Marcus Eagan wins Viper 640 North Americans

Fort Walton Beach, FL (October 28, 2017) – Marcus Eagan, sailing with Jackson Benvenutti and Andrew Eagan, closed out the final day of the Viper 640 North Americans to take the title. Entering the day in second, eight points behind Thomas Loutrel, Eagan’s team sailed steady with a 4-4 while Loutrel stumbled with a 9-13/ZFP, slipping to third. Brad Boston stepped up from third to second overall.

Dave Nickerson, Moise Solomon, and Scott Leming won the 26-boat Corinthian title.

Report from Viper 640 class:
After three days of racing on October 25-27, Charleston, SC, sailors Tom Loutrel, John Bowden and Karl Schutte held a fragile eight point lead in the fifty-four boat fleet having finished in the top four for all except one of the preceding nine races.

Going into the final two races on October 28, only 13 points separated the top four teams: Loutrel; Marcus Eagan in second, sailing for Mississippi’s Bay Waveland Yacht Club with his brother Andrew and Jackson Benvenutti; Brad Boston from Sarnia, ON, sailing with Lee Shuckerow and Dave Shriner; and last year’s Viper Worlds and NAs Champ Zeke Horowitz from Annapolis, MD, sailing with Ian Coleman and Luke Lawrence. It was anyone’s Championship to win.

Loutrel’s winning ways began to fade as he finished ninth in the penultimate race. Horowitz won that race with Boston third and Eagan fourth narrowing the gap between the top four to ten points.

With the winds shifting to the southwest and increasing to the high teens, a general recall was signaled for the first attempt to start the final race. Loutrel was over early with the Z Flag flying earning him a penalty that would cost him the Championship. Horowitz had also won the final race, but he was still one point over Loutrel keeping Zeke and team off this year’s podium. Boston scored another third moving him ahead of Loutrel but it was Eagan’s fourth place finish that earned him the Championship in the final race.

Eagan noted, “What a great regatta and we’re thrilled to have won. I really like sailing the Viper 640. It has great tuning capabilities and is physical enough to know you’re really sailing. And the competition in this Championship was excellent with great event management, stellar conditions, and wonderful people to compete against. I look forward to doing more Viper racing.”

Racing was held on October 25 to 28.

Top 10 of 55 (11 races, 1 discard)
1. Cajun Underwriting , USA263, Marcus Eagan – 2 -1 -1 -17 -[19] -3 -2 -5 -1 -4 -4 ; 40
2. Jackpot, CAN235, Brad Boston – 12 -9 -2 -4 -[18] -6 -1 -2 -2 -3 -3 ; 44
3. Choppy Seas , USA221, Thomas Loutrel – 1 -4 -3 -[25] -2 -4 -4 -3 -3 -9 -13 ; 46
4. Moxie, USA287, Zeke Horowitz – 10 -2 -13 -1 -13 -1 -[23] -1 -4 -1 -1 ; 47
5. Mambo Kings, GBR237, Rob Crane Justin Scott – 4 -7 -14 -9 -10 -2 -3 -13 -[21] -10 -17 ; 89
6. Terminally Pretty, USA248, Mary Ewenson – 8 -16 -8 -[21] -15 -5 -5 -19 -7 -2 -7 ; 92
7. Mo’ Grins, USA208, Dave Nickerson / Moise Solomon – 3 -11 -[23] -3 -7 -15 -11 -12 -22 -12 -16 ; 112
8. ‘Merica, USA255, Paul Kleinschrodt – 7 -5 -26 -2 -16 -9 -[32] -8 -32 -6 -10 ; 121
9. Southern, USA250, Patrick Ryan – 5 -15 -6 -5 -12 -20 -[46] -11 -13 -22 -15 ; 124
10. Chaos, USA284, Brian Harrison – 20 -8 -16 -7 -27 -16 -6 -7 -[28] -21 -5 ; 133

Event details – Results – Facebook