Harbor Springs, MI–August 11, 2019– Chris Kostanecki’s Jennifer handled the closing race of the J/70 Corinthian US National Championship like true experts. They came into Sunday’s final pair of races with a three-point advantage over Scott Sellers’ Tres Burritos. But Sellers nailed another bullet (his fourth of the regatta) in race seven to take the lead. Back came Kostanecki, with crew Matt Sessions, Carlos Robles and Scott Kozinchik, to win the eighth and final contest and become the 2019 J/70 Corinthian National Champions. Sellers placed eighth in that race for the runner-up position, ultimately five points behind the winner. A couple of threes on Sunday shot Jake Christy’s Pale Horse into the bronze spot with 37 points. Thirty-six all-amateur teams competed at Little Traverse Yacht Club in Harbor Springs, MI from August 9-11. All three days saw postcard conditions of blue skies, temperatures in the 70s and breeze in the mid-teens. There was not a single General Recall or protest during the eight-race series. This event was California-based Kostanecki’s first in Harbor Springs. “Fresh water, windy, and the waves were bigger and steeper than San Francisco,” he summarized. “It was the Pure Michigan experience with world-class people and social activities.” Kostanecki admitted that “We thought we threw it away. Thank you to my team who worked hard in some difficult moments.” Jackson Benvenutti of North Sails coached the Corinthian competitors daily via a RIB and again post-race at LTYC with video education, including debriefs from each day’s race winners. Photos are available on the USA J/70 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6020.
Top five:
- Jennifer, Chris Kostanecki – 3 -3 -4 -6 -1 -2 -[10] -1 ; 20
- Tres Burritos, Scott Sellers – 1 -4 -1 -[11] -9 -1 -1 -8 ; 25
- Pale Horse, Jake Christy – 5 -7 -2 -[13] -13 -4 -3 -3 ; 37
- Wild Child, Henry Filter – 2 -12 -9 -1 -5 -6 -[14] -4 ; 39
- Sistership, Peter Vessella – 6 -5 -3 -2 -[11] -5 -11 -9 ; 41