Fleet management was a big thing and we were always optimizing our ability to get to the favored side of the course.” “It was nearly impossible to be consistent this weekend, but we did our best. Austin and Max do everything and I literally just drive and look at the telltales,” Praley said. We also do a very good job of communicating on the boat. “We got really good at boat-handling during the winter series and that is now a strength. North Sails professionals Austin Powers and Max Vinocur crewed for Praley, who got the gun in four of seven races in posting a low score of 20 to edge Martin Casey (Life of Riley) by two points. “We did fairly well at the worlds and had some success at the winter series as well, but this is our first victory and we were really stoked about it,” Praley said. This is just part of the progression leading up to that regatta in October,” Wulff said. “We bought the boat with the 2023 North Americans as the goal. Sam Vineyard trimmed the headsails and Mike Komar trimmed the main for Wulff, who steered Patriot to victory in four of eight races and totaled 19 points, nine fewer than Good Trade, owned by Annapolis resident Peter Bowe. The Annapolis Yacht Club member captured the Chesapeake Bay Championship last fall and has now added the Sailing World Regatta Series to the resume. Ray Wulff got into the highly competitive J/105 class after buying a boat in January 2022, and has quickly ascended to the top of the local fleet. We always went left at the start, always went left downwind.” “The key to winning this regatta was keeping the boat moving in light air because the current was a constant factor. “She’s a goddess in light air,” said Williams, whose 18-year-old son Austin handled foredeck duties for the first time. Williams won the first race on Sunday and credited his wife Elizabeth for her prowess trimming the jib. “This is the biggest multi-day regatta the class does each year, so it seemed appropriate to hand out the trophy at this regatta,” said Williams, who last won the Maple Leaf Trophy in 2017. The Alberg 30 association used to present the Maple Leaf Trophy to winner of the Annapolis Yacht Club Fall Series, but the class no longer participates in that event. This was the sixth Maple Leaf Trophy title for Williams, an Arnold resident whose boat was built in 1967.
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