J/70s & J/105s battle at Cleveland 216 Regatta

J70 fleet © jboats.com

The Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH hosted their annual Cleveland 216 Regatta for one-design fleets of J/70s and J/105s. For the J/70s, it was an excellent opportunity to get used to the rough and tumble Lake Erie sailing conditions as practice for their upcoming J/70 North American Championship being sailed at the same venue the following week.

For Brian Keane's Savasana team, it was their first time back in their J/70 after sailing Charleston Race Week in late spring. Despite their summer off from the battles at the top of the class, it was clear the Savasana team was back at the top of their game with Thomas Barrows (College Sailor of the Year) calling tactics. In the end, their record of 3-1-1-2 for 7 pts total was an impressive performance as a lead-up to the upcoming J/70 North American Championship. Second was the Chilean Ducasse family team on their boat- the Ducasse Sailing Team. Led by Andres Ducasse, they sailed a consistent series with a 7-5-2-6 for 20 pts total. Third was Andy Deak's Tootles with an 8-10-3-4 for 25 pts. Rounding out the top five were Fernando Gutierrez's Mexican team on Woodstock in fourth and Travis Odenbach's Honeybadger in fifth place.

Chip Schaffner's Fall Line won the J/105 class with an impressive tally of three 1sts and two 2nds and, with a discard race, finished with a mere 5 pts net after four races. Second was Robert Mock's Unbridled with a 1-1-3-2-3 for a 7 pts net score. Third went to the Uhlir Brothers' Trio with a 3-3-4-3-2 tally for 11 pts net.

More Cleveland 216 Regatta sailing information here.