was a count back to the round robin to determine the final standings. Pearson Potts and Yankee Creole Racing won the regatta making them the first team to qualify for the US Match Race Championship in October at the Chicago Yacht Club.
Final Results
1. Pearson Potts (Yankee Creole Racing)
2. Charlie Lalumiere (Oakcliff graduate)
3. Charlie Welsh (Red Star Racing)
4. Kevin Dooley
5. Doug Shannon
6. Chris Kennedy (Oakcliff staff)
7. Steve Lowery
8. Christophe Chaumont
See more results on Regatta Network