The Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in Annapolis had three days of extremely challenging light winds, strong currents and ultra-competitive fleets from May 5-7. Brad Julian and his team Yard Sail capitalized on a strong Sunday finish. Yard Sail moved into first place in the J/22 fleet after an intense weekend of back-and-forth lead changes. Starting the day 5 points behind Aden King’s Rhythmic Pumping, Julian and team closed the regatta with a 3-point lead, but it wasn’t easy. “Sticking to our game plan and putting ourselves in a place where we could control our own destiny was the key to winning today,” Julian says. “It was a tough day. The first race had reasonably stable conditions and a pretty clear need for a course strategy, whereas the second race was much more of a crapshoot. The big lesson was to never give up—we were mid-fleet at the first mark of the second race after a tricky start, and we just kept grinding.”
1st – Yard Sail – Brad Julian – 26 points
2nd – Rhythmic Pumping – Aden King – 29 points
3rd – Hot Toddy – Jeffrey Todd – 37 points
Top J/22 Jr Team – AYC Tide – Mason Cook
Top Mixed Plus Team – Symmetry – Eric Johnson & Catherine Cotell
Full Results: www.sailingworld.com/regatta-series-annapolis