(Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, MA)- The Edgartown Yacht Club hosted the 82nd running of its signature ‘Round-the-Island (’RTI) race on Saturday, August 1st, 2020. The Round Island, which began in 1938 and counts as one of America’s oldest distance races, it tracks 56.0 nautical miles around Martha’s Vineyard.The hoped-for classic sailing conditions materialized later than usual but enabled the faster boats to circumnavigate the island in just under ten hours.
Happily adapting to the pandemic guidelines were many J/Sailors. Answering the Siren's Song were sixteen J/Crews, ranging from J/29s to J/46! All divisions have J's participating, such as IRC, ORRez, PHRF, and PHRF Doublehanded!
Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (Chilmark, Mass.) claimed the coveted Venona Trophy at Edgartown Race Weekend’s 82nd ‘Round-the-Island Race, sailing his classic Alden Cutter 44 Lark to win his class and post the best corrected time from among all entrants in the Spinnaker Division. A fleet of 46 boats competing in eight classes started and finished its circumnavigation of Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday, August 1. In a virtual Awards Ceremony, held Sunday afternoon, Kerry (who also is a former U.S. Senator for Massachusetts) praised host Edgartown Yacht Club for pulling off the regatta during the Coronavirus pandemic, which sadly has caused the cancellation of many other regattas.
“The Club did a brilliant job-- thoughtful and well-executed, without onerous but, nevertheless, clear restraints,” said Kerry, mentioning particularly the restriction of no social gatherings at the club. “That’s a hard thing to give up in sailing, but it was hugely appreciated that they covered all the bases and it allowed us to get out on the water.” ALL teams were limited to just FIVE (5) crew!
The light northeast wind at the start became a stronger southwesterly by the time the fleet reached the south side of the island. A number of J/Teams swept the top spots in various classes, loving the tactical conditions and making good use of their VMG speed with big A-Sails flying in the light stuff. Most boats took from 9 to 11 hours to finish the race by sunset!
Edgartown Yacht Club’s ‘Round-the-Island Race — one of America’s oldest distance races — originated in 1938, and except for the years of World War II, has been an annual event since then on Martha’s Vineyard. After an 0800 start, the fleet sails between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket along the east beach of Chappaquiddick. At midday, it is in the open Atlantic Ocean with views of the south coast of the Vineyard. In the afternoon, rounding the famously gorgeous cliffs of Gay Head, the fleet sails up Vineyard Sound. If the tidal currents or wind conditions make the going slow, the Race Committee can shorten course. (This year, Doublehand B and PHRF Non-Spinnaker classes sailed an abbreviated course of 45.52 miles.)
Stephen Besse (Vineyard Haven, Mass.), sailed his J/120 APRES to victory in the PHRF Doublehanded A Class, the second largest class with eight entrants, to collect the Eolis Trophy. He says he has been second in his class here at least five times out of ten previous tries but has never won, and this year was the first time he sailed without a full crew.
“I did it that way because of Covid-19,” he said, “knowing there would be only one other person to worry about instead of eight people.” Besse, like Kerry, played it right at the most critical juncture in the race; “the wind dropped out where Muskeget was narrowing down and some boats got sucked across Wasque Shoal. Having done this race before, I stayed farther east and drifted by Mutton Shoal on the right side of the buoy by just a boat length. Others had gotten carried past it and were anchored. We had enough of a lead that if we didn’t do anything stupid, we’d be good. We sailed the rest of the race hard, however, and we loved sailing from The Hooter (a government mark that makes a hooting sound) to Squibnocket in seven knots of breeze.”
In the PHRF Spinnaker B class of five-boats, it was Eliot Shanabrook's J/109 HAFA ADAI that won by nearly an hour on corrected time! Wow! Congrats to that performance! Second was the trio of Joyce/ Reservitz/ Wagner on their J/105 DARK'N'STORMY.
Sailing in PHRF Spinnaker C class were two near sisterships. Taking the silver and winning the Hobart A.H. Cook Trophy (Best Corrected Time among Service Academy entries) was U.S. Merchant Marine Academy's J/44 VAMP. It was past class winner Dick Egan's beautiful J/46 WINGS that managed to pull off a fourth place in the light stuff. Sailing photo credits- Stephen Cloutier. For more information Edgartown YC Round Island Race sailing information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
|
