It’s a long way from Phoenix to Marblehead, Massachusetts, especially if you’re towing a trailer full of Vipers. Tony Chapman and Kelly Beaver made the trip for the regatta September 5-9, but Tony chose to crew for Tim Carter (Harbor City, CA) rather than sail his own boat, and the team finished a mid-pack 29th.
The overall winner was Pieter Taselaar with Willem van Waay and Nick Thompson aboard Bliksem. They managed to snatch the championship on the final day, overcoming a two-point deficit in Sunday’s only race to win the 2012 Viper 640 North American Championship by four points over Glyn Locke’s Fer de Lance. It’s Taselaar’s first in the Viper 640 NAs, but he’s an accomplished racer, winning a world championship in Melges 32s in 2009 and the Viper 640 Atlantic Coast Championship in 2011.