J/70 STAMPEDE Three-Peats and DUTCH Wins J/88 Battle at Verve Cup Inshore

(Chicago, IL)- The end-of-summer sailing extravaganza off the famous Chicago lakefront, the Verve Cup Inshore Regatta, took place last weekend on Lake Michigan, hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Station. Blessed with unusually gorgeous weather, the fleet of fourteen J/70 and nine J/88 one-design classes enjoyed great racing and a total of seven races on the choppy waters of Lake Michigan.

J/70 Class
Remarkably, Bruno Pasquinelli’s STAMPEDE team from Fort Worth Boat Club in Fort Worth, TX, sailed “lights-out” all three days of the event, posting four bullets on their way to a “three-peat” performance or a total of just 12 pts to win the regatta handily! Sailing with Bruno was an all-star cast that included Ron Weed and Greiner Hobbs.

The balance of the podium included the Canadians on Kelly Hansen’s 7TH HEAVEN from the Reef Boat Club, winning three races on their way to garnering the silver medal with 14 pts. The final step on the podium for the bronze medal was taken by Laura & Leif Sigmund’s NORBOY from the host Chicago YC with a total of 19 pts.

There was a clear demarcation between the top three boats on the podium and the rest of the fleet, as all three boats traded off occupying the podium spots in virtually every race. The top five tied at 35 pts each, 16 pts back from the third spot. Winning that battle on countback was Jorgen Johnsson’s AQUAHOLIKS for fourth place, with Doug Fritz’s LIL BIT team from Sheridan Shore Yacht Club in Wilmette, IL having to settle for fifth place.

J/88 Class
After seven races in the J/88 class, it was not surprising to see an epic battle break out between three of the perennially top teams in the regatta. Going into the final day and final two races, the three teams (DUTCH, EXILE, BANTER) were essentially tied on points. Whoever beat whom in the last two races would determine the outcome for the podium. The outcome could not have been more surprising, or shocking, depending on which boat you were sailing! All three boats won races and mostly finished on the podium. A tiebreaker determined the winners, with 18 pts each! By winning the last two races, John Leahey’s DUTCH team from Colorado won the regatta, with Andy Graff’s EXILE crew from Chicago losing the countback to take silver! Just 3 pts back was Ben Marden’s BANTER, taking the bronze medal with 21 pts.

Rounding out the top five were Brian Kaczor’s ERICA in fourth place with 24 pts and David Dennison’s PIRANHA (that famous spinnaker!) taking fifth place with 35 pts.

For more Verve Cup Inshore Regatta sailing information
https://www.vervecup.com/