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2022 International 110 National Championship Regatta
words by Skip Shapiro
Inverness YC hosted the 82nd International 110 National Championship regatta on Tomales Bay August 8-12. With the largest 110 fleet in the US, IYC hosts the regatta every three years.
Twenty boats competed in this year’s regatta, including two father-son teams from the recently formed fleet on Bainbridge Island, WA; two more family teams from Hull YC outside of Boston, MA, with 5-time Nationals champion Tom Craig crewing for his son Stewart; and 2013 champion Ross Weene from Bristol, RI. In all, five boats competed with family crews, which is always great to see. And as Class president and chief promoter, Milly Biller, likes to say, the 110 Class is a group of best friends that see each other once a year.
The International 110 is narrow 24-ft double-ended, two-person keelboat with a trapeze, that was first built in 1939. In the 1950s and 60s, they were actively raced out of Richmond YC. Since then, the center of gravity of the Class has migrated an hour’s drive away to Inverness YC where there are more than 20 boats.
The National Championship regatta is a 7-race, 1-throwout series raced over four days, and this year Tomales Bay served up its typical W to WNW breeze. Wind strength for the first two days was 6-10 kts, with occasional gusts in the mid-teens. For the final two days of racing, the wind piped up to 15-18 kts, with gusts over 20. Racers contended with puff wind shifts of up to 30 degrees at times, which is all too common on Tomales Bay.
Day 1, veteran 110 sailor David West, and renowned sailor but new to the 110, Skip Allan each won a race. However, with two seconds Ross Weene led Skip by a point. This was harbinger of how Ross and Skip would duke it out for the rest of the series.
The wind on Day 2 was also moderate, but with more dramatic wind shifts than the previous day. Once again, Skip Allan and David West each scored a win, and Ross kept his 1-point lead over Skip with a 2nd and 3rd.
Day 3 brought the more typical strong westerly, which presented more challenges for the competitors. Bren Meyer and Erik Bentzen each won a race, and Skip Allan took a 5-point lead over Ross Weene, who shrimped and fouled his spinnaker while leading the first race, and finished 9th.
With six races completed, each team’s worst score would be thrown out after the seventh and final race. To win the regatta, Skip needed to beat Ross, or have Ross finish 4th or worse. As expected, both teams kept a close eye on one another, and they traded off leading the fleet for the entire 5-leg race.
At the finish, Skip nosed out Ross by a few feet to win the race and the championship. It was a dramatic finish to a very competitive regatta.
Rounding out the rest of the top 5 boats: 3rd place went to David West, 4th to Bren Meyer and 5th to Erik Bentzen.
Final results available here: https://www.invernessyachtclub.com/r...tHQWY5/results.
Photo Gallery: https://www.h2oshots.com/2022-Sailin...-110-National/
words by Skip Shapiro
Inverness YC hosted the 82nd International 110 National Championship regatta on Tomales Bay August 8-12. With the largest 110 fleet in the US, IYC hosts the regatta every three years.
Twenty boats competed in this year’s regatta, including two father-son teams from the recently formed fleet on Bainbridge Island, WA; two more family teams from Hull YC outside of Boston, MA, with 5-time Nationals champion Tom Craig crewing for his son Stewart; and 2013 champion Ross Weene from Bristol, RI. In all, five boats competed with family crews, which is always great to see. And as Class president and chief promoter, Milly Biller, likes to say, the 110 Class is a group of best friends that see each other once a year.
The International 110 is narrow 24-ft double-ended, two-person keelboat with a trapeze, that was first built in 1939. In the 1950s and 60s, they were actively raced out of Richmond YC. Since then, the center of gravity of the Class has migrated an hour’s drive away to Inverness YC where there are more than 20 boats.
The National Championship regatta is a 7-race, 1-throwout series raced over four days, and this year Tomales Bay served up its typical W to WNW breeze. Wind strength for the first two days was 6-10 kts, with occasional gusts in the mid-teens. For the final two days of racing, the wind piped up to 15-18 kts, with gusts over 20. Racers contended with puff wind shifts of up to 30 degrees at times, which is all too common on Tomales Bay.
Day 1, veteran 110 sailor David West, and renowned sailor but new to the 110, Skip Allan each won a race. However, with two seconds Ross Weene led Skip by a point. This was harbinger of how Ross and Skip would duke it out for the rest of the series.
The wind on Day 2 was also moderate, but with more dramatic wind shifts than the previous day. Once again, Skip Allan and David West each scored a win, and Ross kept his 1-point lead over Skip with a 2nd and 3rd.
Day 3 brought the more typical strong westerly, which presented more challenges for the competitors. Bren Meyer and Erik Bentzen each won a race, and Skip Allan took a 5-point lead over Ross Weene, who shrimped and fouled his spinnaker while leading the first race, and finished 9th.
With six races completed, each team’s worst score would be thrown out after the seventh and final race. To win the regatta, Skip needed to beat Ross, or have Ross finish 4th or worse. As expected, both teams kept a close eye on one another, and they traded off leading the fleet for the entire 5-leg race.
At the finish, Skip nosed out Ross by a few feet to win the race and the championship. It was a dramatic finish to a very competitive regatta.
Rounding out the rest of the top 5 boats: 3rd place went to David West, 4th to Bren Meyer and 5th to Erik Bentzen.
Final results available here: https://www.invernessyachtclub.com/r...tHQWY5/results.
Photo Gallery: https://www.h2oshots.com/2022-Sailin...-110-National/
