Chris Perkins wins International Knarr Championship

Chris Perkins and his team of Hans Baldauf, Phil Perkins, and Charlie Perkins won the 48th International Knarr Championship, toppling the 25-boat fleet that competed September 4 to 10 in San Francisco, CA.

Following a challenging round robin series that included ten races in five different Knarrs, local Chris Perkins finished with 14 points, a full 18 points in front of second-place Jon Perkins, Chris’s brother, who finished with 32 points.

Though Chris’s win was definitive, six different teams won a race throughout the week, in a regatta that was defined by tough competition, international camaraderie and a powerful sense of tradition.

“This is a hard event,” said Chris. “Everybody in the fleet is great—they have to be great to get here—and there were several other skippers here who had won this race previously. The key to this regatta was consistency and we were lucky to never have an over-early or a bad start.”

Consistency was key, as the weather, wind and current were generally quite manageable for San Francisco. The early part of the week featured flood tides with modest breeze for aggressive short-tacking along City-front. The currents were lighter in the second half of the week, so sailors were making decisions based on tactics rather than local knowledge of how to play the current.

Consistency was also crucial because of the unique lottery system the fleet used to assign boats. The IKC is comprised of the top 25 teams in the world: seven from Denmark, six from Norway and twelve from the host-country USA.

In order to ensure fair racing and easy traveling, the regatta sails in the local fleet of Knarrs, tuned to be as fairly matched as possible. Each team draws the boat it will sail at random, switching boats every two races. Though all boats have matching aluminum masts and booms, some hulls are wooden while some are fiberglass. Some have been meticulously cared for, but not all, so no two boats sail exactly the same.

Chris Perkins’ team, for instance, drew five boats: three wooden and two fiberglass. “That’s the beauty of the Knarr!” said Perkins. “You never know which boat you will get so you have to be able to adapt.”

Knarr sailors at this level are known for being talented, aggressive and brainy. According to Regatta Chairperson Mark Dahm, the fact that the Knarr goes about the same speed upwind as it does downwind makes sailing it more like a chess match than a video game. And, as the class prohibits hired guns, all sailing is Corinthian.

Said Dahm, “Knowing that, the sailors that get the most performance out of a relatively low-tech, heavy, classic design and consistently make the best tactical decisions over 10 races (in five different Knarrs) are the deserved winner of the IKC.”

One of the unique things about this fleet is the longevity of those who sail in it. The IKCs rotate every three years between the Bay Area, Norway and Denmark, and many of the same sailors show up year after year. There are a couple new owners each year, but few owners ever stop sailing their Knarrs. Knud Wibroe, for instance, has sailed in the fleet since 1968 when he helped introduce the Knarr to the Bay and sparked the Wednesday Night Series that continues today.

According to Chris Perkins, Wibroe is one of the early owners who is to be credited for creating a stable one-design fleet and culture. “Knud is a true gentleman. Over the years, if the racing ever got ugly, he was the one to pull you over by your ear, sit you down and make you shape up.”

Regatta Co-chair Dave Wiard said, “What sets the class apart is the people. It’s not just about the boat. The focus is also on the friendship and camaraderie. There is always talk about these factors missing from modern-day regattas but this class has found a way to preserve them.”

Camaraderie is something the Knarr sailors have in spades. For every race, it seemed, there was a social event to complement.

There was the Tito’s Vodka Mid-Week Dinner Party at the Matthew Turner Tall Ship to connect the fleet to another interesting wooden boat project (the owner of which is a former Knarr sailor). There was a Taittinger Champagne Opening Ceremony on a sun-soaked race deck with three national anthems and singing by the “Sons of the Beach”, a Knarr-comprised acapella group. There was “Dram and Craft Night” with Glenmorangie Scotch and Fort Point Beer and to top it all of, a Martin Ray Winery Awards Dinner and Trophy Presentation in the Main Dining Room of the St. Francis Yacht Club.

“As hosts, we are invested in the vision of the entire event,” said Wiard. “We want to create a memorable experience for our fellow competitors because they are also our friends. We put a lot of thought into organizing the social events and finding sponsors who will be the right fit.”

What makes the IKCs special? Says Dahm, “It starts with the fact that all Knarr sailors love the boat: the beautiful lines, the great sailing. Then, off the water, there is a culture and friendships that have been going on for nearly fifty years! The beautiful old boats are simply the vessel of friendship.”

Event details – Scoreboard – Photos

Source: St. Francis Yacht Club