College Rivals Tied Atop NOOD Regatta’s Competitive Fleet

Over two days of racing at the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis, 190 teams have endured light and shifty winds on the Chesapeake Bay, with the competition especially tight in the 23-boat J/22 fleet. After six races, J.R. Maxwell (Annapolis, MD) and Matt and Laurie Schubert (Annapolis, MD) are tied for first with 23 points apiece.

“I’ve known Matt since our college sailing days,” said Maxwell. “He went to the Merchant Marine Academy and I went to Tufts, so it’s great mixing it up with him years later at the NOOD. Most of our college sailing buddies have kids now, so it’s a little different than the old days, but the competition is just as fierce.”

“J.R. is a phenomenal sailor,” said Schubert. “It’s really fun to be tied with him heading into the last day. There’s nine or ten boats that could win most races, so we’re really happy to be where we’re at.”

With Sunday’s forecast calling for stronger winds, there’s still plenty of racing left and Todd Hiller (Youngstown, NY) currently lurking in third place, 2 points from the top spot. “It could get sporty tomorrow,” said Schubert. “I think most of the competitors will sail their own race, but if J.R. decides to come after me, I’ll be ready for the challenge.”

On the J/80 course, tactician John Bartlett (Annapolis, MD) is racing with longtime friend, John White, who leads the 23-boat fleet after six races. “The Chesapeake Bay is really localized with breeze like this,” Bartlett said. “Sometimes you’re lucky when you’re in the right spot, and sometimes things get really tough.”

Bartlett has been calling tactics for White since the 1980s, and their friendship reaches far beyond the racecourse. “John is a great sailor,” Bartlett said. “His preparation is top-shelf, and he’s really good at making the boat go fast, so we always have a chance.”

RELATED: 2019 Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis: Saturday Images

Though White leads his class heading into the final day, he’ll have to keep tabs on Trudy Murphy (Toronto, Ont) who catapulted herself into second place with three race wins today. “They’ve been sailing really well,” said Bartlet. “Trudy is getting off the starting line and staying clean up the course. They’ve beaten us in four out of six races, so we’ll have our hands full with them tomorrow.”

The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta’s North Sails Rally, a one-day, one-race affair for the area’s cruiser/racers, started near the entrance of Annapolis Harbor. Sailors enjoyed a multi-leg course out to the middle of the bay and back. With light winds and strong currents, the racecourse, although short, required acute attention to the bay’s subtle and changeable conditions.

Dan Leonard’s J/100 Flashpoint won the spinnaker division easily, and in the non-spinnaker fleet, Nicholas Iliff’s J/105 Muskrat made quick work of the racecourse. Iliff’s J/105, which he’s owned since 1994, is a modified version of the popular 34-foot one-design. Muskrat has a deeper keel and a carbon-fiber mast than the standard J/105, and the crew prefers lighter winds.

“If it’s not too breezy, we are good,” says Iliff, who credits his crew with turning in a perfect performance, particularly his brother Tony, who trims the mainsail. “Today we saw 10 knots, which is about the maximum breeze we like before the boat gets tender. It was a perfect day for us.”

Muskrat had a clean start and maintained a comfortable lead for most of the race, but when the wind went light near the finish, Iliff says there was a touch of concern onboard as trailing boats closed distance.

“It was a straight-forward race, with a close reach each way, but today we had a bit more current than we normally do. On the way back, we had to take a tack downwind, which forced us into a bit of a hole.”

With patience, Iliff and his teammates persevered for the win in what he says is a casual start to their racing season: “It was nice, easy and straightforward, so it was just a matter of good sail trim and going fast.”

In the Viper 640 fleet, Tyler Moore (Hampton, VA) led the nine-boat fleet by 5 points heading into Saturday. After three races today, however, Moore’s lead shrunk to a single point after Reed Baldridge (Newport, RI) won two races. “Those guys were out for blood today,” said Moore. “They’re a bunch of young guns, so we’ll have to keep an eye on them tomorrow.”

Moore and his wife, Jane, sailed with another husband and wife duo, friends Tim and Karen Fallon, of Rhode Island. Saturday’s racing is shaping up to be a battle between the old and wise against the young and strong.

“They were hammering us today,” said Moore. “They got out ahead of us at one point and absolutely ruined our race, so hopefully we can return the favor tomorrow. We still have the lead so hopefully we’ll get some breeze and be able to sail away from them tomorrow.”

The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis wraps up Sunday, with the next event of the five-event regatta series in June in Chicago.

Top three finishers in each class (complete results at: yachtscoring.com)

J 22 (One Design – 23 Boats)

1. Scooby, J 22 22, J.R. Maxwell , Arlington, VA, USA – 1 -8 -2 -1 -9 -2 ; 23

2. Bayhead, J 22 22, Matt/Lori Schubert , Annapolis, MD, USA – 9 -1 -4 -3 -2 -4 ; 23

3. Escape, J 22 22, Todd Hiller , Youngstown, NY, USA – 2 -3 -7 -2 -5 -6 ; 25

J 24 (One Design – 9 Boats)

1. Bangor Packet, J 24 24, tony parker , Washington, DC, USA – 1 -1 -10 -1 -1 -1 ; 15

2. Spaceman Spiff, J 24 24, Pete Kassal , Annapolis, MD, USA – 2 -5 -1 -4 -5 -4 ; 21

3. SISU, J 24 24, James Bonham , Bethesda, MD, USA – 5 -2 -5 -2 -3 -6 ; 23

J 30 (One Design – 13 Boats)

1. TOTALed MAYHEM, J 30 30, Doug & Amy Stryker , Crownsville, MD, USA – 2 -3 -1 -1 -2 -7 ; 16

2. Shamrock, J 30 30, Bruce Irvin , Davidsonville, MD, USA – 3 -2 -5 -3 -1 -5 ; 19

3. Rag Doll, J 30 30, Rob and Beth Lundahl , Frederick, MD, USA – 4 -1 -2 -4 -4 -6 ; 21

Etchells (One Design – 9 Boats)

1. Marge, Etchells 30, Matt Lalumiere , Chester, MD, USA – 2 -1 -1 -5 -1 -9 ; 19

2. Make Mine A Double, Etchells 30, Jeff Borland , Annapolis, MD, USA – 1 -8 -2 -2 -4 -4 ; 21

3. Hat Trick, Etchells 30, David Pryor , Norfolk, VA, USA – 4 -2 -3 -7 -5 -3 ; 24

Alberg 30 (One Design – 6 Boats)

1. LinGin, Alberg 30 30, Tim Williams , Arnold, MD, USA – 1 -2 -2 -1 -1 ; 7

2. Prudence, Alberg 30 30, William Jensen , Rosedale, MD, USA – 2 -3 -1 -5 -3 ; 14

3. Windswept, Alberg 30 30, Lanny Helms , Severna Park, MD, USA – 3 -1 -4 -4 -2 ; 14

J 35 (One Design – 7 Boats)

1. Aunt Jean, J 35 35, James Sagerholm / Jerry Christofel , Annapolis, MD, USA – 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 ; 5

2. Abientot, J 35 35, Roger Lant , Alexandria, VA, USA – 3 -2 -2 -2 -2 ; 11

3. T-Bone, J 35 35, Bruce Artman , Tracys Landing, MD, USA – 2 -3 -3 -3 -4 ; 15

J 105 (One Design – 18 Boats)

1. Dog House, J 105 34.5, Peter McChesney , Annapolis, MD, USA – 1 -3 -2 -6 -1 ; 13

2. Mirage, J 105 34.5, Cedric Lewis/ Fredrik Salvesen , Annapolis, MD, USA – 2 -4 -1 -3 -4 ; 14

3. Jester, J 105 34.5, Hugh Bethell , Baltimore, MD, USA – 3 -2 -7 -1 -3 ; 16

J 111 (One Design – 8 Boats)

1. Skeleton Key, J 111 36.5, Peter Wagner , Atherton, CA, USA – 4 -1 -1 -4 -2 ; 12

2. Spaceman Spiff, J 111 36.5, Rob Ruhlman , Cleveland, OH, USA – 1 -3 -3 -2 -7 ; 16

3. Slush Fund, J 111 36.5, Jim Connelly , Annapolis, MD, USA – 2 -5 -4 -3 -5 ; 19

RS 21 (One Design – 6 Boats)

1. Zim Sailing #2, RS21 21, Ben Chafee , Bristol, RI, USA – 3 -2 -1 -1 -1 ; 8

2. Team Sail22, RS21 21, Sean Wilson , Culver, IN, USA – 4 -1 -3 -2 -2 ; 12

3. Zim Sailing #1, RS21 21, Carson Turowski , Bristol, RI, USA – 1 -4 -2 -5 -3 ; 15

J 70 (One Design – 30 Boats)

1. Midlife Crisis, J 70 22.75, Bruce Golison , Long Beach, CA, USA – 1 -4 -1 -1 -1 -2 ; 10

2. Surge, J 70 22.75, Ryan McKillen , New York, NY, USA – 2 -6 -3 -8 -2 -1 ; 22

3. Honeybadger, J 70 22.75, Travis Odenbach , Pittsford, NY, USA – 3 -2 -4 -2 -5 -8 ; 24

J 80 (One Design – 23 Boats)

1. , J 80 26, John White , Annapolis, MD, USA – 1 -1 -4 -4 -3 -3 ; 16

2. Feisty, J 80 26.3, Trudy Murphy , Toronto, Ont, CAN – 9 -16 -2 -1 -1 -1 ; 30

3. Vayu, J 80 26, David Andril , Annapolis, MD, USA – 7 -2 -8 -8 -2 -7 ; 34

Viper 640 (One Design – 9 Boats)

1. Big Rooster, Viper 640 21, Tyler Moore , Hampton, VA, USA – 1 -1 -1 -1 -5 -2 -2 ; 13

2. Ullman Sails, Viper 640 21, Austin Powers , Yorktown, Va, USA – 2 -2 -3 -2 -1 -1 -3 ; 14

3. Evil Hiss, Viper 640 21, Mary Ewenson , Annapolis, MD, USA – 5 -3 -6 -3 -2 -4 -1 ; 24

NS Rally – Cal 25 (Saturday Only) (One Design – 9 Boats)

1. White Cap, Cal 25 25, Timothy Bloomfield , Sherwood Forest, MD, USA – 1 ; 1

2. ZEPHYR, Cal 25 25, David Hoyt , Glen Burnie, MD, USA – 2 ; 2

3. Quintet, Cal 25 25, Mike Miller , Severna Park, MD, USA – 3 ; 3

NS Rally – Cruiser (Saturday Only) (One Design – 9 Boats)

1. Muskrat, J105 Mod 34.5, nicholas iliff , Arnold, MD, USA – 1 ; 1

2. LAZY BEAR, Jeanneau 349, CATHERINE GUIADER , USA – 2 ; 2

3. Atlas, C&C 121 40, Peter Holden , annapolis, md, USA – 3 ; 3

NS Rally – Spinnaker (Saturday Only) (One Design – 10 Boats)

1. Flashpoint, J 100 32’8, Dan Leonard , Annapolis, MD, USA – 1 ; 1

2. Patriot, Farr 30 30.9, US Patriot Sailing / Peter Gibbons-Neff , Annapolis, MD, USA – 2 ; 2

3. Blockade Runner, Farr 30 30, Bruce Bingman / Taran Teague , Annapolis, MD, USA – 2 ; 2