At the US Sailing Youth Championships in Newport August 14-16, Fiona Walsh of Rye and her partner Lily Katz of Brooklyn won the C420 Championship. Walsh, who learned the ropes at American Yacht Club, is a member of the Rye High School sailing team.
At the US Sailing Youth Championships in Newport August 14-16, Fiona Walsh of Rye and her partner Lily Katz of Brooklyn won the C420 Championship. Walsh, who learned the ropes at American Yacht Club, is a member of the Rye High School sailing team.
They were among the many other top young sailors from around the country who were invited to compete in four classes: the Club 420, Laser, Radial, and 29er. During the regatta, hosted by the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, sailors experienced a wide range of conditions, from torrential rains the first day to glorious sunshine and steady 12- to 15-knot breezes the final day.
Katz and Walsh started running away with the 36-team Club 420 midway through the event. They began distancing themselves from the fleet starting with race six of the Championship, enjoying a lofty 22-point lead through nine races. Their throw-out was a tenth-place result in race five. Through 11 races they won two and finished second twice. They never finished lower than tenth.
Â
On the last day, they were third and sixth in the final two races and won by a 15-point margin, beating a team from Florida.
Earlier in the season, Walsh and Katz placed fourth in the US Junior Women’s Doublehanded championship.