Bounds wins Multihull Alter Trophy

Spray Beach, NJ (June 9, 2019) – Racing has concluded at the 2019 U.S. Multihull Championship. The final day of racing brought sunny skies, winds from the northeast at 20 knots with gusts of 25, and three-foot swells. The race committee fired off two more races, concluding the regatta with a total of ten.

This event was the first US Sailing National Championship hosted by Spray Beach Yacht Club (SBYC). Regatta Chair and SBYC member, Robin Keller (North Beach Haven, N.J.), noted, “SBYC was thrilled to host, for the first time, a US Sailing Championship. Over 80 volunteers, on and off the water, contributed to this event and we’re happy to say the result was a competitive, closely contested championship.”

Line honors in both of today’s races went to Nicolas Liebel (Mississauga, CAN). Liebel dominated in the breezy conditions yesterday as well, finishing first in two of the three races. Despite his consistency in the windy conditions, Matt Bounds (Commerce Township, Mich.) maintained the lead he established on day one and prevailed to win the 2019 Alter Cup Trophy by six points.

The next US Sailing National Championship will also be held on the waters of Little Egg Harbor. In less than two weeks, the 2019 U.S. Youth Sailing Championships will be hosted by Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club.

Top Five, Final Scores:
1. Matt Bounds (Commerce Township, Mich.), [15/OCS]-4-4-1-1-4-4-2-2-4- ; 26
2. Nicolas Liebel (Mississauga, CAN), [15/DNS]-15/DNS-5-2-4-2-1-1-1-1- ; 32
3. Herbert James (Cicero, N.Y.), [15/OCS]-2-1-5-3-5-3-5-4-6- ; 34
4. Mark Ralph (Valley View, Texas), 2-1-[15/DNF]-15/DNS-15/DNS-1-2-3-3-3- ; 45
5. Jason Sanchez (Seminole, Fla.), 3-5-2-[10]-5-9-8-8-5-2- ; 47

Championship Facts
• The U.S. Multihull Championship was conceived by the Multihull Council in the spring of 1985 as a service to the multihull racing community.
• The perpetual trophy was presented and named the Alter Trophy in 1986 in honor of Hobie Alter, Sr. and his extraordinary promotion of one-design multihull sailing and racing programs.
• World champions from numerous classes, Olympic medalists and several national champions from the multihull ranks have raced for the Hobie Alter Trophy.
• The championship rotates in discipline each year to showcase the depth of classes in multihull racing in the United States.

Event Details – Entry List – Results – Twitter

The U.S. Multihull Championship was conceived by the Multihull Council in the spring of 1985 as a service to multihull racing sailors. It is intended to determine a U.S. national multihull champion and is sailed annually in various types of multihulls.

The perpetual trophy was presented and named the Alter Trophy in 1986 in honor of Hobie Alter, Sr. and his extraordinary promotion of one-design multihull sailing and racing programs. The U.S. Multihull Championship for the Hobie Alter Trophy has become one of the nation’s major sailing championships, having featured world champions from numerous classes, Olympic medalists and several national champions from the multihull ranks.

In 2004 the Trophy name was changed from “the Alter Cup” to “The Hobie Alter Cup”. To maintain the integrity of the trophy, it will remain on display or in safe quarters at the National Governing Body of the sport – U.S. Sailing Association.

Source: US Sailing Media Contact: Brittney Manning, Communications Coordinator