After coming in second place in 2017 and 2018, Ella Beauregard and Hamilton Barclay of Southport Yacht Club won the Maine C420 State Championships held at Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club Aug. 1-2.

Against 42 competitors the Southport sailors bested perennial rival Terra Earhart and Lillian Meyers of MDI/Florida. In 2017 at Harraseeket, Earhart first won the event as skipper with brother Skye crewing. In 2018 Earhart won again at Boothbay with Riverview High classmate and ace skipper Mark Brunsvold. This year, Earhart brought top youth Laser sailor and Sarasota’s 2018 Yachtswoman of the Year Lillian Meyers as skipper. Southport Yacht Club sailors Charlie Apolinsky and Brian Goldsmith came in third with top five finishes and two 2nd places. Southport Yacht Club finished four of its seven teams in the top ten. Boothbay teams finished 23rd and 38th.

Thursday’s racing started shortly after noon with hazy skies and light northerly wind of 2-5 knots shifting from 15 to 320 degrees. Most of the fleet started near the pin on the Burnt Island side of the race course. Barclay noted a wind line coming down the right of the course and started at the boat with clear air. As he and Beauregard poked out on the fleet the wind line dissipated and they tacked back to the center of the course rounding 8th. Lucas and Nate Ingbritson of MDI and Meyers/Earhart rounded 1st and 2nd. The wind filled back in on the right downwind and Barclay and Beauregard caught several boats to finish 5th. The next race the pair were early at the pin end and had to restart but clawed back through the fleet to finish 6th. Meyers and Earhart fouled on the last leg and were later disqualified dropping from 1st overall to 21st. The third race was abandoned when the 60 minute time limit expired. At the end of the day, Apolinsky and Goldsmith were in second with Beauregard and Barclay 1 point back in 4th place.

Racing Friday was under ideal conditions with southerly winds building from 6 to 12 knots as racing progressed. Meyers and Earhart knew they had to get six races completed to have their DSQ thrown out of the points tally. Barclay and Beauregard knew they had to put points on the MDI sailors with each race. Both Meyers and Barclay started races 3 through 6 near each other at the committee boat end of the line. At times this match race within the race let other boats ahead at the first weather mark. Beauregard and Barclay then took off with superior downwind speed and led at the leeward gate. They protected or extended their lead to win each of Friday’s races to finish with 9 points (5, [6], 1, 1, 1, 1) and secure a 5 point lead over Meyers and Earhart. Apolinsky and Goldsmith had 19 points for third place.

Barclay was unable to defend his two-time Maine State Opti Champion title as it was held simultaneously this year.

Barclay and Beauregard travel to the US Sailing Double-handed Junior National Championships in California Aug. 7-11.