The U.S. Singlehanded Championship for the George D. O’Day and Helen Hanley trophies concluded Sunday after two days of racing on Lake Springfield in Springfield, IL. 68 boats hit the starting line for the event, which was held in conjunction with the Sunfish Class Association North American Championship and Sunfish USA Men and Women Pan American Trials Qualifier.
Conner Blouin of Charleston, SC took the men’s division, winning the George D. O’Day Trophy and U.S. Singlehanded Championship title for the men’s division with 10 points – never placing outside of the top 5 over the seven races held. Lee Parkhill of Oakville Yacht Squadron placed second with 30 points, winning the tiebreaker against Canadian Luke Ramsay of the Royal Vancouver YC / Lake Beulah YC, who finished third.
“I’m so excited to have to have won the O’Day Trophy and am excited to represent the US at the Sunfish Pan Am trials soon!” said Blouin. “I also want to thank the race committee – they were presented with a lot of challenges with the weather, but were able to make the right calls… I felt the racing was great because of them, and I am so grateful to them and the yacht club for hosting.”
Maria Jose Poncell of Chile won the women’s division with 66 points. Sabrina Hernandez of Venezuela finished second with 118 points. Third place finisher Elaine Parshall of the Columbia Sailing Club was the top female American sailor, winning the Helen Hanley trophy and the title of U.S. National Singlehanded Champion with 123 points.
“It’s been an amazing two weeks,” said Parshall. “I’ve been doing a lot of traveling and sailing, and have been able to get great insights and training tips from my fellow competitors.”
The Peter J. Barnett Sportsmanship Award was given to Andre Patin, who at 15 was one of the youngest competitors on the starting line. Patin jumped in the water to assist a fellow competitor who had capsized and was unable to continue sailing during racing.
The competitors saw a wide range of conditions throughout the event. Friday, sailors were held ashore with no racing due to light wind. Saturday saw four races in light to moderate breezes and challenging, unpredictable shifts and velocity changes. Conditions picked up Sunday after a cold front moved through central Illinois, with a 10-14 knot building breeze and gusts over 22 knots, according to PRO Russ Sobotta.
Island Bay Yacht Club was proud to host the 60th Sunfish North America n Championship regatta, which also served as the U.S. Singlehanded Championship for the Hanley and the O’Day trophies. Additionally, the top four American men and top three American women finishers were extended invitations to compete in the qualifying trials for the 2023 Pan Am games. Race organizer Nancy Peterson said, “to be chosen to host this triple championship is a rare honor indeed.”
US Sailing would like to thank Gill Marine for their support of this event and all the US Sailing Adult Championships.
Results can be found here: https://yachtscoring.com/event_results_cumulative.cfm?eID=15966
Photos: https://usst.photoshelter.com/galleries/C0000dXwDX545Zt8/2023-US-Singlehanded-Championships