Jack Parkin leads Championship of Champions

Cleveland, OH (October 10, 2014) – The Edgewater Yacht Club launched a successful start to the 2014 Championship of Champions on Friday. Lake Erie greeted the 20 teams with light breeze and a chill in the air.

The sailors and race committee waited patiently for sufficient wind this morning. Shortly after 2 pm EDT, Race 1 was underway. The race committee completed three races before calling it a day just before 6 pm.

Jack Parkin (Riverside, Conn.) got off to a super start and won the first race. The International 420 sailor is your leader after day one. Sonar sailor Eric Voss (Rochester, N.Y.) won Race 2 and is in second place, while Brent Barbehenn (Lumberton, N.J.), who is representing the Jet 14 class, won Race 3 and is in third overall.

Top 5 – Complete Standings
1. Jack Parkin, 1-3-5- ; 9
2. Eric Voss, 2-1-10- ; 13T
3. Brent Barbehenn, 8-4-1- ; 13T
4. Lloyd Kitchin, 3-7-6- ; 16
5. Doug Kaukeinen, 5-10-4- ; 19

Event website – Competitor list – Complete results – Photos

Not only is this championship diverse in terms of the type of class sailors represented here in Cleveland, but sailors of all ages are here ready to race. Thirty-one year-old Mary Vorel of Grand Rapids, Mich. has a very special crewmate this week. Mary’s 81-year-old grandmother Patricia Vorel has taken up the challenge. “You have to keep yourself in shape. That is the main thing with older sailors. They realize their age and think they can’t do it anymore. You must keep moving,” said Patricia.

US Sailing’s Championship of Champions is recognized as one of the more unique adult racing events in the country. All helmsmen have qualified for this event by winning a 2013 or 2014 one-design class National, North American, or World Championship. Helmsmen and their crew are being tested in Thistles this year.

Report by US Sailing media.