The 2008 Beneteau First 36.7 North American Championship
The 2008 Beneteau First 36.7 North American Championship (NAC) was held at the Chicago Yacht Club September 3-6 with 33 boats competing, the second largest turnout of 36.7s ever in a NAC. After four days of unpredictable weather which produced winds of 25+ knots and typical Lake Michigan steep waves, Legend, skippered by Dan and Dave Shriner, emerged as the winner. 
As the remnants of Hurricane Gustav passed through the area, Mother Nature provided some interesting weather. The first day’s conditions included 15-25 knot winds with challenging seas of 4-6 ft. and two of the other days resulted in the abandonment of races, one day with too much wind and one with none. The regatta ended after a total of seven races. “There was some good competitive racing despite challenging conditions on the course, “said Beneteau representative Mike Thoney.
Legend finished with a total of 18 points, never finishing worse than fifth, and scoring three bullets. Blackbird, skippered by Peter Wenzler finished in second place with a total of 27 points, with one tenth place finish and never finishing outside the top four in the other six races. The battle for third, fourth, and fifth place was very close. Zingara (2007 North American winner) and Type A each finished with a total of 37 points, with Zingara winning the tie breaker to take third place. Tried and True was only one point behind in fifth. 
For the complete race results and a list of all competitors, please visit Yachtscoring.com
“Given the challenging economic conditions in the world, the ’08 NAC committee considers this year a huge success in the fact that for two-years in a row the 36.7 class has been able to host over 30 boats for its North American Championship. We are thankful for the 33 owners that participated in the championship and look forward to having the class continue to improve on each year’s event,” said Lou Sandoval event chairman.
The 2009 First 36.7 North American Championship will be held at Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit, MI, September 10-13, 2009, so mark your calendars!
