(Newport, RI)- This year's 157th Rolex New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta has attracted a large J fleet racing across the spectrum of classes in this year's event, including a J/105 One-Design class and a raft of J's sailing in both IRC and PHRF handicap classes- 28 boats in total (nearly 1/4 of all boats sailing).
In the J/105 class, a number of class contenders with enormous pedigree in J/105 class events includes past North American Champion Bruce Stone sailing JOUSTER from St Francis YC in San Francisco, CA; Nelson Weiderman from Wickford YC sailing US 300; and past Key West Champion Brian Keane from Beverly YC sailing SAVASANA.
Sailing
in the IRC classes will be extremely competitive. The loaded J-fleet
in IRC 4 includes two J/111s- ANDIAMO sailed by Jeff Johnstone from Ida
Lewis YC and WICKED 2.0 sailed by Doug Curtiss from New Bedford YC; five
J/122s- past North American Champions WINGS sailed by Mike Bruno/ Tom
Boyle/ Jim Callahan from American YC, Andrew Weiss's winning family team
aboard CHRISTOPHER DRAGON from New York YC, Bill Coates' OTRA VEZ from
Galveston Bay Cruising Association, Steve Furnary's PATRIOT from
American YC, and George Shaw's TUMBLEWEED from Boston YC; and three
J/44s- Jim Bishop's veteran campaigners aboard GOLD DIGGER from American
YC, Bill Ketcham's MAXINE from New York YC and GLORY sailed by Jack
Neades from the US Coast Guard Sailing Club. Sailing IRC 5 will be the lone J/120 sailed by a Coast Guard Academy team aboard RICOCHET. In IRC 6 will be the J/105 HORNPIPE sailed by Andy Green from Newport, RI and the three incredibly competitive J/109s- past North American and East Coast Champions Bill Sweetser sailing RUSH from Annapolis YC and Rick Lyall's STORM from New York YC, plus local favorite Bob Salk and John Sahagian sailing PICANTE from Jamestown and New York YC.
The PHRF contingent includes John Lavin's J/29 called DIRTY HARRY from East Greenwich, RI, Dawson Hodgson's J/100 GRIMACE from New York YC, Mike Ryn and Richard Barker's J/24 NIGHTHAWK from Ida Lewis YC, Kevin Clarke's J/100 SAFINA from Portsmouth, RI, Mike Sullivan's J/33 SIRIUS from Fayerweather YC and Dan Stone's J/35 WHITE HEAT from Wickford YC. For more Rolex New York YC Annual Regatta sailing information
