Patin Wins US Champ of Champs

Lake Bluff, IL (October 9, 2016) – In his fourth bid to win the Jack Brown Trophy, Paul-Jon Patin (Forest Hills, NY) won the 2016 Championship of Champions, hosted by the Lake Bluff Yacht Club, over three days of racing in the Sunfish class.

Patin, who was representing the JY15 class, was the 2016 Sunfish International Masters Champion and placed third in the 2015 World Championships. He is also a three-time JY15 North American Champion and the 2011 Interclub North American Champion.

The 19 class champions racing this weekend (Friday-Sunday) tallied 20 races. Consistency was key for Patin throughout the weekend. He won the first race of the regatta on Friday for his only bullet. Patin placed in the top five in 12 races and only finished outside the top ten twice.

“It’s a relief to finally win this championship,” said Patin. “I’d like to come back and qualify again. The competition here was awesome, from the 12-year-old sailor who won a race to the top of the Sunfish class.”

“It’s a wonderful event where you get to meet a lot of different types of sailors who you’ve heard about,” Patin added.

US Sailing’s Championship of Champions is recognized as one of the more unique adult racing events in the country. All sailors qualified for this event by winning a one-design class National, North American, or World Championship in the qualifying years (2015 – 2016).

Racing took place on the waters of Lake Michigan east of the Lake Bluff Sunrise Beach. Competition was preceded by a special Sunfish boat clinic and local knowledge briefing on Thursday.

This championship, inaugurated in 1976, is held in a different location and in a different class each year. Classes in which the event has been held run the gamut from conventional to cutting edge and have included Y-Flyers, Snipes, Hobie Cats, J-24s, Sunfish and Etchells, to name just a few. The championship trophy is named in honor of Jack Brown who was noted for his service as a judge, regatta organizer and member of US Sailing Committees.

Top 5 – Complete Standings
1. Paul-Jon Patin, 1-2-2-6-3-3-2.8/RDG-2-[15]-3-2-10-3-4-3-[12]-2-7-7-7- ; 69.8
2. Greg Gust, 7-1-3-5-5-1-1-[12]-4-2-10-2-6-8-7-4-7-1-2-[11]- ; 76T
3. Eugene Schmitt, 3-3-9-2-2-7-3-7-1-8-5-7-4-[13]-[17]-1-3-3-3-5- ; 76T
4. Doug Kaukeinen, 2-8-4-7-6-[14]-4-10-2-6-11-1-2-1-[15]-6-5-2-5-1- ; 83
5. Richard Chapman, 5-7-[12]-10-11-6-2-1-5-1-1-4-[13]-6-10-7-1-4-1-2- ; 84

Event Website – Results

About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.

Source: US Sailing