Postcard conditions on Lake Erie greeted teams for the first day of the J/70 North American Championship at Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, OH. A south breeze from 12-16 knots and gusts in the 20s equaled perfect planing opportunities. Adding in sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, everyone relished the three races to kick off the Championship. Oivind Lorentzen’s team on Nine (Lucas Calabrese, Ian Coleman and Will Felder) rocked all three contests to take the early advantage with 6 points, after posting a 1,2,3. John and Molly Baxter’s Team Vineyard Vines started with a seven and added two bullets for 9 points and second place. 2016 J/70 World Champion Joel Ronning on Catapult is only one notch behind the Baxters in third (scores of 5,3,2). Martin Johnsson’s Aquaholiks crew of Jorgen Johnsson, Lindsay Hernandez and August Hernandez has the advantage in the Corinthian division. Lorentzen’s Nine launched the regatta with a bullet, followed by John Brim’s Rimette and Bruce Golison’s Midlife Crisis. The Baxter family took the second and third victories, ahead of Lorentzen and Ronning in race two, who flipped spots in race three. Racing continues through Saturday. Photos are available on the International J/70 Class Facebook page, and complete results may be found at https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=6145.