Heavy Air SF Sailors Win Light Air J/105s

Chris Perkins’ San Francisco-based Masquerade won a convincing start-to-finish victory in the just-completed nine-race J/105 North Americans sailed out of the San Diego YC. Perkins — with crew Steve Marsh, Tom Purdy, Mark Chandler, Larry Swift and Rose Eberhard — bested 24 other boats with a remarkably consistent — 1,2,2,1,3,2,4,4,4 — finishes in unusually inconsistent and erratic San Diego sailing conditions.

"We were in the right places for the shifts," said Perkins.

Chuck Driscoll, who placed fourth with Blow Boat, which he owns with Tom Hurlburt, had a slightly different take. "Masquerade just had speed than none of the rest of us did, so they were able to sail conservatively in the middle instead of banging the corners. Unlike the rest of us, they didn’t have a single bad race." 

Gary Mozer’s Long Beach-based Current Obsession was second, 14 points back, and Dennis Conner, who just bought DC’s Pholly to increase his sailboat fleet to an astounding 30 boats, finished third.