2007 JY15 North American Championship

The Results:

• Race Results and Scoring
• Regatta Photos

Recap by Brad Downen

The 2007 JY15 North American Championships were held at Island Bay Yacht Club August 17th - 19th. Sailors from throughout the Midwest and beyond (one from Mexico City, Mexico) gathered for the regatta –– 24 boats in all.

Friday turned out to be a tough afternoon for racing, providing typical August air with very light and variable wind.The regatta coordinators forgot to order the wind for the day, which left many sailors at a standstill.However, three races were sailed despite the tough conditions. At the end of the day,Tom and Jack Londrigan were in first, Jay Van and Akiko Kamimura in second, and Jeff Evans and Sean Patrick Chapin in third.

Saturday morning brought cloudy skies and good wind. One race was completed and the second almost started when the race committee postponed because of storms in the area. After a long lunch, the storms passed and the breeze came up. The afternoon conditions were great with strong wind and long courses. Some sailors grew weary by the third race of the afternoon from the leg-burning triple windward leeward courses.

Coming into the last day of racing, Joe and Amanda Londrigan were in first, John Potter and Elise Sproul in second, and Jay Vann and Akiko Kamimura in third. Only three points separated the first two boats, so there was a battle on the horizon.

For a short time on Sunday morning, it was unclear whether or not the weather would delay or cancel the races. Storms were passing through the area and all wind was lost.The decision was made to head out on the water and try for another race or two. Once all of the boats made it to the starting line, the wind went completely still, providing quality time for swimming and on-the-water sailing gossip.

Eventually the wind returned and the race was on. As the day progressed, the breeze got better and two more great races were held. John Potter was able to stay up in the fleet and finished the day with two bullets and the overall victory.

Sunday afternoon, the sailors packed their things up and headed home tired with lots of hardware. It was another fun and successful regatta for Island Bay Yacht Club and the JY15 fleet.