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7 teams were mixed teams including the 2004 North American champions Bill ABBOTT, Jim TURVEY, Sarah TUCKER.

Although the top six in the final standings - recent World Champion Bill ABBOTT, Canadian Olympian, veteran Peter GALLOWAY of Noroton, CT, Stu WALKER, fresh from winning Chicago's Wilmette Race Weekend, former World Lightning Champion, Peter HALL of Montreal, Dave FRANZELL of Boston, third in the 2002 Worlds, and Charlie KAMPS, perennial Lake Michigan Champion - dominated the racing, a number of others - including Milwaukee's Steve DOLAN, who won race 7 - regularly interrupted that dominance.

On Day 1 in a 20-25 knot southerly - the strongest wind in which much of the fleet had ever raced! - Peter HALL led Franzell, Abbott, and Kamps to the finish line in the first race while Galloway and Walker struggled with gear failures. In Race 2 Galloway took off from the starboard end, hit a couple of shifts, and motored away to the biggest lead of the series; Abbott was second, Hall third, fourth, Kamps 5th, Walker 6th, Franzell 7th.

On Day 2 in the lightest wind of the regatta, Abbott, Walker and Galloway fought for the lead with Abbott winning (despite a huge shift (from NW to NE) at the finish) and Walker edging Galloway for second. Later in the day in Race 4 in a 12 knot shifty northeasterly Galloway escaped again to edge Abbott, Franzell, and Walker.

In the fifth race on Saturday in a 15-18 knot northerly Abbott and Walker pulled away from the fleet and fought up and down the five legged, windward-leeward course. But once again Abbott, sailing with two neophytes to Solings (one a middle-aged woman who had volunteered at the last moment!) was uncatchable. In the 6th race in slightly less air Dave FRANZELL passed Walker (who had led the second round) and nosed out Peter Hall to finish just ahead of Galloway, Walker, and Abbott. The stage was set for the finale with Abbott at 12 points, Galloway, Hall, and Franzell tied at 16, and Walker just astern at 18.

In the 18 knot oscillating northwesterly Steve Dolan rounded the first weather mark in the lead with Hall, Abbott, Galloway, and Walker just astern and almost overlapped. Franzell and Kamps trailed, Dolan, playing every shift to perfection, pulled away and the four contenders jockeyed, upwind and down for the slightest advantage. As they rounded the final leeward mark overlapped, Abbott was second, Hall 3rd, Galloway 4th, and Walker 5th. In a slight veer Galloway, and then Hall, tacked to the left and Abbott covered, while Walker and Kamps, looking for the big veers that had been present earlier, headed right, out into the lake. Although, as they closed the starboard layline, one arrived, Walker and Kamps were unable to catch Dolan or Abbott, but they crossed Galloway, Hall and Franzell to finish 3rd and 4th.

Bill ABBOTT - who has not lost a Soling series since winning the 2002 World Championship - won the series with 14 points, 7 ahead of USA 831 (Galloway, Anthony and Steinborn) and Team Duende (Walker, Brown and Empey), tied for second at 21, and closely followed by CAN 197(Hall, Parsonsa and Kerrigan) at 22, USA 780 (Franzell, Carlson and Mikisch) at 23, and USA 832(Kamps, Kamps and Kasniunas) at 25!

Another Canadian, Tom MITCHELL sailing with Erik MACNIGHT and Ken DAVY won the red fleet prize followed by Steve BOBO, Brendan KENNEDY and Kiara CALDWELL, another woman in the event, the third in the red fleet also had a woman Shriley Tedford sailing together with J. Trombley and Chris Lanigan


Thanks to Valcour Island Sailing Club, Lake Champlain. Full results are available on the Soling website at the address below.

Top 6 Results

Pos	Nation	Skipper	Crew	Crew	Total	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7
1	CAN 1	Bill Abbott	Jim Turvey	Sarah Tucker	14	2	3	1	-5	1	5	2
2	USA 831	Peter Galloway	Greg Anthony	Paul Steinborn	21	8	1	3	1	(DNF)	3	5
3	USA 842	Stuart Walker	Chris Brown	Bruce Empey	21	-6	6	2	4	2	4	3
4	CAN 197	Peter Hall	Mike Parsons	Phil Kerrigan	23	1	2	5	-7	6	2	6
5	USA 780	Dave Franzel	Dave Carlson	Erik Mikisch	25	3	7	-9	2	3	1	7
6	USA 832	Charles Kamps	Toby Kamps	Vytas Kasniunas	28	4	5	4	3	5	-8	4