Navy J/105 Team Wins Overall in 2007 Ft. Lauderdale Race
J/105 Dreadnaught crew, pictured above, sailed to an overall
victory against a fleet of over 60 boats in the 2007 Ft Lauderdale to Key
West Ocean Race winning several of the event trophies. The 160 mile race
started on Jan 10 in the Atlantic Ocean under ideal racing conditions with
25 plus knots of northeasterly wind and 6 - 8 foot waves. It was perfect
planning conditions for the J/105 and the Midshipmen regularly hit speeds in
the mid teens as they sprinted down the Florida coast toward Key West.
The Navy was represented by two VOST crews of Midshipmen
for the race each sailing aboard donated J/105s:
MIDN 1/C Tim Burchett skippered Dreadnought with 2/C John
Hayes as XO, 1/C Ryan Field as navigator,and 1/C Jared Webster, 2/C James
Lawsing and 3/C Will Arnest as trimmers.
MIDN 1/C Evan Scott skippered Allegiance with 1/C Reid
Smythe as XO, 2/C Mark McClure as Navigator and 2/C Sarah Horn, 3/C Tom
Oberdorf, and 3/C Andrew Poulin as trimmers.
After the start, both 105s surged to the front of their
class and battled each other furiously for first place, swapping the lead 8
times in the race's first 70 miles. At approximately 2300 and just south of
Key Largo, however, the Allegiance team spun out resulting in a blown
spinnaker. With the less powerful backup spinnaker as a replacement,
the match race with Dreadnought was effectively over, but Allegiance still
managed second in their class.
Dreadnought stayed on track and sailed flawlessly through
the remainder of the night finishing the race in Key West Harbor at first
light on Thursday morning. Allegiance finished soon thereafter approx. 3
miles behind.
Once the entire fleet was docked and the results
calculated, 1/C Burchett's team learned that they had convincingly beat not
only their class but the entire fleet with 1/C Scott and his Allegiance crew
garnering a respectable second. At the prize giving, Burchett and crew were
awarded first place in class, the Navigator's Trophy for first place in
fleet, and the Sponsors Trophy for best overall performance, an incredibly
impressive haul for their efforts.
Complete Results Here
For more information, contact Jahn Tihansky at Navy
Sailing.
Jahn S. Tihansky Director
Varsity Offshore Sailing Team
U.S. Naval Academy 410-293-5608
tihansky@email.usna.edu
Speed |
Dreadnaught |
 |
Allegiance |
Both Crews |
|
