2017 U.S. Grand Slam Series
 
     Event 1 of the 3-event series was the Chicago Grand Slam. This event proved to be a mixed bag for the team as Riptide had superior boat speed in the Chicago Yacht Club Sonars compared to most of the teams, but just not enough time together. Riptide, despite the 7th Place finish, left Chicago feeling good about their chances of finishing strong in the U.S. Grand Slam Series. The team also was lucky enough to be able to drive down to Southern Illinois Monday after racing to be in the path of the total eclipse. The pictures below are not ours, nor do they do the experience justice, but it shows best what is was like to be in total darkness in the middle of the day. If you ever have the opportunity to get to a spot that is in the path of the total eclipse, then do it- you won't be disappointed!

     Next up was the Detroit Cup, hosted by the amazing Bayview Yacht Club in Ultimate 20's, on the Detroit River. The team was feeling good about their chances in the light weight, asymmetrical kite Ultimate 20's, but the competition was tough and a few mistakes here and there proved to be costly. The team just missed out on the semi finals and finished 5th at the 2017 Detroit Cup. Not the result the team was hoping for but Riptide's home event was next up.

 

      The third and final event of the 2017 U.S. Grand Slam Series was the Oakcliff International hosted by Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay. This event was also the team's final practice event ahead of the defense of the 45th Seawanhaka Cup. Riptide looked strong in the first stages of the event coming out 3rd in the round robins. The team faced top ranked sailor Will Boulden in the quarters and eventually bested him 3-2 to move forward to the semi finals. The semis saw Riptide up against long-time friend and opponent, Peter Holz, in sudden death race due to wind delays. The team passed Peter on the final upwind leg to take the lead and sail into the finals- a first for Riptide at this event. In the finals, the team faced the always strong Eric Monnin, who proved to be too strong defeating Riptide 2-0. Riptide took second on the podium.

The 5th Place in Detroit and the 2nd Place finish at Oakcliff was enough to allow Riptide Racing to earn 2nd overall in the 2017 U.S. Grand Slam Series, a personal best for the team. These strong results also boosted Riptide's ISAF World Ranking up 30 spots, from 60th to 30th in the World, and up to 4th in the United States. 

 

Thanks you to all the guys that sailed with Riptide during the Grand Slam: Ryan Hope-Ross, Zyggy Beatty, John Colburn, Jean-Pierre Blaise, Chris Kennedy, and Sam Barron-Fox 

 

 

Next Up

Skipper Chris Poole the defending skipper for the 45th Seawanhaka Cup with Riptide teammates John Colburn, Jean-Pierre Blaise, Jonathan Hammond, and Sam Barron-Fox, which begins tomorrow in Oyster Bay using Oakcliff Sailing's Swedish Match 40's. The Seawanhaka Cup is the oldest yachting trophy originating in America, which remains in active competition. First raced in 1895, the Seawanhaka Cup trophy was offered for the purpose of promoting small yacht racing and developing the Corinthian spirit among yachtsmen.

 

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THANK YOU to all of our supporters who have believed in Riptide Racing and stood behind us 100%. We still have a long way to go, but we couldn’t have gotten this far without support, for which we’re forever grateful.  What we have showed is just part of Riptide Racing’s potential –with the necessary tools, we have the capacity to go all the way.

 

Thank you,
Chris Poole

Riptide Racing