Friday’s final day of racing at US Sailing’s Chubb US Junior Championships on San Francisco Bay proved to be a climactic finish for all three talented fleets. The Sears Cup and the Bemis and Smythe Trophies were up for grabs in what was truly a great day for these young athletes. The San Francisco Yacht Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, and Tiburon Yacht Club were outstanding hosts for US Sailing’s oldest championship.

The J/22 fleet turned in another dazzling performance on the water. In the end, the team of Jack Barton (San Anselmo, Calif.), Sam Barton (San Anselmo, Calif.), Corey Lynch (Tiburon, Calif.), and Sammy Shea (Kentfield, Calif.) overcame a two point deficit going into today’s final three races to win the Sears Cup. Finishing second and just one point behind the winners was Michael Madigan (Newport Beach, Calif.), Jimmy Madigan (Newport Beach, Calif.), Jack Thompson (Newport Beach, Calif.), and Johannes McElvain (San Diego, Calif.). Barton and crew got off to the start they needed with a win in race nine. They added fifth place finishes in races 10 and 11. The fifth place was Barton’s throwout. Madigan and crew got off to a rough beginning to their day with a 12th place/OCS in race nine. They bounced back with fourth and third place finishes to close out the championship, but it was not enough t o catch Barton. Madigan had won five of the first six races of the event.

Christopher Ford (Millbrae, Calif.) and Daniel Ron (Belvedere, Calif.) continued their amazing regatta with two more wins in the C420 doublehanded fleet today to capture the Bemis Trophy. They won six of the 10 races conducted this week, including the final three. In second place, and nine points behind the winning team, was Kristopher Swanson (Kentfield, Calif.) and Alex Moody (Tiburon, Calif.). Swanson and Moody finished second and third in today’s races. They moved up from third to second on Friday.

This was only the second regatta Ford and Ron have sailed together, with the first being the Qualifier. “We haven’t sailed together much, but we have sailed against each other a lot,” said Ford. “We communicated really well about the state of the waves, the breeze, and were effectively able to keep the boat flat.”

Addison Hackstaff (St. Petersburg, Fla.) continued to excel on the singlehanded Byte CII course to win the Smythe Trophy by a six point margin. Hackstaff held off Clay Broussard (Houston, Texas), who was also very successful this week. Hackstaff and Broussard each posted finishes of first and second in today’s two races. The winning skipper won seven of 10 races in the regatta.

“I had no prior experience in the boat, so the key was to get it figured out as soon as possible,” said Hacskstaff.

Visit the event website at http://championships.ussailing.org/Youth/ChubbJrChampionships.htm for daily recaps, final results, videos by Chris Love, photos by Peter Lyons, and more.

US Sailing’s Chubb U.S. Junior Championships is sponsored by Chubb Insurance Group, Zim Sailing, Gill North America, and SWITLIK Survival Products. The Championship is a Sailors for the Sea - Clean Regattas certification event.

Championship Notes
• US Sailing Championship medals will be awarded to competitors who finish first through third.
• Sportsmanship and Seamanship Awards will be presented as follows: singlehanded – Faye Bennet Sportsmanship Award; doublehanded – Bemis Sportsmanship Award; triplehanded – Cox Sportsmanship Award.
• The Seamanship Trophy will be awarded to the triplehanded team that receives the greatest number of points for neatness and general ship-shape condition of their boats.

About US Sailing
The United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, provides leadership, integrity, and growth for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org .

About Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
Member insurers of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies form a multi-billion-dollar organization providing property and casualty insurance for personal and commercial customers through 4,000 independent agents and brokers worldwide. Since its founding in the seaport district of New York City in 1882, Chubb has been a leading insurer of marine-related operations. Chubb provides comprehensive insurance and loss control services to private yacht clubs, marina operators and yacht owners. Chubb’s global network includes branches and affiliates throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia. More information on Chubb may be obtained at www.chubb.com.

About Zim Sailing
Zim Sailing, headquartered in Warren, R.I. is the fastest growing manufacturer of one-design sailboats in North America. Currently, Zim manufactures and distributes the Optimist, Club 420, CFJ and the Byte CII. Zim’s customers include high schools, colleges, yacht clubs, community sailing centers and the passionate dinghy sailor. Zim boats have won several local, regional, National and North American championships since the company’s creation in 2008. Zim is dedicated to the success and growth of dinghy sailing. Zim’s experienced staff and support vehicles can be found at many regattas. For more information, please visit www.zimsailing.com or email info@zimsailing.com.

About Gill North America
Gill NA, with headquarters near Atlanta, Ga. is the sole distributor and licensee of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America including Caribbean, Central America, US and Canada. Gill is an apparel and accessories leader in the worldwide marine industry for over three decades and specializes in high tech, breathable waterproof clothing. The company tests, designs and markets a variety of performance-oriented, award-winning apparel and accessories for virtually every type of boating activity with product lines that include foul weather gear; interactive layering systems; footwear; gloves; bags; junior gear; scholastic gear and team wear. Available through hundreds of dealers nationally, Gill NA is the sole distributor and licensee of Gill-brand foul weather gear in North America, where it is the top selling yachting clothing brand. For more information on Gill NA, visit the company website at http://www.gillna.com/orcontact Lance Jones at Gill NA, (678) 730-5581 / e-mail: lance@gillna.com.

About SWITLIK Survival Products
SWITLIK is proud to be a sponsor of the U.S. Youth and Junior Sailing Championships, the pinnacle of performance dinghy sailing for America’s young adults. These fine young sailors exhibit the same type of drive, performance and perseverance that goes into every SWITLIK product.

Established in 1920, SWITLIK has been family owned and operated for four generations. Known worldwide as a manufacturer of the highest quality personnel safety and survival products for the marine, aviation and military/government markets, SWITLIK products are designed and manufactured in the USA to meet the toughest performance standards. From the world's finest race marks to the most trusted survival equipment and technical protective clothing, SWITLIK products are defined by Quality, Performance and Innovation, every day, in all we do. SWITLIK - Simply the best for over 90 years. For more information, please visit www.SWITLIK.com.

Jake Fish

Communication Manager

US Sailing

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Last Updated ( Saturday, 11 August 2012 )