2019 J70 North American Championship at Edgewater Yacht Club - Overall
by Julie & Christopher Howell 28 Sep 2019 22:38 BST
23-29 September 2019
Oivind Lorentzen's Nine held a mere 0.7-point advantage over Joel Ronning's Catapult heading into Saturday's final competition at the J/70 North American Championship hosted by Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH. Light winds permitted only one race, and Nine nailed it, earning a second-place finish (to Catapult's 12th) to claim the 2019 title. Joined by Lucas Calabrese, Ian Coleman and Will Felder, Lorentzen tallied 26.3 net points in the 10-race series. 2016 J/70 World Champion Ronning captured the silver position with 31 points.
John Brim's Rimette gained a third in the day's lone contest, pumping them up to third overall with 38 points. Team Vineyard Vines led by John and Molly Baxter closed the Championship with a bullet, giving them fourth place on a tiebreaker (over Brian Keane's Savasana) at 42 points. Kevin Morgan's Wild Child with crew Mike Sheehan, Caroline Sundman, Sarah Paisley and Mark Hassett topped the 13-boat Corinthian division. Following them were Martin Johnsson's Aquaholiks and Charlie Pendleton's Bad Hombres.
"It's very exciting for me because I've been working at this now for a few years," beamed Lorentzen. "The level of competition makes it so rewarding. Having good crew makes all the difference in the world. The thanks really go to them." Although Lorentzen has sailed in the Great Lakes before, he's never done so in Cleveland. "The venue was a pleasure—the wind, the welcoming club. Hopefully we do it again."
Willem van Waay, racing on Zaguero, summarized this week's conditions in Cleveland, "15-25 knots, 72-degree fresh water, 5-8 foot waves, 80+ degrees out. San Francisco is awesome, but this place, this week, is at a different level. It's like God built a perfect playground for us!"
Overall Results: (top five)
1. Nine, Oivind Lorentzen, 1 -2 -3 -2.3 -3 -[18] -1 -10 -2 -2; 26.3pts
2. Catapult, Joel Ronning, 5 -3 -2 -3 -1 -1 -4 -6 -6 -[12]; 31pts
3. Rimette, John Brim, 2 -4 -8 -1 -6 -5 -6 -3 -[16] -3; 38pts
4. Team Vineyard Vines, John Baxter, 7 -1 -1 -5 -5 -10 -8 -4 -[36] -1; 42pts
5. Savasana, Brian Keane, 4 -9 -4 -6 -4 -2 -3 -2 -8 -[20]; 42pts
Thirty-five teams competed from September 25-28, including five nations (Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and USA). Thank you to Mark Foster and his Race Committee.
Full results here.