(Newport, RI)- One of the best summer one-design regattas in the
American Northeast is the annual SAILNewport Regatta held in the first
week of July. Newport promises great sailing conditions most of the
time and, combined with the superb race management led by SAILNewport's
Brad Read, sailors can be assured of not only good racing but a fun time
ashore, too. There are three excellent fleets of one-design J's racing
this weekend, including fourteen J/24s, eleven J/80s and nine J/105s. Leading the charge in the J/24 class will be Newport teams like John Mollicone's 11th HOUR RACING, Peter Levesque's MOOKIE, Will Welles' NORTHWATER and Mike Hill's OBSTREPEROUS. Giving them a tough fight for the podium will be out-of-town teams like Ed Walker's SMALL FLYING PATIO FURNITURE from San Francisco, CA (easily getting the long-distance award), Chris Jankowski's STREET LEGAL (a top Charleston Race Week boat this year) and the Zaleski Bro's TWINS from Stamford, CT.
The J/80s also have a diverse group of teams coming from across the country, starting with Gary Kamins' FIRED UP from Pacific Palisades, CA (another long-distance traveler winner) and Bruno Pasquinelli's TIAMO (third at Charleston Race Week this year). Leading the charge locally will be Chris Bulger's GOOSE and Jeff Johnstone's LITTLE FEAT.
As part of their Narragansett Bay Championship, the J/105s have attracted an excellent group of teams, including past North American, Key West Race Week and Block Island Race Week Champions like Damian Emery on ECLIPSE, San Franciscan Bruce Stone on a new boat called JOUSTER, Joerg Esdorn on KINCSEM and Brian Keane on SAVASANA. How these teams fair against one another will be a solid indicator of who will be major contenders for the upcoming J/105 Northamericans in Marblehead, MA this coming August. For more SAILNewport Regatta sailing information
