Viper 640 Women’s, Youth Champs

Published on October 16th, 2022

The Viper 640 held its second Women’s North American Championship and its first Youth North Americans on October 15-16 in Gulfport, MS. A full schedule of eight races was held in mostly the 5-7 knot range with only the final heat seeing 9-10 knot on the course.

The 2022 women’s champion is Rachel Beardsley (Shelter Island, NY) racing with her husband Peter, and their boat partner Jay Rhame. Rachel started the regatta with a third and that ended-up as her throw out. From there was a string of four firsts and three seconds.

“The key to our success was that we have been sailing together for years as a team,” said Rachel Beardsley. “We know how to communicate effectively with one another, and we are dialed into the boat’s tuning. We caught a few shifts that proved advantageous for us, and we were cognizant of the tidal flow. We’re grateful to the Viper Class for supporting women’s events, and we look forward to sailing in future women’s regional, national, and world championships.”

Michael Burns (Pass Christian, MS) walked away with the 2022 youth title with William Trapani and Mitchell Martin as crew. Posting four firsts and two seconds, Burns was able to skip the final race and make his plane back to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point.