In an exciting final day of competition, the USA’s 2004 Olympic Silver Medal team of John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree have successfully defended their claim to the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT) by defeating Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez of Puerto Rico.

After going ahead on a score of 3-1 on Friday, the American pair needed to win only one match on Saturday to hold on to their title in the first-to-four point series sailed in F18HTs on Lake Pontchartrain and hosted by Southern Yacht Club.

But the win did not come easily. In the first do-or-die match for the Challengers, Lovell and Ogletree replicated the mastery they’ve displayed all week in match racing, controlling the Puerto Ricans in the pre-start and leading around the first mark by several lengths. And while the 9-12 knot southerly breeze was the most promising all week for match racing, there were not only opportunities to speed away in the puffs but also pitfalls to die in the lulls over the 2.5-mile course. Soon after their rounding, Lovell and Ogletree gybed away to protect their lead only to fall into a hole while Figueroa and Hernandez sped away to a spectacular three-minute lead, the largest of any match of the week.

Even with a long-standing rivalry between these two going back to their Olympic Tornado competition, the sailors have maintained their good nature and camaraderie both on and off the water.

The sixth and deciding match was the last opportunity for the Challengers to even up the score, and they showed more aggression than in any match of the week. Pushing the Americans hard just seconds prior to the start, Figueroa and Hernandez thought the Defenders had not kept clear and signaled for a penalty. Umpires Dobbs Davis and Dwight Le Blanc disagreed, and green-flagged the incident which threatened to put Lovell and Ogletree over at the start. As in several prior matches, the Defenders effectively controlled the Challengers all the way to the port tack layline, this time guarding their lead more carefully to sail to victory by 27 seconds.

“That was really hard,” said a relieved Lovell while sailing back to the harbour. “There were plenty of holes and puffs we felt could close the gap. Were just glad its over.”