J/88 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

BY GREG MIARECKI

In September, the Chicago Yacht Club hosted the J/88 North American Championships. The J/88 is a 29-foot performance keelboat and is one of the up and coming classes in the sport of sailing. Each boat typically sails with a crew of six persons. The local fleet, known as Fleet 4, is the largest J/88 fleet in the United States, and many of its members are also members of the Club. Past Commodore Greg Miarecki served as chair of the regatta, Past Commodore Leif Sigmond served as its Principal Race Officer, and Rear Commodore Ray Groble served as Chief Judge for the event. The Chicago Yacht Club Race Committee provided superb race management for the 26-boat fleet. Mother Nature gave the competitors a little bit of everything, as conditions varied dramatically during the four-day regatta. Thursday featured northerly winds topping 20 knots for much of the day, with five to seven-foot waves. Friday’s conditions offered light and lumpy conditions, with southeast winds in the six-to-eightknot range for much of the day. Saturday brought lighter southwesterlies and a smoother sea state. And the finale on Sunday offered west to northwest winds in the ten-15 knot range, with gusts topping 20 knots. The Club rolled out the red carpet for the competitors, offering free pours each night and a semi-formal dinner for the teams on Saturday. Club members and competitors, together, enjoyed a luau-themed dinner by Chef Larry (complete with a roast pig) on Friday evening. More than 250 members and sailors joined the fun, rocking to the sounds of Libido Funk Circus, one of the top regatta bands in the United States.

Competition was intense. Fellow CYC members John and Jordan Leahey won overall honors in the regatta. Sailing in the Corinthian Division, Dutch also took home the prize for the top Corinthian boat. Dutch won in convincing fashion, scoring four bullets in the 12-race series. “Sailing with nearly two dozen other J/88’s in a championship regatta was an awesome experience,” commented John Leahey, Dutch’s skipper. “We saw a little bit of everything in this regatta, and the competition was outstanding. It was great to see so many teams doing well at various points this weekend,” Leahey added. Many other Chicago Yacht Club members also did well in the regatta. Lindsey Duda’s Sin Duda! scored two wins apiece in the 12-race series. Michael and Grace Gillian’s Julia won Saturday’s contests with a 1-2-3 performance in the three races that day, good enough for a thirdplace finish in the Corinthian division. The J/88 fleet is looking forward to competing in many Chicago Yacht Club races in 2023 and keeping the class’s North American trophy at Chicago Yacht Club. ✶