Kiwi takes over Grand Slam lead

Twenty year old Nick Egnot-Johnson (NZL) won the Oakcliff International, the third stage of the 4-event Grand Slam match racing series, held September 6-9 in Oyster Bay, NY. Egnot-Johnson topped five-time US Match Racing Champion Dave Perry 3-2 in the Final.

The first day was sunny and hot with light wind, but the following three days were the polar opposite: cloudy, windy, and cold. Competitors saw an average of 15 knots of breeze with gusts as high as 20. “The breeze was heavy and shifty, constantly banging from side to side, and a bit of rain came through so we really had to stay on our toes,” said Egnot-Johnson.

In the Petit Final, Peter Holz and Anna Ostling, the 2016 Women’s Match Racing World Champion, alternated wins in the first two races before Holz won the third to secure third place overall.

Egnot-Johnson and Holz finished tied after the double round robin qualifier, with the Semi Finals seeing Perry top Holz and Egnot-Johnson beat Ostling.

Egnot-Johnson’s win boosts his team to the top of the Grand Slam leaderboard followed by Pearson Potts and Chris Poole. The Thompson Cup, the fourth and final stop of the Grand Slam Series, will be September 11-15 in Oyster Bay, NY.

Results – Facebook

Background:
The 8th edition of the Grand Slam Series brings together four Grade 2 match racing events in 2018, offering a compact circuit in August and September to attract top ranked foreign sailors to the U.S. and provide North American match racers with high level competition. Additionally, the winner of the series gets an invitation to the 2019 Congressional Cup, the only World Sailing Grade One Match Race event in the USA.

Grand Slam Series – Overall Results

2018 Grand Slam Series:
August 17-19 – Chicago (Chicago YC – Sonars)
August 24-26 – Detroit (Bayview YC – Ultimate 20s)
Sept 6-9 – Oyster Bay, NY (Oakcliff Sailing – Match 40s)
Sept 11-15 – Oyster Bay, NY (Seawanhaka Corinthian YC – Match 40s)