(Newport, RI)- After a rousing 19-mile Around the Island Race on Friday,
sailors at the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) 158th Annual Regatta
presented by Rolex had to face light winds on Saturday and Sunday and a
subsequently abbreviated race schedule where every move counted as
critical to final results. With 104 boats entered in Friday’s race
(separately scored and optional) and 133 entered in weekend racing, this
2012 edition of what is revered as America’s oldest regatta will go
down in sailing history as having its biggest fleet ever-- and, for
some, the most intriguing last-minute victories.
In
the IRC 5 Class, the expected competition between the J/111 and J/122s
was tough. Henry Brauer's J/111 FLEETWING was up against a quartet of
exceptionally well-sailed J/122s and managed to finish in the middle of
them, finishing 7th in fleet overall with a 6-7. However, past J/122
North American champion Mike Bruno and Tom Boyle (Irvington, N.Y.)
finished 2-1 in the regatta’s two races to take IRC 6 on his J/122
WINGS. Second in class was Andrew Weiss' J/122 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON
sailing to a 1-5.Amongst the J/44s there were familiar top class teams in the lead of IRC 5 Class. Leonard Sitar’s (Holmdel, NJ) J/44 VAMP took class honors with a 2-1 in his series. Second J/44 and 5th in class was Jim Bishop's GOLD DIGGER with a 4-5.
IRC 7 Class has often been the domain of the J/109s taking the rest of their class to task for the top of the podium. This year was no different, with the J/109s taking four of the top five! Winning with a 1-1 was past J/109 NA Champions like Bill Sweetser on RUSH with local champions Rob Salk and John Sahagian on PICANTE finishing 3rd with a 4-3, Rick Lyall's STORM in 4th and Paul Milo on VENTO SOLARE finishing 5th.
In PHRF Navigators Division, the J/105s sailed well with Fred Darlington's TONTO taking 2nd and Nelson Wiederman's KIMA taking 5th. In the big boat Navigators Division, the J/160 TRUE sailed by Howie Hodgson finished 3rd in class. For more Rolex New York YC Annual Regatta sailing information
