Lucas wins E-Scow Easterns; Pat Flinn is top local boat

With 33 E-Scows criss-crossing Lake Hopatcong for three straight days of racing, the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club hosted the Eastern Championships last week, with Russ Lucas of Bay Head taking first place. Lucas had finishes of 4, 4, 2, 1, and 2 going into the last race. Because of the ability to drop the worst finish from his final score, Lucas did not sail the last race and finished with 13 points. Second place went to Bobby Koar (also of Bay Head) with 20 points, and third went to Carl Horrocks of Island Heights with 23 points.
The top local boat was skippered by Pat Flinn, who finished in 18th overall; in all, nine of the 33 participants were from the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club.
The wind, which can be a wild card on the lake, was light on Thursday and Friday mornings, but eventually filled in to 5 to 10 mph for tricky racing, and for the final races on Saturday the wind was a steady 8 to 10.

Photos by Lori Price