| Place | Skipper | Sail No. | Boat | Fleet | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Total |
| 1 | Jim Barnash | 1207 | Thunder Chicken | Rochester | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| 2 | Adam Burns | 489 | Mo’ Money | Youngstown | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| 3 | Chris Doyle | 1026 | Elmo | Youngstown | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 17 |
| 4 | Dick Hallagan | 981 | Chibougamau | Rochester | 1 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 26 |
| 5 | Peter Doyle | 317 | Frosty | Youngstown | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | DNF | 36 |
| 6 | Ed Gardner | 960 | Blur | Lake George | 8 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 36 |
| 7 | Tom Linville | 867 | Fuzzy Logic | Lake George | 2 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 40 |
| 8 | Jeff Pawlowski | 1208 | Just Add Water | Rochester | 7 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 43 |
| 9 | Jon Hoffer | 940 | Nutashif | Marion | 11 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 49 |
| 10 | John Newell | 1014 | It'’ All good | Rochester | 10 | 5 | 9 | 6 | DNF | 52 |
| 11 | Sam Hoopes | 1084 | Fat Star | Lake George | 13 | 8 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 59 |
| 12 | Rik Alexanderson | 657 | Brass Ring | Lake George | 16 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 8 | 60 |
| 13 | Bill Zautner | 1534 | Steamin' | Lake George | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 64 |
| 14 | Spike Kunz | 1316 | X-Rad | Lake George | 18 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 67 |
| 15 | Ren Boericke | 921 | Fancy Dancer | Lake George | 12 | 12 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 78 |
| 16 | W. Peter Welsby | 1050 | Holding On | Youngstown | 9 | 17 | 17 | 14 | DNF | 79 |
| 17 | Richard Drake | 543 | Zephyr | Lake George | 15 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 80 |
| 18 | Tom Soule | 990 | Sweet William | Lake George | 20 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 13 | 84 |
| 19 | Larry Stephans | 837 | Ragged Edge | Rochester | 14 | 21 | 18 | 9 | DNS | 84 |
| 20 | Herm Lintner | 1328 | Thistle Be It | Lake George | 19 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 89 |
| 21 | Rich Page | 787 | Wraith | Lake George | 21 | 20 | 16 | DNS | DNS | 101 |
DNS & DNF = 22 points — Lake George boats highlighted in yellow
Hurricane Isabel decimated the east coast and forced cancellation of the J/22 East Coast Championship at Annapolis, but fortunately she dissipated by late Friday, September 19th, so that the J/22 Northeast District Championship and Lake George Open J/22 Regatta could be held as scheduled. Fleet #61 and the Lake George Club, Diamond Point, NY were pleased to welcome ten visiting boats and crews along with 11 local boats and to host the 21 entrants for a very successful five race regatta on September 20-21, 2003.
The visitors took the top honors, with Jim Barnash and crew Scott Kinsilla and Flip Wehrheim from Rochester in first with 13 points, being crowned “2003 Northeast District Champions.” They were closely followed by Adam Burns (14) and Chris Dole (17) from Youngstown. Dick “Lightning” Hallagan (26) from Rochester and Peter Doyle (36) from Youngstown rounded out the top five prize-winning places. Co-helmsmen Ed Gardner and Alfie Merchant (36) of Lake George won the Top Local Boat trophy, finishing in sixth. The only other local boat placing in the top ten was Tom Linville (40) of Lake George, in seventh.
Four races were held on Saturday as scheduled. The first race started in a 6-knot southerly which held through the race. Tom Linville led until the last leeward mark where Dick Hallagan rounded ahead and held on for the short beat to the finish on the I2 course. The second race was started in a light and shifty wind, which ultimately shifted enough that the final legs were reach-parades that the race committee could not change with the spread-out fleet. Adam Burns had the lead early in the race and held on to win. The participants retreated to the clubhouse for a sumptuous lunch buffet while the race committee waited for the wind to settle in. An 8 to 10-knot southwest wind with lots of shifts and higher gusts did finally arrive, and two races were held in the afternoon. Peter Doyle won the first, and Jim Barnash the second.
At the end of the day Saturday, the top of the fleet was knotted with Barnash (3-2-5-1) and Burns (4-1-4-2) tied at 11 points for first, Peter Doyle (6-3-1-4) in third with 14 points, and Chris Doyle (5-6-2-3) and Dick Hallagan (1-7-3-5) tied for fourth with 16 points. The “best local boat” competition was also close. Ed Gardner/Alfie Merchant (8-10-6-8) were only one point ahead of Tom Linville (2-14-7-10), 32 to 33 points.
Sunday morning arrived with the predicted and dreaded “no-wind.” Some visitors began to crowd the hoist area anticipating an early haulout. The host fleet members, taking advantage of the lull, held a fleet meeting. Leftover breakfast food and coffee was consumed, because the bar was not yet open. But slight cats-paws did appear on the lake surface, and the RC started making noises, disturbing the resting competitors. The RC was determined to get in a race to break the scoring ties, so sails were heard rustling and crackling as the fleet followed the RC boat out to the race course.
An I2 course was set in the 0-3 knot northerly (easterly?, westerly?) and the fleet was off. Those on the left looked golden, but the right side got the zephyrs first and Ed Gardner in Blur (!!) rounded the weather mark first. The RC was already signaling shorten course, much to the dismay of those following. Some of the leaders, and later some of the followers, attempted to fly chutes to the finish, but this was largely unsuccessful until after those in front had finished. Chris Doyle was the best at floating his chute and finding the puffs, and drifted across ahead of Barnash, Burns and Gardner. The wind filled in nicely from the north at around 8 knots as the tail end of the fleet finished, but it was too late in the day to hold another race.
As usual, Lake George was magnificent for this early-fall regatta, as were the facilities and service provided by the host Lake George Club and its members.
We were pleased to welcome back many of the same skippers from Youngstown and Rochester who have sailed with us in the past, as well as some new faces. We hope all our visitors enjoyed our hospitality, and the fine dining and dancing as well as the highly competitive sailing on the queen of American lakes.
If you haven't attended this regatta, you are truly missing something. Plan to come next year, when the regatta will be held on September 25-26, 2004. For information, contact Sam Hoopes at 518-644-7955, or check out the USA J/22 website.
Fleet #61 extends its thanks to the Lake George Club J/24 fleet sailors who helped run the Regatta and made it a success. We look forward to returning the favor at the Changing of the Colors Regatta on September 26 & 27, 2003.