Got a chance to crew (as Mast and “emergency” Bow) with the great team from “Fuzzy Wuzzy”, Bengt and Marie Johannson’s J/30, this time in the North American championships.
Our team was Bengt, Marie, Alan, Bob, Jerry, Jon, and Kelly.
We won the regatta (and therefore the NA Champs) with [7], 1, 7, 5, 5, 1 and had some great sailing in everything from straightforward boat-for-boat dueling to intense ultra-light-air crapshoots.
We also won the best overall “all amateur crew” finish trophy, which seems a little redundant.
As usual, I was inspired by the skill and focus of the FW team. Both Bob (as tactician) and Bengt (as driver) were really impressive. Of course, Kelly took the “summer of love” prize by stacking the NA Champs on top of winning the 2008 Newport-Bermuda as navigator.
It was interesting how much more the East Coast 1D competitors sail the fleet, as opposed to just the course. In SF Bay, everything seems to be about currents, local knowledge, currents, wind, and currents.
Bristol YC
Light-air postponement
Bengt and Marie
Upwind competition
(credit:Â Spectrum Photo)
Downwind competition
(credit:Â Spectrum Photo)
Thanks guys, see you next year.