BRAVO Wins J/111 North American Championship in Youngstown
(Youngstown, NY)- This past week, the Youngstown Yacht Club in Youngstown, NY hosted the 2026 J/111 North American Championship from August 26th to 29th. An excellent fleet of fourteen boats enjoyed great racing on western Lake Ontario. In the end, it was somewhat of a proverbial “schooling” by the remarkable team on Sedgwick Ward’s BRAVO that eclipsed the fleet in very challenging, closely fought battles around the race track. Here is how it all went down on the final day.
After Friday’s weather conditions prevented racing, the sailors returned to the water for a decisive final day. The Youngstown YC RC/PRO team led by Chip Till completed three races to bring the Championship series to a full 10 races. Lake Ontario delivered remarkably consistent weather, with a south-southwesterly breeze starting around 9.2 knots and building to 10.9 knots for the final race.
FIREBALL, sailed by Bill & Jackie Baxter, opened the final day with the win, followed by Jeffrey Davis’ SHAMROCK and Peter Wagner’s SKELETON KEY. Kevin & Seth Young’s BLACK SEAL answered with the Race 9 victory. Sedgwick and Andrew Ward’s BRAVO finished second, with SKELETON KEY collecting another top-three finish. With the breeze building for the final contest, BRAVO closed the regatta emphatically with the Race 10 bullet. Chip Merlin’s CHIPS AHOY finished second, and Rob Ruhlman’s SPACEMAN SPIFF took third.
After 10 races, Sedgwick and Andrew Ward’s BRAVO emerged as the 2026 J/111 North American Champion with 19 points, completing an impressive series that included three race victories and a 15-point advantage over the teams tied for second. For Andrew Ward, the Championship marked the culmination of years of work, saying, “This Championship has been a long time coming for us. We’ve worked really hard for 14 years, learning how to sail and compete at this level, and to finally have all of that work pay off with a North American Championship is incredibly rewarding.”
The balance of the podium was determined by a tiebreaker at 19 pts each between three-time J/111 North American champion Peter Wagner on SKELETON KEY and the Great Lakes J/111 Champion Jeff Davis on SHAMROCK. The countback went in favor of SHAMROCK to take the silver medal, with Wagner’s veteran SKELETON KEY crew settling for the bronze medal.
Rounding out the top five were Kevin & Seth Young’s BLACK SEAL with 40 points and Bill & Jackie Baxter’s FIREBALL with 41 points.
Corinthians Division
Douglas Clarke’s MONEYPENNY finished eighth overall and captured the Corinthian Championship. LEADING EDGE, sailed by Tom Sutton, finished second in the division, followed by Martin Zonnenberg’s QUICKDRAW.
For Clarke, the Corinthian title represents one of the qualities that makes J/111 competition special—the opportunity for amateur sailors to measure themselves directly against professional teams. “One of the special things about this Class is that we get to race against professionals. There aren’t many sports where amateurs can compete directly against professionals, so being competitive with them, winning the Corinthian fleet, and even beating a professional team is incredibly rewarding. It tells you that you’re getting close. For those of us who go to work every day and come down here to sail for fun, that’s really what you’re striving for.”
The four-day Championship tested competitors and race management alike. From delayed breeze on the opening day to four races completed Thursday, Friday’s abandonment, and Saturday’s three-race finale, the Race Committee capitalized on every available racing opportunity. The hospitality ashore proved equally memorable, with Youngstown Yacht Club members, volunteers, and staff welcoming the J/111 fleet. Till praised the entire organization for delivering an event worthy of national recognition, saying, “The Youngstown Yacht Club Race Committee team, shoreside staff, and bar staff have been absolutely amazing throughout this Championship. Youngstown Yacht Club truly knocked it out of the park. Hats off to everyone at YYC for delivering an exceptional event. In my opinion, they are absolutely deserving of a nomination for the St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy.”
The J/111 Class extends its sincere appreciation to Youngstown Yacht Club, PRO Chip Till and the entire Race Committee, the club’s members, volunteers, harbormaster, shoreside and hospitality teams for their commitment throughout the Championship. The 2026 J/111 North American Championship was made possible with the support of Youngstown Community Boating, Quantum Sails, Savoir Travel, and Dyneema.
Sailing photo credits: Tim Wilkes Photography
https://www.timwilkes.com/searchlinksJ111NA26.html
For more J/111 North American Championship sailing information and results
https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu/50514