Y-Flyer US National Championship

Paul and Marie Abdullah mastered the challenging conditions to win the 2019 Y-Flyer US National Championship on July 26-28 in Beaufort, SC. Overcoming the adverse effects of tidal currents and shifty winds, they emerged victorious over second place finishers Henry McCray and Stephanie Lea. Bryce Dryden and Darby Dryden rounded out the top three in the 30-bpat fleet.

Day one of the Nationals saw strong currents and some up-and-down winds. The wind direction allowed for long courses and opportunities to catch boats. The heat was a big factor as the heat indexes were over 100 degrees. Three races were sailed and Abdullah won the day with a 1-3-1 result, with Dryden at 2-2-3.

The winds shifted around considerable for the second day, forcing races to be sailed across the river. The tricky conditions caused some mix up in the standings, but Abdullah still dominated the day after the 6th race throwout with a 1-2 performance. McCray moved into second with a 2-5-7 to erase an 11 from the previous day.

Light breezes greeted the sailors on the final day, but fortunately, the wind picked up in time for the harbor gun. The fleet headed out and sailed three races. Abdullah put the icing on the cake by sailing to 3 first place finished and capping a dominating performance. McCray held onto 2nd place by ¼ point over Dryden in third.

Nathan and Michael Bowen were the top sailors in the Challenger Division. The Bowen boys also won the Y-Flyer Junior National Championship (June 24-25), defeating defending champs Lucy and Ellie Spearman.

Event details – Results: Championship – Challenger – Junior