LARCHMONT Wins USQS Sailing J/70s

Epic Final Race In J/70s
(Newport, RI)- After a seeding series on Wednesday and Thursday advanced the top twelve teams to the Gold Flight of the U.S. Qualifying Series, this group was now being thoroughly vetted in the new J/70s to see who would be among top three teams to advance to the amateur 2013 Invitational Cup presented by Rolex, hosted next year by NYYC in Newport.

After seven races on Friday, the final day on Saturday delivered 12-17-knots, setting the landscape for a litany of some "crash & burns" for some teams and plenty of penalty turns for those squeezing into places they shouldn't be going into! In the end, the last qualifier for the Gold fleet, Larchmont Yacht Club, climbed to the top as Seattle and San Francisco yacht clubs held on to gain the final two spots and berths for next year's event.

"We struggled in the qualifying round, but really started to feel comfortable finally today," said Danny Pletsch, skipper for Larchmont. "The left side of the course was heavily favored today so we started there, then began starting at the boat to be more conservative near the end."

For the top three in the Gold fleet, preparing for the Invitational Cup is potentially more intimidating than facing the tooth-and-nail racing each day this week. "They'll probably be shocked to find out we qualified," said Shawn Bennett, skipper of third place San Francisco Yacht Club. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for the club." Bennett, who has experience preparing for national and world championships, said that he is sure the members will step up the training for next year's event.

On Day 1, the sailing had a fast start but ended with a whisper of breeze. What started with 15-18-knot planing conditions for the quick J/70s came to an end when the final rain squall killed the breeze by mid-afternoon. What did not change throughout the day at the U.S. Qualifying Series was Newport Harbor Yacht Club's grasp on the top spot of the red fleet.  One point ahead of San Francisco and Seattle yacht clubs, Payson Infelise and his crew of Chris Raab and John Fuller have put up nearly all top-five finishes save a ninth in the sixth and final race of the day. The red fleet started the day in Sonars and swapped with the blue fleet after four races to end the day in the J/70s.

One of the most impressive performances of the day was given by the gentlemen from Jacksonville and the Florida Yacht Club. Posting a 3,2,6,2,2,1, skipper Greg Griffin and teammates Andy Culver, Will Newton and David de Camp were fast in both fleets of boats. Two points behind is the team from Indian Harbor Yacht Club.

"The first half of the day we just played the pressure on the left," said red-fleet leader Payson Infelise of Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Defending that side allowed them to stay in the top five until a focus on current caused them to falter in the last race.  Infelise's tactician added that their ninth place in race six reminded him that they can't be too confident. "You should never be a frontrunner in this event," said Chris Raab, referring to US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Bora Gulari and his Bayview Yacht Clubs fall from grace after dominating the first half of the 2010 Qualifier Series. "Anything can happen. We're happy we had a good day today."

After the end of the second day of racing, the Championship Series teams were selected. The story of day two was not the dominant performances put in by The Florida Yacht Club and Seattle Yacht Club but more the way the last Championship series qualifiers clawed their way back from poor starts and bad breaks to maintain a chance at attending the 2013 Invitational Cup.

Today's results split the fleet into a Championship and Consolation series. When protests were resolved after sunset, the scores showed two points separating fourth through sixth in the red fleet. A third place in the last race of the day allowed Larchmont squeak into the Championship series after a day that typified the tooth-and-nail competition seen throughout both fleets.

"Half way down the run of race 10 we were pretty depressed thinking we were in the consolation series," said Larchmont tactician Clay Bischoff. He said that the team needed the first day to get used to their individual roles on the boat. And though they had few shifts go their way, the team is working to keep their confidence after the last race. "We were over-thinking it yesterday," said Cardwell Potts, "and today we just kept things simple."

The race committee waited until a seven-knot, shifty sea-breeze filled in at 2 p.m. to start the first race of the day. As it turned out, shifts did go some teams' way. Florida was over the line in a race, came back, had to make a penalty circle and wound up second. Youngstown Yacht Club, a team that narrowly missed qualifying for the Championship series, was over in two races in a row and ended up with a 1,2 score line.

Pequot Yacht Club ended up four points out of qualifying but their coach, two-time Olympian Stuart McNay, testified to the complexity of the race course on Narragansett Bay. "The breeze was very uncertain today," he said, adding that that the shifts were rarely seen on the water. The strong current going upwind and shallows on both sides of the course added to the challenge, but McNay said that the competition was top notch. "Everyone was sailing as hard as they could and it was fun to watch."

In the blue fleet, Fort Worth Boat Club made a run after a last in the first race today with a series of top three finishes to move up one place to fourth overall, two points ahead of Indian Harbor Yacht Club. A highlight of the day for spectators was watching the other position changes around Fort Worth live on the online TracTrac while the racing was unfolding on the water.

The third day was simply spectacular racing for the first round of Championship series sailing in the equally matched colorful fleet of new J/70s.  After seven races in a brilliant sunlit sea breeze, preliminary scores show little light between the top seven teams in the Gold fleet vying for three Invitational Cup slots. Though Seattle and San Francisco yacht clubs had been distancing themselves from the group in the first five races, each swallowed a bottom half score in the last two races to allow the fleet to catch up. St. Francis had been tied for second until a DSQ in race five dropped them to fourth.

Beneficiaries of the top group's misfortune were Larchmont, the winners of the final race of the day moving them into third, and Texas Corinthian Yacht Club, a team that was finally on the positive side of the subtle shifts and strong current lines on Narragansett Bay Course ending with a 1,5,5 score line. There is no throwout for the Gold and Silver series, putting more pressure on each race.

For fellow Texans in the Gold fleet, Fort Worth Boat Club, just one too many bottom half places put them at the bottom of the fleet despite several top five finishes. Only ten points separated them and the next four places, roughly the same difference between first and seventh.  "It's a very tight fleet and you can't make any mistakes," said Fort Worth skipper Glenn Darden after the long day of racing. "They're all good and somebody is going to get a twelfth in each race."

The last day of sailing dawned clear and windy with predictions for breezes to hit 20-25 kts in front of an impending Low blowing in from the West.  If the previous days of sailing were any indication, all the skippers knew Saturday was going to be the toughest day. With a perfect 12-17-kt sea breeze punctuated by puffs in excess of 23 kts, the top seeded Gold fleet teams faltered from broaches (boat-handling mistakes) and penalties allowing hope for the lurking pack close behind. In the end, the last qualifier for the Gold fleet, Larchmont, climbed to the top as Seattle and San Francisco yacht clubs held on to gain the final two spots and berths in the 2013 Invitational Cup presented by Rolex.

Larchmont is in the enviable position of being the first name on the Resolute Cup, a re-dedicated New York Yacht Club trophy that dates back to 1915.  U.S. Yacht Clubs represented this week include American Yacht Club, Bay Head Yacht Club, California Yacht Club, Carolina Yacht Club, Eastern Yacht Club, Edgartown Yacht Club, Fishing Bay Yacht Club, Florida Yacht Club, Fort Worth Boat Club, Grand Maumelle Sailing Club, Grand Traverse Yacht Club, Indian Harbor Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club, Little Traverse Yacht Club, Nantucket Yacht Club, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Pequot Yacht Club, San Francisco Yacht Club, Seattle Yacht Club, Southern Yacht Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, Storm Trysail Club, Texas Corinthian Yacht Club and Youngstown Yacht Club.  For more New York YC USQS sailing information