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Championship Smackdown

By Christine Weaver | October 5, 2015 | San Francisco Bay |
Defending world champion John Kilroy’s Melges 20 Samba Pa Ti on Saturday.

© Leslie Richter
Samba Pa Ti managed to recover from this capsize for her worst (16th place) finish of the regatta, which Kilroy, sailing with Bill Hardesty and Jeff Reynolds, threw out to repeat as world champion.

© Leslie Richter

The final two races on Saturday at the 39-boat Audi Melges 20 World Championship on the Berkeley Circle were characterized as absolute knock-down drag-outs, literally for some, in big breeze. At least one Melges was towed back to shore with a busted rig.

Cesar Gomes Neto’s Miami-based Portobello finished the regatta in second place.

© Joy Dunigan

San Francisco Yacht Club hosted the Worlds on September 30-October 3. Remember rainy Wednesday last week? That day started with more than two hours’ worth of shoreside postponement, and in the end racing was canceled. The next two days made up for the weird and wet Wednesday, with spectacular racing.

Kilroy’s 12-year-old son Liam, sailing with pros Steve Hunt, Stephanie Roble and Erik Shampain, finished the regatta in third place on WildMan.

© Leslie Richter

We’ll have more on the Worlds in the November issue of Latitude 38. In the meantime, see www.melges20.com.

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