3 MONTH RACE OVERVIEW

The annual inter-club 26nm GA-FL Ocean Challenge Race from St. Simons Island, GA to Amelia Island, FL was held on Saturday, October 18 with 10 sailboats and 44 sailors participating. There were seven boats racing in the Spinnaker Class, four from Amelia Island Sailing Club (AISC) and three from Golden Isles Sailing Club (GISC). In the Non-spinnaker Class, there were two boats from AISC, and one from GISC. 

It was a picture-perfect day, sunny, warm, light seas with some swells and winds from the E/ESE at 8-10 knots. Slightly more wind would have been desirable from the NE/ENE, however all the spinnaker boats were able to raise their chutes just after the 9:00 am start. Valkyrie was the first Spinnaker sailboat to cross the finish line at 1:06 pm, and Tiger Tale was first Non-spinnaker boat finishing only 10 minutes later at 1:16 pm.

After applying PHRF handicaps to elapsed times the first three finishers in each class: 

Spinnaker Class:

• 1st Place - AISC - Justin Pelham-Webb's Valkyrie - John Laudenslager and Rene Brand at the helm
• 2nd Place - AISC - Wilby Whitt's Misty - Fred Eichmann on the helm
• 3rd Place - AISC - Norm Wentworth on Morning Glory 

Non-spinnaker Class:

• 1st Place - AISC - Bill Kavanaugh on Tiger Tale
• 2nd Place - AISC - Gary Sanders on Salty Sally 
• 3rd Place - GISC - Greg Zarus on Gallivant 

Ocean Challenge Cup Winner - AISC with 7 points vs. GISC with 19 points. The club that wins the Ocean Challenge Cup is determined by summing the finish places of an equal number of boats in each class from AISC and GISC, with the total of both classes determining the winner.

See full results and photos from the race and awards ceremony by clicking on the links below: