Light winds for US Youth Championships

Corpus Christi, TX (June 26, 2017) – The second day of competition at the 2017 US Youth Championships got underway slowly as light winds kept the fleet waiting before racing could begin.

For the second consecutive day, the morning racing for the 177 young sailors was postponed. Yesterday, thunderstorms put a damper on the start of the event, but as storms passed in the afternoon and the breeze picked up, the Laser, Laser Radial and International 420 fleets completed two races, while the 29er, Nacra 15 and Techno 293 Plus tallied three races.

Today, light breezes in the 1-5 knot-range forced an early delay to racing. As the sailors patiently waited for more breeze on the bay, the wind picked up considerably in the afternoon at 10-15 knots for good racing conditions.

“The conditions, so far, have been a little different than we expected of Corpus Christi, which is famous for its strong sea breeze,” said John Pearce, Youth Director of US Sailing. “The rain and storms have slowed that down a bit. It’s shaping up to be a balanced test for all conditions, so versatility is going to be important, especially for the high performance classes. It’s about being really dynamic and sailing fast angles and high speeds.

“Youth Champs is the place to be. We have the top sailors in the country here, as well as US Sailing provided coaches who provide excellent instruction, tips and mentorship for these young sailors,” added Pearce. “This is a great place for sailors to up their skill level, challenge themselves and be exposed to a high level environment, as they prepare for their summer sailing season.”

Windsurfing – Techno 293 Plus
The windsurfing division completed two more races this afternoon. Michael Cramer (Miami Beach, Fla.) and Manual Nores (Miami Beach, Fla.) are at the top of the leaderboard, with Maverick Putnam (Palm Harbor, Fla.) just one point back.

“We are looking for improvement throughout the week in this growing class,” said Solvig Sayre, windsurfing coach and three-time US Sailing Team member. “Our focus is more on encouragement and less about setting a certain standard coming into this event.

“Some kids are working on very basic downwind planing, to more advanced downwind planing, and others are working on tactics and how to round the windward mark.

“We have two different groups out here, Miami and Clearwater. The Clearwater group is showing up strong in the lighter wind and the Miami kids would like to see a stronger sea breeze.”

Standings – Top 6
1. Michael Cramer, Miami Yacht Club, 1-3-[6]-1-2- ; 7T
2. Manuel Nores, Miami Yacht Club, [2]-2-2-2-1- ; 7T
3. Maverick Putnam, Clearwater Community Sailing Center, 3-1-1-3-[4]- ; 8
4. Dominique Stater, Miami Yacht Club, 4-[5]-3-4-3- ; 14
5. Alexander Temko, Clearwater Community Sailing Center, [5]-4-4-5-5- ; 18
6. Gabriel Varra-Gonzalez, Miami Yacht Club, 6-[7/DNS]-5-6-6- ; 23

Open Multihull – Nacra 15
The team of Mark Brunsvold (Sarasota, Fla.) and Dylan Heinz (Sarasota, Fla.) have excelled in the first two days of racing, as the Nacra 15 fleet posted four races today. They lead Nicolas Martin (Houston, Texas) and Chase Sabadas, and Luke Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Kyle Collins (San Pedro, Calif.).

Standings – Top 5
1. Mark Brunsvold/Dylan Heinz, Sarasota Youth Sailing, 2-1-[3]-1-1-3-3- ; 11
2. Nicolas Martin/Chase Sabadash, Seabrook Sailing Club/Royal Vancouver YC, 3-2-[13]-4-4-1-1- ; 15T
3. Luke Melvin/Kyle Collins, Alamitos Bay Yacht Club, 1-4-1-2-3-4-[7]- ; 15T
4. Jake Mayol/Maxwell Mayol, Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, 4-3-2-[5]-2-2-4- ; 17
5. Palmer Galt Oliver/James Tucker McElwaney, Red Gear Racing, 6-6-5-6-[8]-6-2- ; 31

Skiff – 29er
The 29er fleet finished four more races on Monday. David Eastwood (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Sam Merson (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) have a one point advantage over Neil Marcellini (Lafayette, Calif.) and Ian Brill (San Diego, Calif.). Catherine Lindsay (North Palm Beach, Fla.) and Jana Laurendeau (Billerica, Mass.) are the top girls team and fifth overall.

Standings – Top 5
1. David Eastwood/Samuel Merson, Santa Barbara Yacht Club, 3-2-3-5-[7]-1-2- ; 16
2. Neil Marcellini/Ian Brill, Richmond Yacht Club, 2-[6]-4-2-4-2-3- ; 17
3. Robert Shelley/Severin Gramm, 2Ninner Skiff Squad, [11]-10-1-4-1-3-1- ; 20
4. Harry Melges/Finn Rowe, Lake Geneva Yacht Club/ BMSC, 5-5-5-[8]-2-7-6- ; 30
5. Catherine Lindsay/Jana Laurendeau, 2Niner Skiff Squad, [12]-4-6-1-3-10-9- ; 33

Singlehanded Dinghy – Laser Radial
Josheph Hou (Newport Beach, Calif.) asserted himself again today to take a commanding lead following four more races. He leads Asher Zittrer (Seabrook, Texas) by nine. Charlotte Rose (Houston, Texas) is the top sailor in the girls division and she is fifth overall.

Standings – Top 5
1. 12/210685, Joseph Hou, Newport Harbor YC/Alamitos Bay YC, 6-1-1-1-1-[10]- ; 10
2. 33/186548, Asher Zittrer, Lakewood Yacht Club / GCYSA, [12]-4-4-4-5-2- ; 19
3. 34/157851, Leo Boucher, Severen Sailing Association, [27]-6-17-2-3-3- ; 31
4. 46/195429, Carrter Pearce, SCYC / Lauderdale Yacht Club, 10-11-[14]-3-4-4- ; 32
5. 16/211540, Charlotte Rose, Houston Yacht Club / GCYSA, [23]-14-10-9-2-1- ; 36T

Doublehanded Dinghy – International 420
The team of Thomas Rice (Garden City, N.J.) and Trevor Bornarth (Stuart, Fla.) had a strong day on the water and took over first place by eight points over Max Anker (Old Greenwich, Conn.) and Leyton Borcherding (Greenwich, Conn.). In third place overall is Carmen Cowles (Larchmont, N.Y.) and Emma Cowles (Larchmont, N.Y.) leading the girls division.

Standings – Top 5
1. Thomas Rice/Trevor Bornarth, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club / LIMA, 1-[12]-9-2-1-1- ; 14
2. Max Anker/Leyton Borcherding, Riverside Yacht Club / LISOT, 4-[11]-1-5-5-7- ; 22
3. Carmen Cowles/Emma Cowles, LISOT/Larchmont Yacht Club, [16]-6-7-1-3-6- ; 23T
4. Joseph Charles Hermus/Walter Henry, Bellport Yacht Club, 2-5-6-6-[8]-4- ; 23T
5. Emma Kaneti/Ciara Rodriguez-Horan, Larchmont Yacht Club, [14]-4-8-3-2-8- ; 25

Singlehanded Dinghy – Laser
Chase Burwell (Clearwater, Fla.) has been the most consistent Laser sailor through six races, leading Jake Vickers (Annapolis, Md.) by five points.

Standings – Top 5
1. Chase Burwell, Carlouel Yacht Club, [3]-1-2-3-3-1- ; 10
2. Jake Vickers, Annapolis yacht club/severn sailing association, 2-3-1-[8]-6-3- ; 15
3. Cameron Feves, Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club, 1-[8]-8-4-1-2- ; 16
4. John Kirkpatrick, Sail Newport, [17/OCS]-2-9-1-2-4- ; 18
5. Benjamin Rizika, Wianno Yacht Club, 6-4-10-6-[17/OCS]-5- ; 31

Chief Judge, Rick Mallinson, discussed the first two days of the championship, including the conditions and race committee work. “The race committee did a great job getting in as much racing as they could,” said Mallinson. “It’s been a little lighter than typical expectations for Corpus Christi, but this afternoon we had much better, breezier conditions. If you look at each fleet, you have kids of different size, age and maturity, so in some respects it’s good that they are getting a little bit of everything.”

“We’d like to get another four races in tomorrow and have two more on Wednesday to finish out the regatta.”

Racing will continue daily through Wednesday, June 28. For full event details and results…click here.