Record-Setting Marblehead Junior Race Week

A record-setting crowd of 395 sailors and 286 boats came for Marblehead Junior Race Week 2016 which offered three days of racing for competitors ages eight to 18 on July 25-27 in Marblehead, MA.

Hosted by Pleon Yacht Club, the first junior yacht club in the country, the stakes were highest for the Laser Radials and the Club 420 Championships as the regional qualifiers for the Chubb U.S. Sailing Junior Championships taking place in San Diego next month.

Caleb Robinson of Maine came into the final day with 22 points after five races in the 31-boat Radial fleet. John Kirkpatrick from Newport and Frankie Doyle from Marblehead were right on his heels with 26 points. Robinson put it away in the final three races of the regatta, posting a one, one, three to earn a spot in the single-handed championships. Kirkpatrick also qualified with a second, and Ted Bjerregaard from Bristol, RI jumped to third after Frankie Doyle had a tough time in Race 7.

Finding lanes and getting good starts were critical in the 80-boat 420 Champ fleet. Alden Grimes and Victoria Boatwright of Rhode Island had that nailed and led the division wire to wire going into the final day with nine points after seven races. Their four, three, six was enough to solidify their division win and punch their ticket to San Diego. Second place, and the second championship slot, went to Jack Murphy and Connor Blanchet of Chatham, Mass. Gordon Gurnell and Hannah Kinder of Old Saybrook, CT finished third overall.

The 29-boat 420 Green fleet was a debut for several of the top teams who jumped up from Optimists this year. The top three solidified their positions early in the regatta and held them throughout. Grace Gear and Ava Scholes of Agamenticus Yacht Club had 11 points after seven races and absolutely dominated with six bullets including all three final races. They finished six points ahead of Haley Andreasen and Reed Cole of Marblehead. Madgalaina Putnam and Alexander Rothberg of Marblehead held onto their third for the regatta.

In the seven-boat Laser Full Rig division, Marbleheader William Dailey took the lead on day one and never relented. Posting a one, two, one on Day 3, he finished the regatta with just 10 points after nine races. Joe Ricca of New Hampshire jumped into second on Day 2, edging out Nicholas Pandapas of Marblehead. They were separated by just two points going into the final day. Ricca was in a groove and secured second overall with a two, four, two. Pandapas held on for third overall.

It was a strong showing for Optimist racing with a regatta-record 85-boats on the Opti Championship line. Reed Brooks of Hingham sailed a spectacular regatta scoring three bullets on the last day after recovering from a deep finish the day before. He won the fleet overall and the Red Division with 29 points after 11 races. Finishing second overall and first in the Blue Division was Leopold Seuss of Marblehead with 41 points. Katelyn McGauley of Portland was third overall and second in Red Division. Hayden Van Alstine, also from Portland, finished third in Red. Niall Kearney of Marblehead finished second in Blue Division, followed by Ryan McGauley of Portland in third. Reed Sawyer of Hingham was first in White Division. Pearse Dowd of Marblhead finished second and Wilson Fox of Hingham was third.

There was tight racing in the 25-boat Opti Green Even fleet. Charlie Wilkinson from Eastern Point, Mass. and Maximillian Seuss of Marblehead were separated by four points going into the final day. Wilkinson put it away in two of the last three races sailed and didn’t even need to finish the last race. He ended the regatta with five bullets, and 20 points overall after 11 races to win it. Seuss finished just four points behind to secure second. Max Westhoven of Marblehead was third.

The 28-boat Opti Green Odd fleet also sailed 11 races. Alex Krupka of Sandy Bay had just 10 points after seven races going into the last day. His third and first in the first two races on the final day were enough to get it done. Owen Cooper of Manchester moved up into second with a consistent five, five, two to finish with 32 points. Wyatt Wilkinson from Sandy Bay Yacht Club finished third overall with 38 points.

With steady growth over the past several years, Marblehead Junior Race Week is now the second largest youth sailing regatta in the country, bested only by Miami’s Orange Bowl.

Event details – Scoreboard – Entry list

Source: Christina Pandapas