Two titles at 12 Metre World Champs

Ten historic 12 Metres competed in the 2023 12 Metre World Championship on on August 1-5 in Newport, RI.

To be named the World Champions at the end of the final day, Jack LeFort’s (Winter Park, FL/Jamestown, RI) Challenge XII (KA-10) had merely to finish better than fifth among Modern Division’s five entries if Takashi Okura’s Japanese entry Freedom (US-30), close behind in the standings, were to win. The day prior, Kevin Hegarty/Anthony Chiurco’s (Newport, RI/Princeton, NJ) Columbia (US-16) already had mathematically sewn up the nine-race series in the five-boat Traditional/Vintage Division.

After waiting for two hours, a windward/leeward course was set (later shortened) for a seven-knot breeze, and Challenge XII handily sailed to victory while Freedom finished fifth to maintain its Modern Division podium position of second place.

Columbia finished third, while the fleet’s oldest boat, Mark Watson’s (Newport, RI) Onawa (US-6), built in 1928, sailed its way to a clean victory and a claim on second place overall for the Traditional/Vintage Division.

The Challenge XII and Columbia teams, homegrown with mostly local crews, having been sailing together for over a decade, and both won the Worlds in 2019 when it last was held in Newport.

“Conditions were light, heavy, medium…we went up the (Narragansett) Bay, out on the ocean – it was just a great across-the-board test for the fleet,” said LeFort, whose veteran team includes his wife Lisa as navigator and America’s Cup/Volvo Ocean Race veteran Ken Read as tactician.

Racing started Tuesday (August 1) with one race in light 8-9 knot breezes that gave Challenge XII in Modern Division and Robert Morton’s (Middletown, RI) American Eagle (US-21) in Traditional/Vintage Division an early boost for winning.

Both teams, however, fell to second behind Freedom and Onawa, respectively, after two races on Wednesday, held again in light 5-8 knot air. For Thursday and Friday, 18-20 knot winds proved also to be good for Challenge XII, as the team won three of five races held in Modern Division while Columbia won all five held in Traditional/Vintage Division.

“It’s not about being the fastest boat,” said Columbia’s Hegarty, who helmed at the starts and then became tactician while Chiurco drove. “Whomever performs the best, or messes up the least, is going to win. That’s why I love sailing 12 Metres; everything is manual, and it takes muscle and teamwork. There is no other class like it.”

“Conditions were all over the place and the Race Committee adjusted to them and so did the teams,” said Ida Lewis representative Guy Sanchez. PRO Mark Foster led the Ida Lewis Yacht Club Race Committee for the event.

Other Modern Division teams competing were Peter Askew’s (Key Largo, FL) Enterprise (US-27), Andrew Rose’s (Newport Beach, CA) Defender (US-33), and Dawn Riley’s Oakcliff trainees (Oyster Bay, NY) sailing Courageous (US-26).

Other Traditional/Vintage Division teams competing were Jack Klinck’s (Concord, MA) Nefertiti (US-19) and Steve Eddleston’s (Bristol, RI) Weatherly (US-17).

The Ted Turner Trophy for most significant contribution to the 12 Metre Class went to Steve Eddleston, Commodore of the 12 Metre Yacht Club Newport Station, who subsequently presented the Tiedemann Trophy for best Vintage yacht to Onawa.

The Worlds fleet included four boats that successfully defended the America’s Cup when it was sailed in 12 Metres from 1958 to 1983: Columbia – 1958, Weatherly -1962, Courageous – 1974/1977, and Freedom – 1980.

Race details – Results – Video