Nail biter

Wolfgang Schaefer’s Struntje light edged out Alex Roeper’s Plenty who finished a critical two boats behind nullifying their two-point lead. One of the two boats was the Corinthian Champion, Leif Sigmond and Marcus Thymian’s Norboy, capping-off a dominant performance over the Corinthian fleet.

The final day of racing at the 2018 Farr 40 World Championship saw the least amount of breeze and flattest water with unseasonably warm temperatures for fall in Chicago. With southerly winds dipping below 10 knots, teams who excelled in the lighter conditions established themselves early.

Struntje light and Plenty entered the day tied at 27 points. The German boat established themselves early, seemingly putting the Championship title in the bag after Race One as they moved up the standings three points ahead of Plenty. However, all plans were cut short when they finished a brutal ninth place in the second race, preventing early celebrations and handing the lead to Plenty.

“We had a little bit too much bad luck in the second race,” lamented Schaefer. “We said, ‘Okay, there’s one man in the sky that can pull us through it.’ And then, he did!”