SOLARIS Dazzles J/105 Midwinters

(Seabrook, TX) - Local Bill Zartler raced SOLARIS to a dominant victory at the J/105 Midwinter Championship in Seabrook, TX. Finishing with just 10 points over seven races, the team won five of the races, and scored a second and third in the others. SOLARIS won Sunday's only race, as a storm forced an end to the regatta in the late morning. The top four overall were comprised of local sailors, with Bill Lakenmacher on RADIANCE in the runner-up position (21 points), Uzi Ozeri on INFINITY in third (29 points) and Alan Bates on ZIPPITY in fourth (34 points).  Following Zartler, Bates's ZIPPITY came in second in Sunday's race, trailed by Lakenmacher's RADIANCE.

Twelve teams competed in the annual event, held for the first time at the Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, TX. Competitors enjoyed favorable breeze throughout the championship and multiple social opportunities on shore for the fleet to interact.

After the first day of racing, three local teams were at the top of the leaderboard-- Bill Zartler on SOLARIS and Bill Lakenmacher on RADIANCE were tied at three points each after flip-flopping the first and second place finishes in the day's two races. Uzi Ozeri on INFINITY took two third-place tallies and stood at third place overall.  The winds on Galveston Bay blew a consistent 16 knots, with gusts well into the 20s. The 12 teams battled through choppy waves and swells of six feet.

By the conclusion of sailing on the second day of the events, it was self-evident the "Z-Team" on SOLARIS were serious about putting on a dominant performance.  Four races were completed on Saturday, bringing the series total to six.  Zartler's team scored three firsts plus a third-place finish to end the day with just nine points total. The locals continued to dominate the top spots, as Bill Lakenmacher on RADIANCE stood in second place overall with 18 points and Uzi Ozeri on INFINITY was is in third place with 23 points. Other than Zartler's SOLARIS, the day's other race winner was Paul Beaudin racing AVICI. The New York-based team came on strong all day, also tallying a second, fourth and sixth. Conditions on Galveston Bay were ideal for the J/105 with winds at 16-20 knots.

The J/105 Class would like to thank the Lakewood Yacht Club for hosting, and Dwight Bengtson and his Race Committee for their excellent race management.  For more J/105 Midwinters regatta sailing information

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