(Rye, NY)- American Yacht Club kicked off the Fall regatta season with
the first and second days of the 2017 Fall Series. Saturday had near
pristine sailing conditions and Sunday brought a much lighter breeze.
Nearly 120 boats were listed on the scratch sheet. Competitors came from
across the east coast to compete in a regatta that has become a staple
of IRC, PHRF one-design classes such as the J/70, J/44, J/105, J/109 and
more.Saturday brought sunshine and northerly oscillating winds with multiple races on each of the two courses. Then, Sunday racing continued with beautiful weather, but the high temperatures translated into lighter wind velocities than hoped for. The AYC Race Committee had their work cut out for them due to light winds. The East Course did their best but were unable to race, and the South Course was able to have one complete race. By the end of the first weekend of Fall Series, competition between classes was tight.
In the J/70 class, Scott and Alex Furnary on ANY COLOUR are leading after posting four 1sts and a 2nd for 4.0 pts net. Sailing nearly as well was Trevor Roach’s SEMI-CHARMED with a 7-2-2-2-1 tally for 7.0 pts net. Then, sitting in third after the weekend was Carrie & Ed Austin’s CHINOOK with a 3-4-3-3-9 record for 13 pts.
The J/105 class saw the St Francis YC duo of Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault compile an unassailable scoreline of 4-1-1-1-2 for 5.0 pts net to lead the class. Second is another past winner of the event, Damian Emery’s ECLIPSE with a 1-2-2-3-5 record for 8.0 pts net. Then, holding on to third is George & Alex Wilbanks’ REVELATION with a 5-3-3-8-1 for 12.0 pts net.
As
a measure of how competitive the J/88 fleet has become, not one boat
won more than one race. The most consistent team was Doug Newhouse’s
YONDER with a 2-1-2-5-2 record for 7.0 pts net. They are leading by
just two pts over Elizabeth Barry’s ESCAPE crew that has a 4-3-1-2-3
score for 9.0 pts net. And, sitting in third are two teams tied at 11
pts each- Mike Bruno’s WINGS and Iris Vogel’s DEVIATION.Continuing to have a good year racing in the J/109 one-design class is David Rosow’s LOKI, currently leading the J/109s with a 4-5-1-2-1 record for 8.0 pts net. Just behind them, it’s a fight for the top spots on the podium with Jon Rechtshaffer’s EMOTICON having a slight edge with a 2-2-3-4-5 score for 11 pts net. One point shy of them sitting in third place is Bengt & Marie Johansson’s ZIG ZAG with a 3-1-2-9-6 for 12 pts net.
Back on form in the J/44 one-design class is Jim Bishop’s famously-green GOLD DIGGER, having a great start to the series with a 1-2-1 for 4.0 pts. Sitting in second is one of their arch-nemesis’, Bill Ketcham’s MAXINE with a 2-3-2 for 7.0 pts. Then, in third is Len Sitar’s VAMP with a 3-1-4 for 8 pts.
In the PHRF handicap racing world, J/Teams are just about cleaning house, sitting atop the podium in many divisions. Leading PHRF 1 Class is Ron Richman’s J/133 ANTIDOTE with a 2-1-1 for 4.0 pts. Second is Neil Hindle’s J/145C MUSKOKA with a 1-2-2 for 5.0 pts. In PHRF 2 Class, the two J/111s are dueling for class supremacy, with David & Maryellen Tortorello’s PARTNERSHIP leading with a 1-2-1 for 4.0 pts, followed by Paul Strauch’s ANDIAMO with a 2-3-2 for 7.0 pts. In PHRF 3 Class, Andy Oeftering’s J/92 SHOOTING STAR currently sits in 4th place.
Finally, the Leukemia Cup Navigators Course saw two J/crews on the race track. John & Corinne Forster’s J/92 SALTIRE placed 3rd while Jim Wilson’s J/100 LIBERTY took 7th place.
Overall it was a thrilling weekend of sailing tied to an incredible cause. The excitement will continue next weekend for the final two days of the 2017 Fall Series, followed by the High Performance Regatta and the J/70 North American Championships in the coming weeks. American Yacht Club would like to thank Jim and Judy Wilson for their continuous efforts in organizing another successful Leukemia Cup Regatta. For more American YC Fall Series sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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