Nevin Snow and Dane Wilson win 2020 49er North American Championships

Nevin Snow and Dane Wilson win the 2020 49er North American Championship, Ian Barrows and Hans Henken claimed second © US Sailing Team

The four day 2020 Skiff North American Championships concluded Sunday with equally impressive final results in both the 49er and 49erFX divisions.

Ultimately, Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.) and Dane Wilson (Ojai, Calif.) claimed the top podium spot and the Trevor Moore trophy; "a special trophy to 49er sailors, especially in Miami," said presenter Dave Hughes, lifetime friend and custodian of the Local Trevor Moore Olympic House. Sailing in honor of the late 2012 49er Olympian added a special layer of meaning to the event and reminded the competitors of what Trevor stood for: intensity, focus, and a demand for excellence.

We know Trevor was smiling down on the group this weekend as spectators witnessed close racing and excellent tactics on the racecourse; behind by just one point in second place was Ian Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) and Hans Henken (Coronado, Calif.). Brothers Christopher Williford and Duncan Williford (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) placed third with four points of separation out of second, but let our top 49er teams know they meant business when they scored a bullet in race seven. The 49erFX fleet matched similar results with Lucy Wilmot (Orinda, Calif.) and Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) securing first place, Stephan Baker (Miami, Fla.) and Ripley Shelley (Miami, Fla.) neighboring the girls in second by one point of separation, and Nick Muller (Fort Pierce, Fla.) and Caroline Atwood secured third by only three points. Overall, the FX racing was incredibly close with five different boats winning races.

Beyond the scoresheets, however, lies an important undercurrent to the broader picture of skiff sailing in the United States and the vision that has been in the making for years now. "We finally had great FX racing in America with talented teams of different ages and backgrounds," said Luther Carpenter, US Sailing Team Head Coach, "it was so exciting to see such great skiff action among both current team members and aspiring team members."

Even though this weekend was classified as a formal regatta, the event featured extensive coaching staff with varying expertise who guided competitors for the duration of the championship with very collaborative briefings and debriefings. Competitors soaked up an impressive amount of content as the regatta progressed, and it was one more step in the right direction for the US Sailing Team to solidify its priority on growing and learning together as a group. Coaches Leandro Spina, Charlie McKee, Luther carpenter, and mark asquith all provided on-the-water tips, as well as pre and post-race briefings to deliver an exceptional learning environment within a competitive regatta.

While Shannon Bush and her Coconut Grove Sailing Club race committee team put in a valiant effort to get races off for the latter two days of the 49er and 49erFX event and the only two days of the 29er regatta, our coaches stayed on their toes and made the most of the extra time on land when the wind refused to cooperate. This afternoon, while an eager bunch of 29er sailors waited for the breeze, 49erFX winners Erika Reineke and Lucy Wilmot addressed the fleet to share their insight about transitioning from youth sailing to the Olympic class FX.

"It's a shame we didn't get any races for the 29ers this past weekend," said Phil Muller, founder and head coach of 2NINER, "But our evaluation of success is focused on bridging the gap between the youth and Olympic class athletes. It's about youth sailors meeting Olympians and Olympic coaches in the boat park and asking questions. We would never have had the ambition to launch this race series in the middle of a pandemic without the support and guidance of our sponsor Kolter. And now, halfway through our six event series it's been an extremely positive experience for all of us to come together and share our passion for racing. So all things considered, it's been a huge success."

Excitement was high today even with the lack of wind. Luther Carpenter summed up the four days of racing with these thoughts:

"It was great to be working on the water with our US Sailing Team members, new campaigners, and even some teams sailing in their first skiff event!"

"The sailing talent on the course was impressive, and our task as coaches was to fast track their abilities to sail the boats proficiently and fast"

"Everyone was smiling and learning, and thrilled to be part of a new community."

Overall Results: