Chicago NOOD's 2016 - Sealark Dominates

The Chicago NOODs were sailed in a wide range of wind conditions:  a breezy Friday with three races, then just a single race late Saturday afternoon, and finally a beautiful (Father's Day) Sunday.  

A solid J/105 Fleet was locked in tight quarters at the end of Day 1.  Clark Pellett's Sealark broke out early with two bullets on the day, but fell into second place overall when posting a sixth on the third race on Friday.  The Asylum took the bullet in the third race to rest at the top of the leader-board on Friday with a total score of 7 (2-4-1).  Mike Sheppard' Flying Pig was in third with 9 points--two points out of first and Sandy Curtiss' Rocking Horse was just another point back in fourth place with 10 points overall.  

Saturday's light air race saw Sealark regain the overall lead with a bullet.  It was The Asylum's turn to post a 6th place finish, and Flying Pig finished strong on the day with a total of 11 points to rest in second place on the leader board.

On Sunday the winds freshened and the fleet got in two good races.  It was Flying Pig's turn to post a sixth place finish dropping into a tie with The Asylum for second place overall, behind Sealark who got the bullet.  

In the final race, Sealark then took its second turn at a sixth place finish, but held onto win overall.  Flying Pig got out in front of The Asylum early in the last race and finished ahead to take second overall.  Meanwhile in the final race, Kenny Ganch's Gonzo nudged out Vytis for the bullet as they finished a strong 1-2 in the final race of the regatta.

Overall there was very tight racing in a wide range of conditions, demonstrating once again that the J/105 is the "Best Boat for Lake Michigan".  The complete standings are below.