Standings Shuffle at Beneteau First 36.7 North Americans

Chicago, IL (September 2, 2016) – Four races were sailed on the second day of the 14th annual Beneteau First 36.7 North American Championships at Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Station. The early races featured shifty winds from the Northeast in 12 to 15 knots and some left-over chop from yesterday, while the afternoon saw a persistent shift and the sea state eventually settle down.

Detroit-based Grizzly dominated the second day of racing, scoring an impressive 1-2-1-1. This puts them first overall in the regatta, 15 points ahead of Chicago’s FOG, who finished in overall second place. Local boats Maggie Mae and Tequila Mockingbird finished in a tie for third overall with Maggie Mae holding the tie breaker.

Chuck Bayer, skipper of Grizzly said, “My crew did it all today. We’ve sailed in 13 of the 14 NAC’s and the competition here is better than it ever has been. Every boat is capable of getting a bullet and while we may be ahead today, there are two more days of sailing and one bad race can make all the difference.”

Regatta PRO Olof Andersson also commented on the strong competition, “The fleet was a lot more aggressive today at the starts. Boats were called over early in every race, with half the fleet going over in the first race alone. Every boat was vying for an advantage. Tomorrow promises more spirited racing but with lighter winds.”

Eleven races are planned for September 1-4.

Day Two Results (15 boats; 6 races)
1. Grizzly, Charles Bayer , USA – 6 -2 -1 -2 -1 -1 ; 13
2. FOG, Charlie Wurtzebach/Mike Bird , USA – 1 -6 -3 -5 -8 -5 ; 28
3. Maggie Mae, PeterWright / Dan Wright , USA – 5 -4 -7 -1 -2 -11 ; 30
4. Tequila Mockingbird, Chris Duhon , USA – 3 -3 -9 -7 -6 -2 ; 30
5. Arwen, Joonas Sandholm , FIN – 4 -1 -11 -10 -3 -3 ; 32
6. Zingara, Richard Reid , CAN – 2 -16 -5 -3 -7 -4 ; 37
7. Soulshine, Jarrett Altmin , USA – 9 -8 -2 -11 -10 -6 ; 46
8. Split Decision, Mark Norris , USA – 10 -9 -12 -6 -4 -8 ; 49
9. Patriot, Ken Sharpe , USA – 7 -7 -8 -14 -5 -12 ; 53
10. Program, Earle Atwater , USA – 8 -13 -4 -8 -13 -9 ; 55
11. JoieDeVie, Donna Hastings , USA – 11 -5 -10 -13 -9 -10 ; 58
12. Sorcerer, Don Draper , USA – 13 -12 -14 -4 -12 -7 ; 62
13. Tango, Chuck Norris , USA – 14 -11 -6 -9 -11 -13 ; 64
14. Erizo de Mar, Antoni Czupryna , USA – 15 -10 -13 -12 -14 -14 ; 78
15. IMP, Blair Jones , USA – 12 -14 -16 -16 -16 -16 ; 90

Event details – Scoreboard

Report by Sue Marshall.