The end-of-summer Verve Cup Inshore off the Chicago lakefront took place in late August on Lake Michigan, hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club’s Belmont Station. With gorgeous weather, the fleet of nine J/88s enjoyed great racing and a total of seven races on the choppy waters of Lake Michigan. It was not surprising to see a battle break out in the J/88 fleet. Going into the final day and final two races, three teams (DUTCH, EXILE, BANTER) were essentially tied on points. All three boats won races and mostly finished on the podium. Whoever beat whom in the last two races would determine the outcome. A tiebreaker decided the winners with 18 points each. By winning the last two races, John Leahey’s DUTCH team won the regatta, with Andy Graff’s EXILE losing the countback to take second. Just 3 points back was Ben Marden’s BANTER with 21 points. Rounding out the top five were Brian Kaczor’s ERICA in fourth place with 24 points and David Dennison’s PIRANHA taking fifth place with 35 points. For more event information, visit https://www.vervecup.com/.