By: Charlie Berry

Stowe Yacht Club hosted the 3^rd annual “J Days” as part of the Green Mountain Regatta. With some skippers traveling long distances, we decided to hold racing over two days, which were followed by 2 days of EC12 racing. The J Boat turnout was lighter than expected, plus two scheduled sailors had to drop out at the last minute. With our small group of six big boats, we got down to racing. And, racing we did! On day 1, we held 18 races, and an additional 12 races on day 2. With two days of EC12 racing looming for these same sailors, we finished up the regatta with our 30^th race by lunchtime Friday. The group then got to enjoy some Louis Vuitton Cup races on TV in the lounge during lunch – as if they needed more sailing.

Chuck Luscomb, with his Yankee, pulled off 12 bullets out of the 18 races on Saturday, for 25 points. This lead proved to be insurmountable. Brian Kerrigan, with a Ranger, finished the regatta in a solid 2^nd place with 62 points. The closest scoring was between 3^rd and 4^th positions, with Jeff Gros beating out George Townsend by a fraction of a point. Jeff won the final race to seal his 3^rd place overall – while using borrowed booms from George. A little saltwater in the wound for George.

Chuck Millican came back to the Green Mountain for the second year with his waterline-challenged Whirlwind. Chuck sailed a tactically strong series, but his smaller Whirlwind was just not a match for its bigger sisters. We just may see Chuck with a different boat next year.

A great tradition in the J class is that many of the boat owners invite other skippers to participate in the racing. The boat, not the skipper, is scored. And, the emphasis is on camaraderie and the Corinthian Spirit in this class. There were multiple examples of transmitters being passed around to other skippers to try their hand racing a J. The J class is now part of the tradition at the Green Mountain Regatta and we expect a stronger turnout next year.

 

Summary of the Green Mountain “J Days” Regatta:

            Class:  J Boat

            Date:   June 1 & 2, 2017

            Location: Commodores Pond at the Inn, Stowe, VT

            Host Club: Stowe Yacht Club (#159)

            Entries: 7

            Winds: Light to Moderate from SW

            Races completed: 30

            Scoring System: Single Fleet; Low-Point

            Thanks to Race Committee: Charlie Berry, Bruce Nourjian, Louise Townsend, Rosemarie Fitzhugh, Robert De Gols

 

Green Mountain “J Days” Results:

Place   Skipper                                  J Model                      Points

1          Chuck Luscomb                      Yankee                        33

2          Brian Kerrigan                        Ranger                         70

3          Jeff Gros                                 Shamrock                    83.8

4          George Townsend                   Endeavor                     84.2

5          Ron Schloemer                       Ranger                         93

6          Chuck Millican                       Whirlwind                      99.3

 

 

 1^st place, Chuck Luscomb, 2^nd Place, Brian Karringan and 3^rd Place, Jeff Gros.