39th Annual M242 North American Championship

July 12, 2019
All Photos by Dave Brede

Held at Orcas Island Yacht Club on June 29 and 30, the 2019 M242 North American Championship had its biggest turnout at 27 boats since 2012, and Mike George with is team of Alan Field, Jennifer Hylander, and Jennifer Arrington, all from Los Angeles, won it for the 4th time. Michael Clements and his team of Justin Hall, Micah van der Heide, and Michael Jarrott ended up 2nd overall (they had previously won the event 3 times). Alex Fox, 2-time winner, was 3rd, along with his team of Heidi Leckenby, Lou Hamel, and Karl Forsberg. Going into the 9th race, Mike George and Michael Clements were tied on a drop race basis, but Mike managed to escape from a terrible start in the 9th race and lined out to the right side of the course for a win, and that put the end to Clements’ aspirations when he followed up with a 5th in the final race.

Many boats had rock stars on board which made for a truly tough event. Marri Todd of Royal Victoria Yacht Club was the top woman at the event in 4th place, ably assisted by Jeff Eckhart as tactician, followed closely by Betsy Wareham of Orcas Island Yacht Club. Michael Bond of Melges 24 fame could be found on Anthony Collett’s boat, where they finished in 10th overall. Ken Holland and team made a return to 242’s in Blackadder Goes Forth, after a 2-year stint in the Melges Class.

West Sound on Orcas Island was a terrific venue with 2-12 knot shifty breezes 90% out of the north, and the Orcas Island Yacht Club put on a fantastic Class A Regatta.

Congratulations to Ken Machtley, Chris White, and the organizing crew for raising the bar on hosting the North Americans in the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard to beat good food, music, venue, and weather, along with meeting up again with good friends to make a truly enjoyable event. As one participant said, “West Sound is certainly on the map for many more 242ers from now on!”

The Race Committee under Paul Ulibarri, PRO, did an excellent job getting off 5 races each day for a total of 10. He was ably assisted by his wife Vicki, plus ex-242 racers Alex and Sue Foley and Dave and Lynn Sutherland, among many OIYC volunteers. Don Martin, the Designer and original Builder for the Class, was also in attendance, handling the Protest Committee aspect, accompanied by his wife Annabelle.

Next year’s NA’s, the 40th Edition, is scheduled to be at California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, after which the event rotates back to Vancouver.

Here’s a link to the M242 Regional Racing Calendar (accessible via www.m242fleetone.org)