{"id":82029,"date":"2025-06-07T21:34:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T01:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=82029"},"modified":"2025-06-12T15:43:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T19:43:12","slug":"pleasant-surprises-for-chicago-racers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/regatta-series\/pleasant-surprises-for-chicago-racers\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Miles and Close Finishes For Chicago Distance Racers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PRELIMINARY RESULTS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A light northeasterly breeze on the second day of the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta in Chicago was good enough for the race committee to send the regatta’s eager distance race teams in ORC and PHRF on their respective 20 and 14-milers. And while the handicap fleets laid their wakes across Lake Michigan the regatta\u2019s full complement of one-design fleets got off to a delayed start. New additions today included the Sonars of the Youth Invitational Keelboat team from area yacht clubs as well as the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes vying for their District 20 championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"ORC <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Jeffrey Davis and the J\/111 Shamrock<\/i> team get a jump on the ORC distance race fleet. <\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

While the biggest boats of the ORC 1<\/strong> fleet were across the finish line by the time Jeffrey Davis\u2019 crew finished and dropped sails, the scorer\u2019s calculations had the experienced J\/111 team corrected to the top of the results sheet, followed by Peter and Nina Wright\u2019s Neo 43 Roma<\/em>. The two boats are distinctly different in their designs\u2014the Neo voluminous and beamy and the J\/111 narrow and light\u2014and with more windward-leeward oriented racing over the 20 miles than reaching, it was a Shamrock<\/em> sort of day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"PHRF <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Split Decision<\/i> gets away to a win in the PHRF distance race.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Davis and sailmaker Wally Cross are transitioning the one-design to an offshore-racing leaning program for this summer\u2019s 150th edition of the Chicago YC\u2019s Race to Mackinac. For the better part of two days at the Chicago YC, Cross and several crewmembers have been working on the boat, and it is clearly ready for primetime, winning its 15-boat ORC division 1 fleet\u2019s opening race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Jackoweic\u2019s Tartan 10 Out of the Blue<\/em> was ORC 2<\/strong>\u2019s top boat, followed in the standings by Robbie Devlin\u2019s slick Italia 11.98 Drumleck<\/em> and David Baker\u2019s Beneteau First 10R Handsome Pete<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Tumbler\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Evan Jahn\u2019s team on the J\/109 Tumbler<\/i>, class leader after two days of racing.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

The ORC fleets were followed by three waves of PHRF divisions, and after nearly four hours of racing, Steve Daube\u2019s C&C115 Paradigm Shift<\/em> emerged as the corrected time winner of its nine-boat PHRF 1<\/strong> division. Daube, however, wasn\u2019t on board for the victory; he was at work and let his crew take over for the weekend. The team scored a race win for the big guy back at the office, and when we caught up with them celebrating after the race, they were thrilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had some new crew so the strategy was to go slow and steady and not screw up any sets and get clear air,\u201d says Paradigm Shift<\/em>\u2019s fill-in skipper Will Dixon. \u201cA lot of boats were favoring the pin so we started in the middle of the line, nice and easy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Tartan <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Craig Roehl and Edward Mui crew on the Tartan 10 Meat<\/i> chase down the race leaders at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in Chicago.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Immediately after the start, the team hoisted its biggest spinnaker and was off and running. All went smoothly, Dixon says. \u201cBecause of the new crew we took our time with sail changes and spent a lot of time determining which sail was going to be the best for the next leg.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Dixon finished, he figured they were either fourth or fifth on corrected time, but pleasantly surprised to learn they\u2019d won. \u201cWe stayed offshore a bit thinking it was stronger,\u201d he says, \u201cso the first half of the race were just trying to match with the fleet and we ended up correcting out over Dire Wolf <\/em>[a highly-customized 1D35] by 53 seconds or so. That\u2019s incredible after 20 miles and four hours of racing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Fleetwood\" <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The Melges 32 Fleetwood<\/i> enjoys a healthy lead in today’s PHRF race.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

John Notch\u2019s Baltic 35 Exeter<\/em> was the top boat in PHRF 2<\/strong>, correcting over William Bartz\u2019s Hunter 355, Ranger<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Beneteau 36.7<\/strong>s, Jarrett Altmin\u2019s Soulshine<\/em> added a 1-5-2 to its scoreline to pad its overall lead to 15 points. Scot and Yvonne Rhulander\u2019s Mojo<\/em> added to its winning streak and remains the regatta\u2019s sole undefeated team. Lindsay Duda\u2019s Sin Duda<\/em> also put two more wins to its scoreline to bring its lead to 5 points over its perennial rivals on Andy Graff\u2019s Exile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evan Jahn\u2019s team on the J\/109 <\/strong>Tumbler<\/em> now has the fleet\u2019s full attention as seven of them vie for the class\u2019s Great Lakes Championship. Tumbler<\/em>\u2019s win in the second race of the day was the result of a precision start at the pin end of the line that allowed them to immediately tack, cross the fleet and sail their way to a wire-to-wire win. Five points now separates Tumbler<\/em> and second-placed Lounge Lizard II<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"J\/70s <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n J\/70s off the start chasing Cate Terhune-Muller’s Casting Couch<\/i>, class leaders after two days. <\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

After two days and seven races, Clark Pellett\u2019s J\/105<\/strong> Sealark is at ease at the front of the 14-boat fleet. Pellett\u2019s \u201clongtime shipmate\u201d David Brown is filling in on the helm for the weekend, however as Pellett is tied up with work. Brown, a seasoned sailor with decades of racing experience, is a first-timer to Chicago\u2019s J\/105 buoy-racing fleet, but given the results of the first day (three race wins) you\u2019d never know it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only done the Chicago to Mackinac Race with Clark, not any buoy racing,\u201d Brown says. Despite some trepidation, however, Brown quickly found his rhythm. \u201cThe crew work is impeccable,” he says. “And a fast boat makes anybody look good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"J\/105 <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Sealark<\/i> leads the J\/105 fleet on Friday at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Despite a strong start to the series, Sealark<\/em>\u2019s second day of racing was a mixture of triumph and learning. \u201cWe won the first race with a good, nice, clean start,\u201d Brown says. The second race proved trickier, and an OCS made them work harder for their fourth-place finish. \u201cI didn\u2019t anticipate how quickly [the boat would] accelerate,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"J\/105 <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Sealark<\/i> leads in the J\/105 fleet.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

They got jammed in the third race, and the best they could claw back to was seventh\u2014an impressive feat in this competitive one-design fleet. With a self-deprecating chuckle, he summed up his day: \u201cI told the guys, I\u2019m human and thank you for digging us out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the finishes, at the end of the day, Sealark stretched its lead to 10 points, and Brown\u2019s strategy for tomorrow\u2019s racing is simple: \u201cWe\u2019ll protect the lead,\u201d he says, and \u201ccover the boats we need to beat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Youth <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Youth Keelboat Invitational teams race Sonars at the Chicago Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series.<\/span>\n Walter Cooper<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

On the one-design circle further north near Chicago\u2019s Belmont Harbor, Craig Roehl and Edward Mui crew on the Tartan 10<\/strong> Meat<\/em> fleet continue to have their way with three top-five finishes, but the team of the day is Stephen Pratt and Lisa Thomas\u2019 The Penguin, which won two races and beat Meat in all three. Cate Muller-Terhune\u2019s Casting Couch won three more races to grow its lead over the talent-laden J\/70<\/strong> fleet to 20 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the ILCA fleets, Emilio Bocanegra Lopez won all five races in the ILCA 6<\/strong> division and Clayton DeBruyn did the same in the ILCA 7<\/strong>s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n