September 2014
2014 North American Yngling Championship
Alpena, Michigan
August 7-10, 2014
Nineteen Yngling “families” from across the country and Canada gathered in Alpena, Michigan August 7th-10th for the 35th North American Yngling Championship. Regatta Chairwoman, Karen Upham, promised fair sailing under fair skies with fair winds on Thunder Bay and delivered all as well as great parties to renew friendships.
Day 1 started off with a rowing race for the Leslie Friendship Trophy in a traditional Mackinac Boat while the race committee waited for the wind to pick up. The Sakonnet team bested Alpena and Minnetonka while the crowd cheered. Despite the delay 3 races were sailed in a gradually increasing sea breeze.
The day two playbook was the same as day one and the teams celebrated at the NOAA Thunder Bay Maritime Heritage Center with fine food and drink glad that stories that the museum told of shipwrecks were of the distant past and not the day’s racing.
As the top five places were still up for grabs all were eager for Sunday’s last race and a chance to improve. Again the wind stayed too light to race until the sea breeze started and with expert timing Regatta PROs, David and Carol Gross, got the last race off with less than a minute to spare.
Newcomer to the Yngling, Jens Hovgaard from Toronto, Canada finished first sailing with Kevin Gallagher and John Ingalls. Bruce Chafee, Melody Badgett and Cushing Anderson finished second. Steve Wilson improved his position to 3rd with niece, Erin, and Kevin VanWagner. Rounding out the top five were Mark Upham sailing with Ben Diamond and Phil Hartmeyer and Joe Jacquemin sailing with his dad, Walt, and Aaron Diamond. Jessica Resnick, Parker Wedge and Cayman Nelson won the Alpena Cup for the highest finishing youth team.
We look forward to seeing everyone again at the 2015 North American Yngling Championships in Okoboji, Iowa Next August 6th-9th.
August, 2013
2013 YNGLING OPEN NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
AUGUST 8-11, 2013
SAKONNET YACHT CLUB
Sakonnet, Rhode Island
The 2013 Yngling North American Championships were superlative in every way. There were big winds and big seas, there were light winds and little seas, and there was great competition in a great locale. But, best of all, fantastic friendships were renewed and new ones formed as teams, young and old assembled in Sakonnet, Rhode Island from throughout the country and as far away as Norway.
The first day’s racing brought winds up to 25 knots, rain and an angry cross sea that saw many experienced Yngling broached and some blood spilled. All provided for an abundance of sea stories under the big top tent set up by regatta organizers, Mary Douglas and Cushing Anderson.
By the second morning all were eager for the more moderate conditions and the fleet was able to complete 2 races before the sea breeze kicked in again. Again, there was enough carnage for more tall tales a great evening of lobster, local beer and music.
Day three dawned with a light northerly breeze and there were no complaints as the wind faded at the end of the final race of the series.
Ellie Field returned to the top of the podium after a decade’s hiatus as “Queen of Yngling North America” with John and Luke Ingalls as crew. Bruce Chafee, sailing with Dustin Hawks and Melody Badgett, found himself in familiar waters finishing 2nd place with a consistent string of 5 2nds. New comer to the Yngling class, Bob Lippincott finished 3rd and claimed the Alpena Cup for the top finishing all youth team sailing with Steve and Pete Pelligrini.
All hit the road with a collection of sea stories. Please share yours (usa-president@yngling.org) for inclusion in our new Shark Bytes column:
