Sandpoint sailors claim title at Montana Cup Regatta

OMERS, Mont. — Locals Chris Chambers and Brian Tyrell clicked perfectly to win their fleet, highlighting a strong showing of Sandpoint sailors recently at the prestigious Montana Cup Regatta.

Five boats and their crews, all hailing from the Sandpoint area, traveled to Flathead Lake for the races hosted by the North Flathead Yatch Club in Somers, Mont. A total of 33 boats competed in four fleets during the two-day event, held Aug. 1-2, with a handful of Sandpoint Sailing Association members faring quite well.

There were a total of seven races, held in light to moderate winds, on a course set on the north end of Flathead Lake. The NFYC is home to some of the top sailors in the region and has an especially strong J24 fleet that often wins J24 regional and district regattas held throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Chambers and Tyrell, sailing on an Ultimate 20 “Black Sheep” took first place in Fleet 2, and Bob Hyslop and family, sailing on a J24 “Rhumba Girl,” came in fourth. Chambers said the win was a case of all the conditions falling in their favor.

“There are a lot of variables involved. The boat setup was correct, the trim, balance, everything we did was working in our favor,” said Chambers, noting sometimes the boat that makes the fewest mistakes wins the race. “We made the right calls on the right wind shifts.”

In Fleet 1, Peter Graves and family came in third sailing on a Melges 24 “Chaos,” followed by David Cohen sailing a J90 “Eye Eye” in fourth place and Jerry Judd, Al Reuter and Rolf Han, sailing a J80 “Go Fish,” placing fifth. 

The next regatta scheduled in this region is the Spud Cup. Hosted by the Sandpoint Sailing Association, it is held every Labor Day weekend in Sandpoint at the Windbag Marina and draws racers from Calgary, Montana, Seattle and Portland. There are great viewing vantages from the jetties, and a chance to watch some of the region’s top sailors in action.

For more information, visit “www.sandpointsailing.com.”