(Rochester, NY)– The 2013 U.S. Adult Sailing Championship, hosted by the
Rochester Yacht Club, came down to the wire in an epic finish on Lake Ontario
Sunday. David Klatt's (Oxnard, Calif.) talented team pulled out the victory
with a win in a climactic final race this afternoon to earn the Clifford D.
Mallory Trophy.
Klatt had a one point
lead over Pat Toole (Santa Barbara, Calif.) going into the last day and a two
point advantage after Race 7. The top five teams were separated by just five
points with two races to go. By the end of the day, Klatt prevailed by four
points over Pat Toole (Santa Barbara, Calif.). Bryan Dyer (Fort Worth, Texas)
finished nine points back in third place. Fourth was Rodger Voss (Lake George
Club) and fifth was Frank McNamara (Eastern Yacht Club).Similar to Saturday's conditions, the J/24 fleet raced in a light southeasterly. Rodger Voss (Albany, N.Y.) won Race 7, followed by Klatt and Toole. The table was set for an exciting finale.
Toole got off the line with great speed and Klatt was directly to the leeward side of the course. Klatt took the lead around the first mark and Dyer was second, followed by Fitzgerald and Toole. The wind picked up velocity throughout Race 8. Klatt and Toole were in a match racing duel in the course's final leg, which had been extended by the Race Committee. Toole needed to pull ahead of Klatt and put two boats between him and Klatt to win championship. However, Klatt pulled away for the dramatic win to seal the title.
"We were in a mini
tacking duel with Santa Barbara (Yacht Club) down the stretch," explained
Klatt. "We rounded the top mark in second and our goal was do nothing
radical, but Texas (Fort Worth Boat Club) got in the way. All three of us jibed
over at once. We were able drift in to win in the race. It was a great way to
finish the regatta.""I've been competing with these guys for years now," said Klatt, the 2004 J/24 North American Champion. "We also recruited some guys like tactician Garrett Baum."
"I'd like to race again at J/24 Worlds. I haven't raced at worlds since 2007. I'll be sailing J/24s for as long as I can," he added. Watch the J/24 Mallory Cup sailing video on YouTube. For more J/24 Clifford D Mallory Trophy/ US Sailing Adult Championship sailing information
