Opportunity for amateurs to shine

When the J/70 Class was introduced in 2012, the vision for low key competition for the 22-footer quickly became the playground for professional crews and boat owners willing to invest in excellence.

But the popularity of the boat drew comers for all corners, and to offer an opportunity for the weekend warriors to feel some warmth of the sun, the J/70 Corinthian US National Championship was initiated in 2016 as an amateur-only event.

Aside from 2020, the ground-breaking concept has been held annually in the popular venues of Annapolis, MD; South Dartmouth, MA; Fort Worth, TX; Harbor Springs, MI; Marblehead, MA; and Cleveland, OH in 2022.

Lee Sackett with boat owner Dave Kerr on USA1516 repeated as J/70 Corinthian US National Champions by topping the 15-boat fleet on June 24-26 in 2022, assisted by crew Ian Moran and Tom Sessions.

Seven races were completed across three days, with USA1516 tallying only 10 points in the series including four bullets. Lee’s father Tod Sackett on FM placed second with 20 points. Completing the podium just one point back was Michael Kirkman’s Hot Ticket.

Lee and Tod Sackett are long-time members of host Edgewater Yacht Club so home field advantage was in their favor. The Corinthian National Championship included two berths to the 2023 J/70 World Championship in St. Petersburg, FL.

Details: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eid=15025