Charleston Race Week at Patriots Point concluded with two races on Sunday with winners crowned in 18 classes. It was an action-packed regatta with the three circles located on Charleston Harbor completing between seven and 10 races. Darby Smith thought his chances of winning J/22 class were derailed during the third race held Friday. That’s because the main halyard aboard Tasmanian Devil snapped, and the boat was unable to finish. Tasmanian Devil could not compete in Race 4, and those two alphabet results (DNF, DNC) seemed like too much to overcome. However, Smith and his family-based crew stayed focused despite their disappointment and finished the three-day regatta strong. After repairing the halyard, Tasmanian Devil went out and won two of three races on Saturday to get back into contention. Smith and company completed an impressive comeback by placing second and third in Sunday’s races. They were able to drop one of the 11ths absorbed on Friday and managed to squeak out an incredibly close victory. Tasmanian Devil won three races and finished second or third in four others in posting a low score of 24 points, a mere three-tenths better than runner-up James Pine and the Velocity team. “Having the breakdown on Friday and taking two big numbers was a real bummer. I was shocked that we were able to come back from that,” said Smith, who started the regatta strong by winning Race 1 and placing second in Race 2. “We knew we had a good boat and a solid team. We went back out there the next day and put up some good results, which gave us a chance.” Smith is a 19-year-old member of the Jacksonville University intercollegiate sailing team. The Birmingham, AL native enjoyed a strong junior career in Optimist, Club 420 and Laser. He served as helmsman aboard Tasmanian Devil with father Fred, sister Isabel and her boyfriend Scott Busey aboard as crew. “I think we had a great team that worked really well together. There was lots of good communication on the boat,” Smith said. Smith and team were rewarded for their perseverance by being presented the Charleston Race Week Cup as one-design Boat of the Week. “That was awesome and a real surprise,” Darby Smith said. Darby and Isabel Smith had competed in Charleston Race Week last year in J/70 class and did not do so well. They returned this year in J/22 class, and Darby credited his father for handling all the pre-regatta preparation. “My dad made this all happen by working for days getting the boat ready,” he said. For full event details, visit https://www.charlestonraceweek.com/.