TAZ wins Tartan 10 North Americans

Chicago, IL (August 6, 2017) – Hanson Bratton’s TAZ from Bayview Yacht Club won the 2017 Tartan 10 North American Championship sponsored by Skyway Yacht Works.

The Race Committee fired off two races today for the culmination of the one design event in 8-12 knots of breeze out of the southeast. “We were really happy that there was enough wind to sail today,” said Principal Race Officer Dick Schweers. “It was definitely a concern this morning and we knew how important these two races were to the competitors especially at the top of the fleet.”

TAZ was off to a rocky start, finishing ninth in the first race of day four. “We had a couple maneuvering issues and got caught on the wrong side of the course,” said Bratton. TAZ knew after their performance that Greg Kinney and Nick Ward’s Proper Villain from Port Huron, MI had moved up into first place. “We went out to the right, believed in the right side of the course and it really worked out for us,” said Ward. “Coming in from behind, we did a great job catching up. We got pretty excited and a lot nervous,” added Kinney.

Bratton and his team made an impressive comeback in the second and final race of the day taking their first bullet of the event securing their championship title. “I give my crew a lot of credit – no one panicked or got too upset,” said Bratton. “We buckled down, went into the second race and everything went beautifully after that.” Bratton has owned the T-10 for 20 years and this is his first major win at a class event.

Brian Kaczor’s Erica placed first in the Corinthian Division despite a rough day on the race course with mid-fleet finishes. “Today was a little disappointing,” admitted Kaczor. “Our starts were okay and we were doing well downwind, but our upwind speed was slow because we kept getting pinned on the wrong side of the course.”

In addition to the champion and Corinthian awards, Don Wilson’s Convergence won the Elaine and Wes Pignolet Award for the best performing yacht with at least three family members aboard for the series. Wilson raced with his sister Jennifer Wilson, brother-in-law Tod Reynolds, daughter Ava Wilson, Keith Swinton and Sam Rogers. Ava was also the youngest racer in the championship at 15 years old.

“When I was younger, I used to help bake brownies at the Chicago Match Race Center and watch all the sailors at events there,” said Ava. “My dad has been really supportive of getting my younger brother, Oliver, and I out racing whether it’s on the T-10 or the M32. I love having the opportunity to sail with the team; the energy on and off the water is always fun!”

Racers praised event organizers Craig Roehl, Edward Mui and Brian Kennalley for running a successful and enjoyable event both on and off the water. “Chicago Corinthian Yacht Club was integral to the success of this event. The club’s volunteers and staff really rolled out the red carpet for the T-10 Fleet,” said Kennalley. “We believe that you should have just as much fun off the water as we do racing.”

The trio had a full schedule of events planned and quickly improvised when racing was abandoned due to weather. “You have to act fast to keep people entertained,” he added. After racing, competitors would see the crew rolling kegs outside, setting up seating areas, and volunteering as bartenders.

“We’ve worked with a lot of events, and it was amazing to see how involved and welcoming the organizers were,” said Steve Kindra of title sponsor Skyway Yacht Works. “We were proud to be part of an event that promoted our sport in such a positive light.”

Racing was held from August 3 to 6.

Event information – Race details – Results – Facebook

Final Results

Source: Morgan Kinney