September 15, 2014

On the morning of the last race of the 2014 International Canoe (IC) Worlds, the championship was down to the wire, with Mikey Radziejowski of Santa Cruz (1, 1, [8], 2, 2, 2, 1, 2) leading reigning world champion Chris Maas of Anacortes, WA ([35/DNF], 2, 4, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1) by only one point after eight races and one throw-out. With a second throw-out allowed after nine races, Sunday’s ninth and final race could have shuffled the final standings. However, the race had to be abandoned before the start due to winds topping the International Canoe (IC) class limit of 21 knots, securing the IC World Championship for Mikey Radziejowski.

A competitors' meeting on the first weekend of the event. ©2014 Bill Gutoff

Though only 22 years old, Mikey is not new to the sailing scene. He competed in his first IC Worlds in Australia at age 17, was a member of the American Youth Sailing Force that raced on the AC45, is active in I-14 and Aussie 18 skiff sailing, and raced in the 2011 Transpac on Chip Megeath's R/P 45 Criminal Mischief, which came in second.

“It’s all still surreal for me – I can’t believe I sailed well enough to win,” said Radziejowski. Although he finished in second place, Chris Maas took pleasure in knowing that Radziejowski was sailing a Superstring Theory boat, a Maas design. “It was possibly the most fun regatta I’ve ever sailed in,” said Maas. “Not only were the conditions challenging, but the competition was close, my boat was fast, and the camaraderie was tremendous.”

The start of Race 3 south of the Richmond breakwater. ©2014 Leslie Richter/www.rockskipper.com

Richmond YC, of which Mikey is a member, hosted the regatta on September 6-14. Third place goes to Alistair Warren of Saxmundham, Suffolk, GBR (42 points). Peter Ullman of Oldenburg, GER, came in fourth (46 points) and David Clark, from Warren, RI, finished in fifth place (47 points).

RYC hosted 34 International Sailing Canoes for their Worlds. ©2014 Bill Gutoff

Established in 1885, the New York Cup is the second oldest international sailing trophy after the America’s Cup. IC sailors from any country can challenge the current trophy holder, and Great Britain followed tradition by challenging the USA, the cup holder since 2011. As is also tradition, the challenge itself took place the day following the IC World Championship. Today's winning American team was composed of Radziejowski, Maas, and Del Olson, from Point Richmond.

See http://www.intcanoe.org for more info.

– Karin Knowles, RYC