The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series – Annapolis was hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club on May 13-15. The trickiest of all the race circles was that set in the middle of the Chesapeake’s strongest current and packed with J/70s. In the J/70 fleet, Ian Hill’s Sitella led the regatta before the day’s one and only race. John Heaton’s Emperia got the better of the start and went on to win the race while Sitella battled to recover from mid-fleet. “We got fouled in the start and that put us on the backfoot a bit,” said Terry Hutchinson, Sitella’s tactician. “But we had a good first beat, got around the top mark in 18th and clawed our way back to 11th from there.” Patience, he says, was the key to Sitella saving enough points to win by 2, and Hutchinson credited crewmates Dan Morris and Dave Hughes—a two-time Olympic sailor—for ways to get back into the race. “Dave was a huge help,” Hutchinson said. “This is the first time we’ve sailed together, and I can see why he has sailed for our country twice at the Olympics. He’s really good.” David Schoene’s uno mas topped the Corinthian division, and Charles Kowalyshyn’s Coalition the Mixed Plus. For comprehensive results, visit https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eid=14802.

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