Local knowledge the key for fall sailing regattas

Conditions on Sunday were light and fluky for the two sailing races that were held as part of the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club’s fall regattas, so it was no surprise that locals dominated in the tricky breeze.
For the E-Scow Triple Crown Regatta, Doug Johnson—a lifelong Lake Hopatcong sailor—came out on top, with fellow lifelong LHYC sailors Eric Rochelle and Bob Rosevear as crew. The top three boats tied after two races with six points, though Johnson won the tiebreaker. In second place, Jim Flinn of the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club sailed with his sons Tim and Danny Flinn. And in third place, Chris Norman—also of the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club—sailed with his wife, Donna, and Emily Guderian.
In the Goetz Regatta, 20 Thistles from all over the East Coast participated, but four out of the top five finishers hailed from Lake Hopatcong. First place went to Brent Barbehenn, who grew up sailing on the lake, with four points. Brian Kitchin finished in second place with six points; Lloyd Kitchin in third with seven points; Nyack’s Jared Ridder finished in fourth with 12 points, and Chris Murphy rounded out the top five with 13 points.
The Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club hosts an A-Cat regatta this weekend, and that will conclude the summer sailing season for the LHYC fleets.