Chris Doyle of New York showed why he is the reigning J/22 World Champion on the opening day of the 2016 J/22 World Championship. Three races were completed in gorgeous Lake Ontario conditions at the event hosted by CORK/Sail Kingston in Ontario, Canada. However, Doyle should not rest easy: Brad Julian is coming for him.
Doyle, sailing with Will Harris and Adam Burns, finished Monday with 10 points, after scoring a 4,4,2. Mike Marshall won the opening contest, then added a 5,10 for 16 points and second place. Brad Julian recovered from a 19 to earn two bullets for 21 points and third overall. After an on-water postponement as the seabreeze settled in, the winds began at 6-8 knots but built to 8-12, as Marshall, Marvin Beckmann and Terry Flynn made up the top three in the opening battle.
Race two saw the highest breeze at 12-17 with gusts in the low 20s. Behind Julian were Bay sailors Jeff Todd (5th place with 26 points) and Zeke Horowitz (8th place with 33 points). Chris Gaffney is currently in 9th place with 34 points, while Gunnar Gode wraps up Fleet 19's presence with 50 points good for a 16th place finish. The winds dropped to 13-15 in the day’s final duel, won again by Julian, as Doyle and Travis Odenbach took the next two spots.
You can follow along with all the results here.
Follow along with the action at the J/22 International Class Association's Facebook page. Among the regatta entrants are the recipients of the first ever US J/22 Class Association scholarship boat, led by skipper Patrick Shanahan of Brown University. Also racing is the Warrior Sailing Program, which introduces active military and veterans with disabilities to sailing. Ed Norton is helming USA1367, and they are currently in 26th place out of 41.
Forty-one teams continue racing through Thursday.
