FULL RESULTS TABLE - INTERNATIONALS   FULL RESULTS TABLE - USA NATIONALS
 
Michael McNamara won the International Championships

Immediately following the US Albacore National Championships at Rehoboth Beach Sailing Association in Delaware the Internationals got under way with seven races taking place over the four days 12th - 15th October. Although winds on the whole proved to be very much lighter than they had been for the Nationals, the event was expected to be a two horse race between Michael MacNamara (UK National Champion) and Barney Harris (USA and Canadian National Champion).
 
Day 1 saw a NW Force 3 quickly disappear to be replaced by a variable and very fluky Force 1 - 2 prior to the start of the first race. After 4 recalls the black flag was used for the first time in a usually very well behaved fleet. This was a sign of things to come. Enormous wind shifts made racing difficult and somewhat unpredictable. Even so the expected duel had begun to materialise although neither MacNamara or Harris had achieved the results they were looking for. Elsewhere in the fleet results were extremely erratic.
 
Wednesday saw a better wind develop after a totally calm dawn and build to Southerly Force 3 for races 3 & 4. Even so, the black flag was again required following several barging incidents at the Committee boat end obscuring Race Committee vision. By the end of the day Harris had the edge on MacNamara overall with a 2,2,3,1 scoreline against 5,1,2,3.
 
Just for a little variety Thursday threw up a wind gusting 45 knots at the start of the day. Several boats had been blown over in the night including the brand new Holt boat, although luckily no lasting damage was done to any of them. Despite the wind dropping back to a lovely 25 knots or so shortly after lunch, racing was abandoned for the day.
 
Just like the US Nationals before, the Championship therefore hung in the balance at the start of the last day's three scheduled races. By contrast with the US Nationals, Michael MacNamara made no mistakes at all and produced a devastating display of boat speed and tactics to annihilate all opposition. Barney Harris on the other hand had a poor day and faded badly out of contention. Jean Simmons again finished with a flourish taking second place in the first race of the day.
 
MacNamara is once again the Albacore International Champion, having won it three times previously. He received a standing ovation at the prizegiving later that evening for this remarkable achievement. He then received another when he drew the last of the weeks raffle prizes
and selected his own number - winning a North Sails jib!
 
Overall results:
1. Michael MacNamara & Malav Shroff (UK) 10.25
2. Barney Harris & David Byron (USA) 25.75
3. Chris Gorton & Henry Pedro (CAN) 39.5
4. Ken Clarke & Sharon Palmer (CAN) 40
5. Dave Schoene & Jasper Craig (US) 44
6. Kevin Smith & Christine Short (CAN) 44.75
Other UK Results:
7. Norman Halstead & Liz Macdonald 50
13. Jean Simmons & Derek Simmons 91
25. Trevor Smith & Ann Smith 139
27. Jonathon Weeks & Pat Maltby 145
35. Peter Fontes & Judy Fontes 178
36. Ron James & Julie James 194
38. Richard Gray & Mike Bright 198

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1999 USA National Championships

Barney Harris wins US Nationals - just!

Jean Simmons is the US Ladies Champion - but couldn't bring the cup home..
 
The Albacore US National Championships took place at Rehoboth Beach Sailing Association, Delaware, from Sat 9th to Monday 11th October, and included a contingent of 8 UK Albacores using the event as a warm up for the International Championships which followed.
 
Day 1 saw honours shared evenly between Barney Harris (USA) and Michael MacNamara (UK) in a healthy force 4 to 5 from the South East. Jasper Craig (USA) placed 3rd in both races, with the next UK boat being Norman Halstead with a 4,7 scoreline despite having fallen overboard on the penultimate beat of Race 2.
 
Sunday dawned rainy and with no wind whatsoever although a SW Force 2 filled and kept going long enough for 3 races to be run. Despite having to restart in race 3 after being over the line, MacNamara finished the day having gained the edge over Harris in the overall standings. With two races to go everything looked rosy for a UK win.
 
Things didn't go so well for the UK team on Monday. MacNamara disappeared over the horizon in the first race of the day to take not only the race but the title too - or so everyone thought. Unfortunately he was called over the line and disqualified leaving him tied on points with Harris after discard going into the last race. This race proved to be duel of epic proportions with the boats never being more than a few lengths apart, and featured an awesome tacking duel up the final beat which was won by Harris as he also took the Championship. Earlier in the race Halstead, still fighting for 4th place overall, capsized during a pressured gybe. Despite recovering back from the late 40's to 14th by the finish he lost two overall places. Jean Simmons (UK), however, had her best race of the event finishing with a 4th.
 
This was a first outing for the new Holt built FRP Albacore which had only previously competed in a couple of local club races at South Cerney. Norman Halstead certainly proved in this event that the new design was at least as quick as both the wooden boats and the equivalent cored hull boats being built in Canada.
 
Overall results:
1. Barney Harris & David Byron (US) 8 pts
2. Michael MacNamara & Malav Shroff (UK) 9.75 pts
3. Jasper Craig & Becky Craig & Becky Mattes (US) 30 pts
4. Marty Hublitz & Pascal Buckley (US) 39 pts
5. Tim Broughton & Karen Marshall (CAN) 41 pts
6. Norman Halstead & Liz Macdonald (UK) 44 pts
Other UK:
10. Jean Simmons & Derek Simmons 67 pts
12. Jonathon Weeks & Pat Maltby 86 pts
16. Ron James & Julie James 114 pts
22. Trevor Smith & Ann Smith 154 pts
31. Peter Fontes & Judy Fontes 172 pts