(Larchmont, NY- May 31)- In a race where choosing sides is key, the teams aboard the three J/122s in IRC40 Class rolled "sevens" on their dice twice, ran the table and hauled off all the silverware! The 186 nautical mile race began Friday afternoon, May 28, and sent the J/122s and ninety-five other one-design, IRC and PHRF boats off on a course from Stamford, Conn. (where host Stamford Yacht Club is located), down Long Island Sound, clockwise around Block Island (R.I.), and back. Choosing Plum Gut over an equally notorious passage called “The Race” on the way to Block Island and then again coming back, proved critical to winners in every class. Plum Gut and The Race are 60 miles away from the start, and there is a 20-minute current change between the two (the Race starts earlier). “If you are hitting that gate close to the change,” said Race Chairman Ray Redniss, “you have to make a quick choice, and it also depends on the conditions and whether you want to sail on the southern or the northern side of Long Island Sound.” The Race Committee was forced to postpone the start due to light breezes and that was a worry. “You can start in a lighter air if the tide is taking you down the sound, but when it isn’t, if you delay too long, you run out of tide,” said Redniss. As it was, most classes started in a 5-6 knot westerly, which built to 10 knots for the larger boats that started last. And indeed, some boats had to retire when the wind dropped to zero and they could not make headway through the foul tide at The Gut and The Race.
In IRC40 class, the J/122s dominated with a 1-2-3 overall. Leading the pack was David and Mary Ellen Torterello's PARTNERSHIP, a highly experienced team with thousands of offshore racing miles under their belts. Second was an equally strong family team led by Andrew Weiss skippering CHRISTOPHER DRAGON just 4 minutes behind. And, finishing third another 20 minutes back were Mike Bruno and Jim Callahan skippering WINGS.
The J/120s were 2nd and 3rd in the IRC Double-handed division. Hewitt Gaynor skippered MIRELLE to second, just 50 seconds out of first place! A bit of a nail-biter for Hewitt and team...can you imagine where you gain and lose a minute in a 186 nm race? Finishing 19 minutes behind was Gardner Grant on ALIBI. Nine of the sixteen entrants were J sailors, testimony to the fact that J's are easy to sail short-handed by a wide variety of sailors...quite a remarkable turnout! Two J/46s sailed, Nathan Owen's SEABISCUIT finished 5th, just 45 seconds behind STC double-handed sailor extraordinaire, Rich du Moulin.
The IRC35 class had three J/109s racing, won by Hong Kong sailor Mike Sleightholme racing APSARA. Colin McGranahan's J/130 DRAGONFLY finished third in IRC45 just ahead of Tom Carroll's well-campaigned J/133 SIREN SONG. For
more information on sailing the STC Block Island Race and race results.