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12 Metre World Championship:
World Titles Claimed in Four Divisions
NEWPORT, R.I. (July 13, 2019) – It couldn’t have been any more exciting on the fifth and final day of the 2019 12 Metre World Championship hosted by Ida Lewis Yacht Club and organized by the International Twelve Metre Association’s (ITMA) Americas Fleet. With Nyala (US-12) having clinched her series early in the Vintage Division after a sweep of yesterday’s two races, it came down to today’s single race to determine World Champions in Grand Prix, Modern and Traditional Divisions. A 12 Metre Spirit Division also sailed, but with no World Championship at stake. Competing in total were 21 historic 12 Metres from six countries – the largest fleet ever gathered in North America.
In the fiercely contested eight-boat Modern Division, the stakes were high today for Challenge XII (KA-10), owned and skippered by Jack LeFort of Jamestown, R.I. Last night the team was disqualified after a protest hearing with Courageous (US-26), sailed by a Newport contingent led by Ralph Isham, Steve Glascock, Alexander Auersperg, Ward Marsh and Art Santry (helmsman). Falling from first overall to second, Challenge XII was tied on point score with third-place Courageous and two points behind Enterprise (US-27), helmed by Clay Deutsch of Newport. Going into today’s race LeFort knew that to win his division, he had to beat Courageous and put a boat between his team and Enterprise. He did that and more, closing out Courageous at the start and going on to win the race with a buffer of three boats on Enterprise. (Enterprise and Courageous wound up second and third, respectively.)
“We were obviously pretty low after getting thrown out last night (for tacking too close to Courageous at a mark),” said LeFort after racing. “We had to get everybody focused to keep doing what we’ve been doing.” With today’s victory, Challenge XII counted five first-place finishes in its nine-race series.
In the Grand Prix Division, where four boats from three countries competed, Denmark’s Legacy (KZ-5), helmed by Thomas Andersen with Jesper Bank serving as tactician, took the World Championship title with a one-point lead over New Zealand (KZ-3), owned by Gunther & Maggie Buerman of Newport, R.I. and co-helmed by fellow Newporter Brad Read and Lexi Gahagan of Wilmington, Del. As close as it was, however, Legacy had the series pretty much wrapped today. “We had to be very calm, enjoy the race and not be too hard working,” said Andersen, who counts this as his first time ever sailing a 12 Metre. “Even if we finished fourth we’d still win; we just couldn’t get disqualified or break down.”
Andersen said that Legacy, New Zealand and Kookaburra II (KA-12), owned by Patrizio Bertelli and helmed by Brazil’s Torben Grael, all seemed to be the same speed. “They were very fast, and we were lucky to beat them,” he said. “We could have easily been in third place.”
Columbia’s (US-16) owner and tactician, Kevin Hegarty of Newport with Anthony Chiurco of Princeton, N.J. at the helm took the World title in the Traditional Division after winning today’s final race. “We only had to make sure we beat Nefertiti (US-19) today, but before racing we talked about whether we should cover Nefertiti or just try to win,” said Hegarty. “We voted on going for it all and getting a first-place finish. We’re pretty psyched; we made many improvements to the boat over the winter and really prepared for this championship. It paid off.” Nefertiti, owned and helmed by Jon Sears Wullschleger of Sarasota, Fla. finished third overall, while American Eagle (US-21), sailed by the Eagle 2019 Syndicate of Middletown, R.I., finished second.
Even though she didn’t have to sail today, Italian Patrizio Bertelli’s Vintage Division entrant Nyala took to the racecourse to post her eighth victory in nine races. “We sailed a proper race, fought hard and learned something more in today’s bigger winds (13-16 knots) and waves,” said helmsman Mauro Pelaschier. “It was great training for next week at the New York Yacht Club’s 175th Anniversary Regatta (serving as the 12 Metre Jubilee).
The oldest 12 Metre in the regatta was Onawa (US-6), built in 1928 and sailed by a syndicate led by Jim Blanusha, Steven Gewirz, Louis Girard, Earl McMillen and Mark Watson of Newport, R.I. She finished second in the Vintage Division.
In the 12 Metre Spirit Division America II (US-42), skippered by Michael Fortenbaugh of Jersey City, N.J. won by one point over America II (US-46), its stable mate from the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation, skippered by Scott Curtis of New York, NY.
(end)
(results below)
2019 12 Metre Worlds
FINAL RESULTS – Nine Races
Day Five (July 13)
12mR – Grand Prix (4 Boats)
1. Legacy (KZ-5), Thomas Andersen / Jesper Bank, Munkebo, Fyn, Den – 1 -1 -1 -1 -3 -3 -2 -1-3; 16
2. New Zealand (KZ-3), Gunther & Maggie Buerman, Newport, RI, USA – 2 -2 -2 -2 -1 -2 -3 -2 -1; 17
3. Kookaburra II (KA-12), Torben Grael / Patrizio Bertelli, Arezzo, ITA – 3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -1 -1 -3 -2; 21
4. Kiwi Magic (KZ-7), Johan Blach Petersen, Aarhus C, DEN – 4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4; 36
12mR – Modern (8 Boats)
1. Challenge XII (KA-10), Jack LeFort, Jamestown, RI, USA – 1 -2 -1 -1 -2 -4 – 9(DSQ) -1 -1; 22
2. Enterprise (US-27), Clayton & Nancy Deutsch, Newport, RI, USA – 3 -4 -3 -3 -1 -1 -2 -2 -5; 24
3. Courageous (US-26), Ralph Isham / Steve Glascock / Alexander Auersperg / Ward Marsh, Newport, RI, USA – 2 -1 -2 -4 -4 -2 -3 -3 -3; 24
4. Victory ’83 (K-22), Dennis Williams, Hobe Sound, FL, USA – 4 -6 -4 -2 -3 -3 -1 -4 -2; 29
5. Intrepid (US-22), Jack Curtin, Toronto, Ont, CAN – 6 -3 -5 -6 -6 -7 -4 -5 -6; 48
6. Freedom (US-30), Charles Robertson, Guilford, CT, USA – 5 -5 -6 -5 -5 -5 -6 -9 -4; 50
7. Defender (US-33), Dick Enersen, San Rafael, CA, USA – 7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -6 -5 -8 -7; 61
8. Lionheart (K-18), Harry Graves, Grand Isle, VT, USA – 8 -8 -8 -8 -9 -9 -7 -6 -9; 72
12mR – Traditional (4 Boats)
1. Columbia (US-16), Kevin Hegarty / Anthony Chiurco, Newport, RI / Princeton, NJ, USA – 1 -2 -2 -1 -3 -1 -2 -1 -1; 14
2. American Eagle (US-21), Eagle 2019 Syndicate, Middletown, RI, USA – 2 -1 -1 -3 -2 -3 -1 -2 -5 (RET); 20
3. Nefertiti (US-19), Jon Sears Wullschleger, Sarasota, FL, USA – 3 -3 -3 -2 -1 -2 -3 -3 -2; 22
4. Easterner (US-18), Scott Bernard, Annapolis, MD, USA – 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5; 45
12mR – Vintage (4 Boats)
1. Nyala (US-12), Mauro Pelaschier / Patrizio Bertelli, Arezzo, ITA – 1 -2 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1; 10
2. Onawa (US-6), Jim Blanusha / Steven Gewirz / Louis Girard / Earl McMillen / Mark Watson, Newport, RI, USA – 2 -1 -3 -2 -2 -4 -2 -2 -2; 20
3. Blue Marlin (FIN-1), Henrik Andersin, Kauniainen, Uusimaa, FIN – 3 -3 -2 -3 -3 -2 -3 -3 -3; 25
4. Vema III (N-11), Johan Troye, Oslo, Norway, NOR – 4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -4 -4 -4; 35
12mR- Spirit (2 Boats)
1. America II (US-42), Michael Fortenbaugh, Jersey City, NJ, USA – 3 -1 -2 -1 -1 -3 -1 -2 -1; 15
2. America II (US-46), Scott Curtis, New York, NY, USA – 1 -2 -1 -2 -2 -3 -2 -1 -2; 16
The 2019 12 Metre World Championship is sponsored by Château d’Esclans -Whispering Angel, Grand Banks Yachts, Gurney’s Marina and Resort, MJM Yachts, North Sails and Vhernier Milano. Official suppliers include Bacardi, Barton & Gray Mariners Club, Code Zero, Harborside Marina, Helly Hansen Newport, McMillen Yachts, Quantum Sails, Robbe & Berking Classics, Sevenstar Yacht Transport, Stella Artois and Trident Studio. Event venue partners are Clarke Cooke House, Ida Lewis Yacht Club, International Yacht Restoration School, Newport Shipyard, Sail Newport and Seamen’s Church Institute. For more information please visit: https://12mrworlds.com/partners/
A full list of competitors is here: https://12mrworlds.com/2019-competitors/
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL 12 METRE CLASS
The 112 year-old International 12 Metre Class encompasses a living history of racing yacht design by the world’s foremost naval architects including Olin Stephens, Clinton Crane, William Fife III, Philip Rhodes, Johan Anker, Ben Lexcen and more who pushed their designs to the very limits of innovation. The resulting boats represented the pinnacle of yacht development from 1907-1987 for the highest levels of international sailing competition– the Olympic Games (1908-1920) and the America’s Cup (1958-1987). www.12mrclass.com
For more information on the Pre-Worlds Regatta or the 12 Metre Worlds visit https://12mrworlds.com/ or contact Peter Gerard at pgerard53@gmail.com.
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CONTACTS:
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Peter Gerard
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International 12 Metre Class
SallyAnne Santos
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+1 401-847-0112
