> US SAILING Media > Latest News > 2010 > Rakelly and Hackett Surge Into First at U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship
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Jake Fish
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Rakelly and Hackett Surge Into First at
U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship
U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship
HINGHAM, Mass. (June 29, 2010) – The field of 40 teams completed four races today on Hingham Bay for the U.S. Junior Women’s Doublehanded Championship, hosted by the Hingham Yacht Club. Seven races are in the books through two exciting days on the water. The team of Kate Rackelly (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Colleen Hackett (El Cajon, Calif.), representing Mission Bay Yacht Club, took a commanding seven point lead by posting a pair of bullets, with second and third place finishes today.
They are followed by Erin Mullins (East Greenwich, R.I.) and Erica Lush (Jamestown, R.I.), representing the Greenwich Bay Sailing Association. Mullins and Lush finished second and first in the final two races of the day to remain close to the leaders. Mary Hall (Seminole, Fla.) and Rachel Perry (Tampa, Fla.), representing the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, are 13 points back and in third place overall. Yesterday’s leaders, Melany Johnson (Berwyn, Pa.) and Mackenzie Needham (Shelter Island, N.Y.), representing the Brant Beach Yacht Club, dropped to fourth.
Today’s racing got off to a slow start with light breezes. Temperatures were in the high 80s, with decreasing humidity throughout the day. In race 4, the girls experienced much lighter winds than Monday, but a slightly stronger current. After the first downwind leg of the race the windward mark was moved to shorten the course. In the end, the team of Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and crew Kaitlin Driscoll (San Diego, Calif.), representing Coronado Yacht Club, grabbed the bullet.
Rackelly and Hackett won races 5 and 6. The wind picked up slightly in race 5, but the boats were still fighting a strong current to reach their windward mark. Race 6 started out with a couple of abandonments before Principal Race Officer Robin Wallace raised the black flag putting rule 30.3 into effect. This rule states that if any part of the boat is seen inside the triangle, created by the starting line and the first mark, during the minute before the starting signal - that boat will be disqualified. Hall and Perry prevailed in race 6. Rule 30.3 was applied again in race 7. Seven boats were disqualified. Mullins and Lush pulled out the win.
Two races are scheduled for the third and final day of racing tomorrow morning. Visit the event website for daily recaps, results, photos and more. Follow the action with live updates from Hingham at US SAILING's Facebook and Twitter sites.
This championship is sponsored by LaserPerformance and supported by the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Trust.
- Race recap content provided by Charlotte Robinson.
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