The Woodies Invitational (June 4-6) was a hotbed of competition, as Knarr sailors sought to close in on one of the 12 available U.S. team berths to the International Knarr Championship Regatta (Aug. 7-14).  This three-day (5 race) Woodies Invitational series was hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club on the City Front.  Five different skippers won a race, reflecting how tight the competition is at the top.  Chris Perkins won the regatta with consistent finishes of 1,2,2,5,6.  His brother, and two-time IKC champion, Jon Perkins finished second with scores of 2,5,1,2,16. The second through sixth place finishers were separated by just five points.

The regatta had its share of drama as the City Front series unfolded.  On Friday, two pre-race favorites,  Hans Williams and Don Nazzal, collided at the start.  Nazzal was also OCS (on course side at the start), and committed a costly error by not returning completely below the starting line to restart properly.  Sean Svendsen committed a costly foul when he port tacked Jon Perkins.  This cost him 5 or 6 finish positions.  In Saturday’s racing Steve Taft collided with the regatta winner, Chris Perkins, and race committee boat at the start.  Mark Dahm suffered a costly race breakdown, and could not complete the afternoon race, when his main halyard broke.  Sean Svendsen said, “Going into the last race there were still some podium places up for grabs.  For most of us there were a lot of small variables that could have dramatically changed the final outcome.  Only Chris sailed a relatively flawless regatta.  He really deserved to win.”

Four races are left in the IKC qualifying series.  For complete results for the Woodies Invitational, visit the St. Francis Yacht Club website at www.stfyc.com.