Chris Kostanecki Wins J/70 Corinthian Nationals
Chris Kostanecki, hailing from the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, took his saltwater sailing skills to the freshwater lakes of Michigan to challenge 35 other competitors in the J/70 Corinthian National Championship. In tide-free Harbor Springs, Michigan, Kostanecki and crew Matthew Sessions, Carlos Robles and Scott Kozinchik sailed aboard J/70 Jennifer in a tight series against runner-up Scott Sellers of Larkspur aboard Tres Burritos.
They came into today’s final pair of races with a three-point advantage over the St. Francis YC-flagged Tres Burritos. But Sellers nailed another bullet (his fourth of the regatta) in Race 7 to take the lead. Back came Kostanecki to win the eighth and final contest and become the 2019 J/70 Corinthian National Champion. Keeping excitement levels high, they got a worrisome tenth in the second-to-last race but their bullet in the final race closed the deal. “Fresh water, windy, and the waves were bigger and steeper than San Francisco,” Kostanecki commented. “It was the Pure Michigan experience with world-class people and social activities,” he continued. “We thought we threw it away. Thank you to my team who worked hard in some difficult moments.”
Beyond being a very competitive sailor, Kostanecki is a leukemia survivor who chaired the very successful Leukemia Cup Regatta for SFYC for about 10 years. We’re sure that competitive streak has helped both on and off the racecourse. This year’s Leukemia Cup is coming on Sunday, October 20. You can sign up to join Chris on the water in October here.
