Doug Strebel early leader at J/70 North Americans

San Diego (September 24, 2015) – Day One of the 2015 Green Flash J/70 North American Championship is officially in the books with three races completed.

Coronado Roads gave a fickle start to the day, forcing Race Committee to postpone the starting sequence and reset the course to adjust for significant changes in wind direction. With only 5.5 kts of wind blowing, finding the perfect pocket on the starting line was more crucial than ever. The most prime real estate on the line was on the starboard side, which the wind direction and the occasional puffs both seemed to favor. A bit eager to get the regatta going, the first attempt ended in a general recall. After a second try, the fleet was finally off.

At the upwind weather mark, it was Africa, skippered by Jud Smith, that led the fleet, followed closely by Zounds (Doug Strebel), Helly Hansen (Tim Healy), Midlife Crisis (Bruce Golison) and 3 Ball JT (Jack Franco). For this first day of racing, this weather mark proved to be a strong indicator of the fleet’s top competition.

By the second leg of Race 2, Tim Healy and his crew took over as fleet leader and led Zounds (Strebel), Africa (Smith) and Midlife Crisis (Golison) around the remainder of the course and across the finish line.

Winds began to fill in for the second race of the day, with speeds ranging from 7-9kts across the course. The stronger winds were just the push that Strebel and his team needed to secure the bullet. They were followed closely by Savasana (Brian Keane) in 2nd, Catapult (Joel Ronning) in 3rd, Sugoi (Chris Raab) in 4th and Africa (Jud Smith) in 5th. Previous race winner Tim Healy finished in 13th, proving that with this competitive fleet, consecutive race wins will be no easy feat.

Ultimately, it was Doug Strebel who would finish the day as the regatta leader, with a fourth place finish in Race 3 securing his spot as the top overall boat. Strebel holds a ten-point lead over second place overall finisher Jud Smith, who finished Race 3 in 9th place. The winner of Race 3 was Will Welles, a new name for the top of the fleet after finishing the first two races in 22nd and 25th, respectively.

Racing will be held September 24-27. A maximum of four races will be held on any day, and up to a maximum of 12 races (with no discards) for the series.

Day One Standings (Top 10 of 50; 3 races)
1. Doug Strebel, 2-1-4- ; 7
2. Jud Smith, 3-5-9- ; 17
3. Tim Healy, 1-13-6- ; 20
4. Brian Keane, 9-2-14- ; 25
5. Allan Terhune, 10-7-12- ; 29
6. Joel Ronning, 12-3-16- ; 31
7. Jack Franco, 7-23-3- ; 33
8. Shannon W Bush, 17-9-8- ; 34
9. John Brigden/Chris Snow, 8-26-2- ; 36T
10. Thomas Bowen, 11-15-10- ; 36T

Event website – Results – Facebook

Report by SDYC.