Rhode Island local Lars Guck sailed a consistent event to claim his second U.S Multihull Championship title this weekend, after four days of challenging racing in Newport, Rhode Island.
Sailing with his son Olin, Guck went into the last day in second, but won every race of the day to claim the Hobie Alter Cup for the first time since 2014. Lars is a former U.S. Multihull Champion in the A Cat class.
“We worked hard to keep focused on the right things; and trying to improve our F18 sailing as we went,” said Guck. “We’ve learned, particularly with multihull sailing, it’s not over until you cross the finish line.”
“Sailing with my dad is pretty awesome, since we already have that relationship and trust,” said Olin Guck. “We’ve been working on finding our mode, which we were really able to string it together this weekend.”
Competitors sailed 14 total races with two drops in a wide range of conditions. Thursday and Saturday saw light and variable breeze, while Friday and Sunday featured a beautiful Newport seabreeze. Three days were sailed in Narraganset Bay, with one day sailed in the ocean off of Brenton point.
Stephen Stroebel and Steve Leuck, of San Diego, lead the fleet at the beginning of the regatta, but were unable to snag the title, coming in second with 35 points. Charles Froeb and Matthieu Marfaing, sailing for St. Francis Yacht Club, battled it out in the top three throughout the event, claiming third overall with 37 points.
“The Multihull championship was a successful event with a variety of conditions,” said Matt Hill, Principal Race Officer. “It’s nice to be here working with the amazing volunteers at Sail Newport who know how to run good, efficient racing. I hope everyone had a fun time – everyone looked happy when they came in!”
US Sailing would like to thank the umpires, race officials, race committee, Sail Newport and the Narragansett Adult Athletic Sailing Association (NAASA) for their tireless work on this event. Events like this would not be possible without the strong support from clubs and volunteers.
US Sailing would also like to thank National Sponsors Gill Marine and Regatta Craft Mixers for their support of the US Sailing Adult Championships. Gill Marine supplied personalized changing robes to all competitors, while Regatta Craft Mixers provided complimentary drinks after racing.
