Seabrook, TX:
The First J/105, Fleet 17 Fall Invitational Regatta
turned out to be a wonderful event with 12 boats racing under Principal Race Officer Scott Tuma who ran a grueling 9-race event on Sep. 23rd.
The winds ranged from 6 to 14 knots on Galveston Bay at the end of the Clear Lake Channel entrance.
The winner and the most consistently great sailor was the “old man in the sea” O.J. Young sailing on his boat
NE NE
proving that he may be an older sailor than most, but he still got “it”!
A close finish, winning second was Steve Rhyne sailing on
Mojo
with only one point back, and John Barnett sailing
Pesto
finished third.
Uzi Ozeri, original creator of this regatta sailed on his boat
Infinity
resulting in fourth creating an excellent event! His boat showed flashes of amazing speed but apparently, the past week’s storm problems took its toll on these tough courses.
This regatta was created in September because the North American Championships will be held in October on this same site, and Fleet 17 felt the need to run a first-class racing event to get the local boats ready.
In late October, J/105s will be arriving from all over the USA & Bermuda enthusiastic to receive the Seabrook, Texas hospitality and prepared for the challenging fall winds.
The North American Championship will be the largest big-boat event ever held on Galveston Bay!
Seabrook Marina
is a major Sponsor and is helping to make this North American event happen, as evidenced by their Albert and Ernest Fay’s World 5.5- Meter Championships, as well as being a top-notch local marine service and repair facility and sailing supporting. When they saw we were planning this J/105 regatta of these 34-foot sailboats weighing 8000 lbs, they knew that boat transportation and launching would be a big challenge. Seabrook Marina is an excellent marina that has all the required special trucking and lifting facilities located off of HWY 146 just before you reach the Seabrook-Kemah Bridge. These facilities are conveniently situated near the event headquarters of
Lakewood Yacht Club
.
We look forward to seeing everyone at this challenging North American Championship Oct. 26th-29th!
For information about J/105 Fleet 17, contact John Barnett, Chairman of J/105 NAs at
J22B@comcast.net or 281 414 4010.
