2007 Atlantic Coast Championship Summary

Ken Shluger, PRO Louise Woodruff and the folks at Niantic Bay Yacht Club in Niantic CT hosted the 2007 Atlantic Coast Championship on June 30th. The event was well attended by 22 boats from the New England area, which enjoyed a day of SW-WSW breeze at 10-15 knots.

Wind-wise the day started out with a left over northerly breeze that gave way to a classic Niantic sea breeze out of the SW.  Current was on the Ebb where local knowledge dictates to pay attention to the clockwise swirl in Niantic Bay.

The race committee got in six highly competitive races, with the Gillmans (Kevin & Birgit, Madison, CT) battling the Vanns (Jay & Madison, Yorktown, VA) for the top 2 spots, respectively.   Joe Healy and Mindy Merritt (Stormville, NY) went up against Chris Vann and Amy Williams (Niantic, CT) to take third place by just one point.

Duck Island Yacht Club supported its sister fleet in Niantic by bringing six boats to the event. The regatta was filled with exciting starts, verbal mark roundings and challenging conditions.

There were many crewtons out there (those little kids that make for great crew in light air). All the kids did an awesome job and had big smiles on their faces out on the course.  The increasing breeze as the afternoon progressed was just too much air to keep some of the lighter boats upright. Brandon Flack and his 4 yr. old daughter, Lily, retired after two races for a nap. When we asked Lily what her favorite part of the day was- she said she liked going fast the best. Watch out for Lily in a few years!

This event was not only the Atlantic Coast Championship, but also a Vann family reunion. For the first time in many years, four boats were skippered by Vann's. While most of the competitors had their sights on the defending North American Champion, Jay Vann, the Vann's (Jay, Chris, Mike, and Lenny) were out to beat each other. Check out the results for which Vann left with bragging rights.

A great day of competition and fun was had by all.

Photos

Results