J/105 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP REGATTA UPDATE #1

For Immediate Release:

Friday, September 20, 2002

STRONG AND SHIFTY WINDS MADE FOR A FAST FIRST DAY

CHICAGO – Fifty boats from the United States and Canada began the eighth annual J/105 North American Championships held at Chicago Yacht Club. The forecast called for scattered thunderstorms and 15 to 25 knot winds from the south, veering to southwest in the afternoon.

Masquerade, out of San Francisco, pulled a very clean first place finish in the first race by sticking to the right side of the course and taking full advantage of the wind increase to 29 knots coupled with the expected southwest wind shift.

The entire fleet was called back to re-do the start of the second race, not unexpected for a fleet so large. By this time, the wind had shifted further and was typically above 25 knots.

In the second race, Masquerade once again prevailed by staying to the right and keeping in clear air.

Tom Coates, owner/skipper of Masquerade, later recalled that "flawless crew work with equal tactics" helped his crew keep ahead in the fleet. This year is Masquerade’s first attempt at the North Americans, and its first experience sailing in Chicago.

Preliminary Race results:

1. Masquerade, Tom Coates
2. Peregrine, Steve Phillips
3. Zuni Bear, Bergmann/Bennett
4. Gigi, David Wagner
5. Wet Paint, Don Priestly

Preliminary race results are available at www.chicagoyachtclub.org.

About the J/105 North American Championship

Nearly 50 J/105 boats from all over the country and Canada are gathering at the Chicago Yacht Club for the eighth annual North American Championship regatta, Sept. 19-22.

The event, a three-day offshore regatta with seven to nine races, is the largest yet of the annual J/105 North American championships, with nearly 50 boats representing 10 different U.S. regions. J/105s were designed and built by J/Boats, Inc. (the Johnstone family) in 1991, and were named Sailing World's Boat-of-the-Year among racer-cruisers in 1992. The boats are designed to be both family cruisers and intense competitive sailing vessels.

"We are thrilled with the turnout for this year’s J/105 North American Championship," said, Robert Smith, race chair. "Many of the crews are partially made up of families, which is rare in a regatta this size, and will certainly lead to an interesting few days."

Racers of note taking part include Bob Johnstone, co-founder of J/Boats, Inc., his son Stu, a Chicagoan who is on the board of directors, and his nephew Jim Johnstone, who is company sales director.

About the Chicago Yacht Club

Founded in 1875 with the goal of advancing the community’s knowledge, enjoyment and participation in boating and the nautical arts, the Chicago Yacht Club remains a valuable resource for its members and for the Chicago community. The Club has been a leader for more than 75 years in teaching children and adults how to sail, and is a preeminent organizer and host of regattas, races and predicted logs in the United States.