Fourth time in a row

Lars Guck secures yet another A-Class Catamaran North American Championship

Lars Guck (Bristol, RI) convincingly won the 2009 A-Class Catamaran North American Championship held over May 11-15 at the Fort Walton Yacht Club in Fort Walton Beach, FL. This win was Guck’s fourth consecutive victory in this championship having won the 2006 event in Bristol, RI, the 2007 event in Galesville, MD, the 2008 event in Santa Cruz, CA, and this event in Fort Walton Beach.

Guck won 8 of 11 races sailed in this event. The other race winners were first time A-Class racer Jim Leonard (Birmingham, AL) who won race 1, and Pease Glaser (Long Beach, CA) who won races 7 and 10. The remaining top five finishers in the event were Pete Melvin (Huntington Beach, CA) in 2nd, Matt Struble (Wixom, MI) in 3rd, Andrew Gaynor (Barrington, RI) in 4th, and Bob Hodges (Covington, LA) in 5th. The top master (50 and over) was Bob Hodges, the top Grand Master (60 and over) was Woody Cope (Tampa, Fl) who also finished 7th overall.

42 sailors competed in this event which was the largest North American Championship fleet in the event’s history. It was also probably the most competitive ever with three Olympic medalists competing (Jay and Pease Glaser, Randy Smyth), five World Champions (Guck, Melvin, Struble, Smyth, and Jay Glaser), a Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (Pease Glaser), and many sailors who have won national and North American titles in other classes.

Conditions for the event were light to moderate. All 11 races scheduled were completed even though Day 1 had only one very light and very shifty race completed. Days 2 and 3 were fantastic sailing with 10-12 knots of seabreeze each day allowing sailors to fly hulls on the downwind legs. The last day of racing started out with the first race being abandoned but the seabreeze filled in and two races were completed in 8-10 knots of wind.

As the A-Class is a development class, a summary of this event would not be complete without some discussion on the equipment used by the top finishers. Lars Guck sailed a brand new Guck Marine A3 with a Fiberspar mast and Glaser sail. Pete Melvin sailed a Morelli and Melvin A3 with a Hall mast and Glaser sail. Matt Struble sailed an AHPC Flyer Mark I with a Fiberspar mast and Ashby sail. Andrew Gaynor sailed a Morelli and Melvin A2 with a Hall mast and Glaser sail. Bob Hodges sailed a Morelli and Melvin A3 with a Hall mast and Glaser sail.

FWYC regatta chairmen Sam and Jennifer Grant and FWYC PRO Tom Warner provided excellent racing management and onshore activities organization. There were only two general recalls during the event and no protests filed which is a testament to the great courses set by the race committee. Each afternoon, a cold keg of beer was waiting for the competitors (thanks to sponsor Beach Liquors). Sponsors Ronstan, ZHIK, Hall Spars and Rigging and Sailing Anarchy donated gear and clothing for a mid-week raffle at the regatta banquet. These sponsors also donated items for a silent raffle that raised over $800 for a local children’s charity. Sponsor Emerald Sails provided technical support for measurement and last but not least Bluestreak Boatworks, the newest US A-Class manufacturer also provided support to the event.

Next year’s championship will be held in September 2010 on the western shores of Lake Erie at North Cape Yacht Club north of Toledo, OH.