Best of the Best

Thistle Class National Champion Wins U.S. Championship Of Champions

"Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory..." That's a quote from Eduardo Cordero's crew after two over-early starts (OCS) on Saturday, the final day of US Sailing's U.S. Championship of Champions hosted by Bayview Yacht Club and sailed in Flying Scots. Those two mistakes cost Cordero (Sayville, N.Y.) 42 points in two races and the victory.

What was too bad for Cordero and his crew was good for Mike Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.), the 2005 Thistle National Champion. Proving that it isn't over until it's really over, Ingham sailed a consistently conservative regatta, finishing with 59 points total in 19 races and earning US SAILING's Championship of Champions title.

Even after the two OCS hits on the final day, Sunfish Champion Cordero still finished in second place with 69.6 points, followed by the youngest competitor, 13-year-old Optimist Champion Matt Wefer (Glen Head, N.Y.) with 75 points. With his third-place finish, Wefer is one of the youngest competitors in the 30-year history of the event to finish this high. Wefer sailed with his father Douglas and Skip Dieball.

The U.S. Championship of Champions is comprised of 20 class champions selected by US SAILING from applications made by their class associations. The 2006 event will be hosted by Grande Maumelle Sailing Club outside of Little Rock, Ark. and sailed in Y-Flyers and applications are currently accepted for the 2006 event at www.ussailing.org/championships/adult/CofC.

Results:

1-M. Ingham - 59.00
2-E. Cordero - 69.60
3-M. Wefer - 75.00
4-B. Sprout - 112.00
5-S. Robertson - 115.12
6-N. Fast - 130.00
7-B. Rhoads - 133.00
8-J. Thompson - 146.00
9-S. Savage - 149.00
10-R. Tillman - 150.00