As the 2022 season comes to an end, let’s recap some notable races, finishes, and fleet events.
The season largely kicked off with the San Diego NOOD’s. The fleet battled light and shifty conditions, with Chick Pyle’s Kea easily taking first place, Sailhook taking second, and Larry Smith’s PI taking third. The San Diego fleet is one of the largest and most competitive 36.7 fleets around. SDYC also hosted the Yachting Cup, which brought 36.7's from around the state, once again with Kea taking the win, Peter Cohran’s Rhode Rage taking second, and Thomas Shepherd’s Kraken taking third.
With boats launching in the midwest, the Great Lakes fleet kicked off their season with the Chicago NOOD regatta. The conditions were mixed, and the fleet was large. 11 36.7’s in all. Jarrett Altmin’s Soulshine took first place, Antoni Czupryna’s Erizo De Mar took second, and James Clouser’s Joie De Vie took third. Unfortunately there were not enough boats for a One Design start in the Bayview One Design Regatta, but congratulations to Bob Duker’s Gail Force for taking second in the handicapped fleet.
Later on in June, the Chicago to Waukegan race departed Chicago in wavy and windy conditions. 11 36.7’s participated in this distance race, with some boats sailing long distances to compete in the racing. Robert Nelson’s Free Radical took first, Greg Rasmussen’s FOG took second, and O’Haver’s Northern Light took third. There was a great party in Waukegan, and on the way back, in equally windy downwind conditions, Mark Bouckaert’s Gaucho took first, Free Radical took second, and Northern Light took a close third.
There weren’t quite enough boats to make a One Design class in this year's running of the Collingwood invitational regatta, but Ralph Neate’s HAVOC took third place, and Trevor Kenopic’s Delirium took seventh. The Lake Ontario fleet would love to see more class participation in this event!
The season continues with the Mac races, which generally draw a massive amount of 36.7’s to compete. This year was no exception. The Bayview Mac race saw seven 36.7’s battling it out in the mostly light wind race. Greg Chamberlain’s HUZZAH took first place in the 36.7 fleet, and second place overall, a very impressive placement. Jerry Somalski’s Sohest took second, Gabrielle Stephens' Bella Luna took third, and Bob Duker’s Gail Force took fourth.
Moving onto the Chicago to Mac race, nineteen Beneteau 36.7’s started on the windy Saturday morning, all making the trek 333 miles north towards Mackinac Island. Saturday night held extreme storms with winds topping eighty knots, waves building to five to seven feet, and the fleet was given an incredible lightning show all night long. Sunday had lighter winds and nice weather, while Sunday night held yet another nasty storm, with forty knots of wind right on the nose. The fleet finished on Monday morning, and enjoyed a fantastic party on the island. Jason Veatch’s Veni Vidi Veatchi took first, Soulshine took second, Earle Atwater’s Program took third, and just three seconds behind was Northern Light in fourth. What a race it was, and the 36.7 fleet once again showed its colors.
The Georgian Bay Regatta was the next event on the roster, HUZZAH took 10th overall, Chaos took 11th, and Delirium took 16th. Our Lake Ontario fleet has exciting competition, and is quickly growing!
The VERVE Cup was next, back in Chicago. Twelve 36.7’s raced the waters of Chicago, in some pretty intense conditions. Soulshine took first, Peter Wright’s Maggie Mae took second, Erizo De Mar took third, and Peter Nielsen’s Eclipse took fourth. The VERVE cup is a great event, and the 36.7 fleet was one of the largest in the entire fleet.
The Beneteau First 36.7 World Cup was held in Helsinki Finland. This event has historically been very exciting, and the winner gets to hold the title of ‘world's best 36.7 sailor.’ For one year at least. The world's best 36.7 sailor this year is Joonas Sandholm with his boat Arwen. In second is Jukka Siren on Siren Song, and in third is Lauri Loikkanen aboard Bella Trix.
Back in North America, the Lake Ontario 300 and Scotch Bonnet races were underway. Competing in these races we had Brian Rutter’s Neptune's Car, Bob Bartholomew’s Tenacious, Alec Melnikov’s Ariadna, Pasquale Leone’s Hammertime II, Giles Osborne’s First Pilot, and Christopher Hubble’s Ravage.
Wrapping up the season was the Beneteau First 36.7 North American Championship race. Hosted by the National Yacht Club in Toronto. The conditions were mostly light - medium, with beautiful sunny skies. Twelve Beneteau 36.7’s took to the waters of Toronto, and in first place was Richard Reid’s Zingara, in second was Alice Martin’s Painkiller 5, in third place was Almir Tavares’s Finale, and in fourth was Brian Rutter’s Neptune's Car.
Thank you everyone for a great season! If fleet captains could please send their 2023 event roster in to willohaver@gmail.com at their earliest convenience, that would be great. Have a happy holiday season!