Don Wilson wins Chicago Match Race Center's Grade 3 Spring Invitational regatta
Final day of the Chicago Match Race Center's Grade 3 Spring Invitational regatta was quite intense as the fleet had some very close competitions on the Chicago Match Race Center (CMRC) waters as the winds were quite strong and shifty on the racing area.
However, with some classy sailing display during the regatta campaign, Don Wilson and his crew comprising of Nathan Hollerbach, Mark Strube and Sam Rogers were able to top the overall standings. Wilson and team occupied the leader-board from the beginning
and maintained their top position until the finish of the regatta.
The final day of the event witnessed some strong breeze that gusted around the racing area and helped the sailors to complete the scheduled races.
Wilson and crew began their final day with a superb victory over Ben Marden by 2-0 as they pushed Marden’s team by two races in the quarter-final round. They faced Alex Curtiss, one of the youngest sailors from Chicago Yacht Club, in the semi-final competitions.
Curtiss raced impressively and almost troubled Wilson but they bounced back brilliantly with back-to-back race wins to beat him 2-1
The final encounter seemed quite tussling for Wilson as they were up against the round-robin winner, Hans Pusch, who performed tremendously in the initial rounds. However, Wilson and the team beat him easily to lift the title.
Speaking to the local media, Wilson said, “I was very happy with his weekend and how the team performed. Coming into the event we felt pressure because we knew we couldn't lose to Hans Pusch and Tod Reynolds. Also, this is the team we will be sailing with
all summer, and our biggest lesson from the weekend was communication and how important it is.”
Pusch, on the other hand added, “I credit a lot of my success to my teammates and how they gave me all the tools to be in the right spots and to execute [the moves].”
Overall fleet results at the conclusion of the regatta:
1. Don Wilson
2. Hans Pusch
3. Chris Nesbitt
4. Alex Curtiss
5. Ben Marden
6. Jack Jennings
7. Tod Reynolds
8. Lars Hansen
9. Mark Johnson
10. Mauricio Gallardo
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