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"Loving ARROWHEAD, our J/42 hull #62.
She has 35,000 miles on here. 8 Newport to Bermuda Races. 4 Marblehead to Halifax Races, and the 2015 Transatlantic race. A lot of miles under her bottom, great boat sailing offshore," commented owner Steve Berlack.
Steve is the Men's Ski Team Coach at the famous Burke Mountain Academy in East Burke, Vermont. The Academy is famous for turning out some of America's top ski racers on the FIS Tour and Olympic Medallists.
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(Torquay, England)- Organized by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, the Torbay Royal Regatta is normally a three-day festival of competitive racing over the August bank holiday weekend. Given the circumstances this year, there were doubts about any event at all, but when restrictions were eased at the end of July, Sailing Secretary Bob Penfold decided to try and run a reduced regatta.
Penfold commented, “we decided to go for two days only, on August 22nd and 23d. Part of the purpose of this was to cut the number of volunteers we needed, because three of our five Race Officers are currently shielding (locked down at home), and quite a lot of others who normally operate RIBs are not able to do so at the moment. By sticking to yachts and sportboats only, we could minimize the number of support people required out on the water; we had just two people mark-laying, distanced on the RIB and wearing face coverings, and they had to do just one tow-in. We also reduced the number of people on the committee boat to five, including one couple, and again, they were all distanced.”
The organizing team ran no registration, so avoiding the need for people to sit opposite each other, and there was just a limited race office, with reduced hours, all done through the club’s main office with a screen between participants and those at the desk. Sailing instructions and the Notice of Race included clear referrals to both government and RYA covid-19 online guidance.
The weather for the event was good, with gusts of over 25 knots on the Saturday. As a result, there was a full weekend of racing, and it was very competitive, especially in the sportsboat classes. There were eight entries in the cruiser fleet, following the SWYTC handicap system, eight entries in the IRC yacht fleet, and 11 sportboats. Some were crewed by "family bubble" teams, while others, being larger, were socially distanced and, where necessary, using mitigation such as masks according to the guidelines. Participants were largely club members, though there were a few boats from further afield.
In the end, Paddy Bettesworth's crew on the J/70 BEWITCHED took the bronze medal in the Sportboats class. The team was grinning from ear-to-ear at the end of racing on Sunday, reveling in the spectacular sailing conditions all weekend long.
Prize-givings were in the terraced garden of the club with people well spaced-out and a one-way system. Prizes were sponsored by Maintain South West (Sportsboats), Westaway Sails (IRC class) and Teign Metal Finishes (Cruiser Class).
Members were very happy with the event, commenting extremely positively. One crew messaged afterwards: “We had the most amazing weekend sailing. It’s such a treat to see all of you again after such a prolonged time off the water. Thank you to everyone involved with the organizing for all their efforts – it’s hugely appreciated, especially with the extra challenges to navigate this year. Well done!” For more Royal Torbay YC Torbay Regatta sailing information
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(Annapolis, MD)- Even a self-described “punch in the nose” couldn’t stop Will Crump and his teammates aboard R80 from winning the J/80 fleet at the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis today. The feat also earned them an invitation to the British Virgin Islands—as the regatta’s overall winner—to represent Annapolis at the Helly Hansen Caribbean NOOD Championship, scheduled for 2021.
“John [White – friend and rival on board J/80 USA 1162] must have heard me say I was going after him in the starting sequence today,” Crump said jokingly. “Well, he won that round in race one today when he came after us right away, ‘punched us in the nose,’ and we finished fifth.
“Then we traded, and I got him in the next race,” Crump said. “It was another really fun day, very challenging and shifty. The fleet continues to be super competitive so winning is very rewarding.”
Behind the two leaders was a well-known world-class Naptown sailor- Mike Hobson on MELTEMI, securing the bronze on the podium with a win in the first race and posting five more races in the top three to finish with 31 pts. Top woman skipper Sarah Alexander on MORE COWBELLS took 4th place and Derick Lynch's OUTLAWS ended up 5th.
The final of three days of racing treated sailors across 78 teams to cooler temperatures, sun and moderate (but signature Annapolis shifty) winds for the final two to three races among the two divisions and 10 fleets.
In the largest fleet of the event, sixteen J/105s battled it out with co-owners Cedric Lewis and Frederik Salvesen winning the class by 24 points with their family and friends aboard MIRAGE.
Lewis and Slavesen met during high school sailing and have sailed together for 35 years. “It was nice to have a bit of normalcy in this age of Coronavirus and get out racing,” said Lewis. “Our team has been dealing with adversity so sailing together was great.”
He credits flawless crew work as a major key to their success. “Today we finished up strong with a 2-1-1,” he said. “The breeze was all over the place and we saw pretty hefty shifts. We would start with a plan and stick to it. No freaking out if we fell behind.”
The MIRAGE team compiled an impressive record, winning 7 of 9 races for a total of 12 pts, an unheard-of record in the usually extremely competitive Annapolis J/105 fleet. A distant second was Andrew Kennedy's BAT IV with 36 pts and taking the bronze was top woman skipper Sara Morgan Watters on CRASH!
First-time Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis competitor John Heaton on his Chicago-based Empeiria adapted quickly to Annapolis’ tricky sailing conditions, winning the 11-boat J/70 fleet by 17 points over Cate Muller-Terhune on Murder Hornet.
“Hats off to Annapolis; wow, what a challenging place. You can see why sailors here are very good tactically; it’s just so shifty,” said Heaton. “It’s a great venue and we’re thrilled with how much racing we got in. It was fun to sail against other, new boats here.”
According to Heaton, Sunday was a day of transitions, with special attention paid to crew movement as the wind strength went up and down. “Our first race today started a bit slow; I think we rounded the top mark in 8th, but we just focused on sailing the boat well and grinding boats down,” he said. “We ended up second, holding off two boats right at the end. A really fun, super competitive race and I was really proud of us to keep our heads up and sail hard.”
Another big surprise for the J/70 fleet, aside from a Chicago "outsider" winning, was top woman helm Cate Muller-Terhune sailing MURDER HORNET. She won two races along the way to earning a solid second place...it may have helped her to have someone like Alan Terhune on mainsheet- a past J/22 World Champion. Rounding out the podium was a familiar team on the J/70 circuit, Henry Filter's WILD CHILD took the bronze while, simultaneously also winning the Corinthians Division. Second in the Corinthians was the trio of Bowe/ Jenner/ McNamara on TEA DANCE SNAKE and third was Peter Firey's PHOENIX.
With just three days practice under their belts, the J/22 U.S. Naval Academy entry won the J/22 fleet, breaking yesterday’s tiebreaker with J/22 veteran Jeffrey Todd on Hot Toddy. Taking third place was Zander King's RYTHMIC PUMPING.
USNA Skipper Jeffrey Petersen, from Santa Ana, Calif., is a plebe in his first two weeks at the U.S. Naval Academy, but he has raced internationally as a youth match-racing sailor. That experience helped today as he said the unstable and shifty wind created opportunities for them to do more maneuvers. Otherwise, Petersen said, “In a straight line, Mr. Todd’s speed was incredible. My team did an incredible job putting the boat in the right spot,” he said. “I really do owe it to them, especially as I shift out of my match-racing hat and into fleet racing.”
In a Herculean effort to get his dismasted J/35 Abientot to the starting line of this weekend’s Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta Annapolis, Roger Lant went to extreme measures.
“I actually bought another J/35 last week,” Lant said. “We pulled the mast out of it, stripped it and then sent it to the junkyard. It was everything I had in me to get to the starting line. But, today went very well so I am absolutely thrilled."
He credits his crew’s tenacity and great teamwork for their solid performance in the four-boat J/35 fleet to secure three first-place finishes and one second in shifty, challenging conditions on Chesapeake Bay. “It was very tough sailing out there, but also a lot of fun.”
The breeze, which peaked at 10 to 15 knots with large wind shifts, kept the committees on their toes to deliver three to four races across the 10 fleets and two circles.
The quartet of J/35s saw a very strong battle for the top of the leaderboard. Sure enough, Jim Sagerholm's AUNT JEAN and Roger Lant's ABIENTOT traded off 1st and 2nd over the course of nine races. First team to blink was, amazingly, Sagerholm's AUNT JEAN, suffering defeat in the fourth race and having to post a 3rd on his scoreline. As a result, Lant's inspired crew on ABIENTOT with their "new" mast pulled off the unthinkable, beating AUNT JEAN to the top of the podium! Third was Jim McNeely's MAGGIE.
The J/30s had great racing amongst their fleet of eight boats from all over Chesapeake Bay. Surprising many, a smoking hot TOTALED MAYHEM sailed by Doug & Amy Stryker's basically decimated their class, posting all top 2 finishes in the nine races sailed, finishing with just 15 pts. Also sailing a solid regatta was Bruce Irvin's SHAMROCK, collecting four bullets along the way, to finish with 21 pts. Third was top woman skipper Heidi Frist, sailing SUZIE Q on to the bronze step on the podium. Heidi started the regatta strongly with a 1st and 3rd, leading the fleet. Thereafter, she closed the first day in 2nd place with an additional two 4th place finishes. Sunday was another story for her team, faltering in a few races but nevertheless still earning a well-deserved bronze medal.
The half-dozen J/24 class saw another case of getting "schooled" on how to get around the race track. Winning his first six races before taking a breather, Pat Fitzgerald's RUSH HOUR won handily with a tally of seven bullets in eight races for 10 pts. In a tight battle for the balance of the podium were Kent Bartlett’s SPACEMAN SPIFF and Jim Bonham's SISU. Their battle went down to the wire on the last day with the SPIFFERS closing with a strong pair of deuces to take the silver, with SISU taking the bronze.
Annapolis NOOD Overall Winner Crump, selected from among individual class winners, summed up the weekend, saying “I’m really grateful for winning, and very grateful that we were even able to have an event this year. This is the only event we are doing all year,” he said. “It felt great to get out and sail and sort of pretend the world is the way it’s supposed to be, even for a short amount of time.
“We’re definitely looking forward to going to the Caribbean. Our team was lucky enough to get down there in 2011, and now that we know what it’s like we can’t wait to go back.” For more Annapolis NOOD sailing information
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(Charlevoix, MI)- The Red Fox Regatta weekend is a three-day event starting with the NuCore Triangle race on Friday evening, ending with a two-day race from the top of Lake Charlevoix on Saturday, and back again on Sunday afternoon. With an excellent family-friendly event planned for Saturday evening, it's been a cherished event for many racers, crew members, and their families for many years. This year, despite all odds conspiring to prevent the event from taking place, the Charlevoix YC has been able organize and run the event within the State of Michigan's pandemic guidelines. Many J/Crews are looking forward to their first real sailing outing for summer 2020!
Sailing in the eight-boat PHRF 2 division is Colin Texter's J/70 SISTERSHIP. The six-boat PHRF 4 division sees Chicago-Mackinac Race champion Robert Evans sailing his J/109 GOAT RODEO. Joining him is Jane Enterline's J/105 GREEN FLASH and Rob Lovell's J/92 KNOCKOUT. Sailing in the seven-boat PHRF 6 division are a duo of J/111s (George Golder's TERRIER and Carl Hanssen's VARIANCE). PHRF 7 division has the newly powered-up J/121 LOKI sailed by Robert Christoph.
The seven-boat J/22 one-design class includes two Warrior Sailing Teams along with Chris Shadek's BACK IN ACTION and Abigail Barnes's RUM PLUS. For more Red Fox Regatta sailing information
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(Tutzing, Germany)- It was an amazing, enthusiastic turn-out for the first, and only, 2020 SAILING Champions League Qualifying event in Tutzing, Germany for the grand finale in Porto Cervo, Italy at the spectacular Costa Smeralda YC. Twenty-two teams showed up to go sailing on Lake Starnberg, a beautiful lake surrounded by lush green mountains in the middle of Germany. For four days, the teams competed in a huge variety of weather, from no winds and sunny warm temperatures to strong winds, choppy waters and driving rain.
After four days of sailing, the Württembergische Yacht-Club was able to prevail against all 22 competitors. Second place went to the Norddeutsche Regatta Verein, third place was taken by the team from Bordée de Tribord from Switzerland. In addition to the respective champions of the 19 national leagues who have already been determined as finalists, the twelve best clubs of the Tutzing Qualifier have now qualified for the SCL Final in Porto Cervo, Italy, from the 15th to 18th of October.
Under ever-changing conditions on Lake Starnberg, four clubs, the Norddeutsche Regatta Verein, Bordée de Tribord, the Regattaclub Oberhofen and the Württembergische Yacht-Club, went through to compete in the four-boat finale. At first, the Norddeutsche Regatta Verein dominated with a 1-2 tally. But, the Württembergische Yacht-Club closed the regatta with two bullets that were necessary for overall victory. Behind the top two German teams were two Swiss teams, third was Bordee de Tribord and fourth was Regattaclub Oberhofen. Past SAILING Champions League overall winner- Deutscher Touring YC ended up in an uncharacteristic fifth place.
“We are totally overwhelmed,” explained Conrad Rebholz, helmsman of the winning WYC. “We always wanted to keep the freedom to make our own decisions, to concentrate only on ourselves and not be distracted. We didn’t expect it to work out so well in the end, but we’re all the more pleased.”
The following teams have qualified for the SCL final in Porto Cervo:
- Württembergischer Yacht-Club, Germany
- Norddeutscher Regatta Verein, Germany
- Bordée de Tribord, Switzerland
- Regatta Club Oberhofen, Switzerland
- Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club, Germany
- Wassersport-Verein Hemelingen, Germany
- Bocholter Yachtclub, Germany
- Segel- und Motorboot Club Überlingen, Germany
- Segelclub TWV Achensee, Austria
- Münchner Yacht-Club, Germany
- Mühlenberger Segel-Club, Germany
- Hjuviks Båtklubb, Sweden
Sailing Photo credits- Lars Wehrmann. Sailing video highlights:
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(Tiburon, CA)- Corinthian Yacht Club will host the Pandemonium Regatta, a one-day double-handed event for one-design boats on Sunday, August 30th, 2020. There will be recognition for the overall winner as well as mixed-gender teams. Invited classes include J/24, J/70, J/88, and J/105's.
According to Bruce Stone, who will be competing with his J/105 Arbitrage, “Our objective in working with Corinthian Yacht Club is to offer chances to build experience with a training partner, and if we have great turn-out, we’ll go for longer lengths a month from now. In this iteration, there will be a long course of around 25 miles for J/105s and J/88s, a medium course for Express 27s and J/70s, and a shorter course for smaller boats like Knar’s, Cal 20’s, J/22s and J/24s.
The start will be off of the west end of Angel Island and a route going just north of the Richmond Bridge, then a challenging beat to Pt. Bonita, outside the Golden Gate Bridge, and an exciting spinnaker run to the finish at Corinthian YC in Raccoon Straits.” For more CYC Pandemonium Regatta sailing and registration informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.
(Aarhus, Denmark)- The K.A.S. team took the victory in the 1st division after only 5 flights, where the last one ended up being shoot-out. Aarhus International Sailing Center and Sailing Aarhus were hosts and were represented with volunteers from Kaløvig this past weekend.
The wind teased and challenged sailors and, of course, probably made a lot of people simply crazy! Saturday morning started as planned with skipper meeting and welcome to all 1st division clubs. Then followed a postponement. However, approximately 15 minutes later, the wind came creeping in across the lake. Three flights were sailed in the light wind. Sunday started calmly and with a postponement. The wind built up calmly, and by noon the sailors were sent out. The wind was surprisingly good, but died after two quick flights, and the regatta ended up being canceled for the day due to a complete "glass out" on the water.
Last weekend's event winner from the 2nd division (Youngsters ONE)- skipper Rasmus Lumbye from Sønderborg Yacht Club- had planned a close duel between the well-known teams from Frederikhavn and KDY for this year's first 1st division event. In addition, there was a mixed crew from K.A.S. that from the start stood out and took the lead. K.A.S. had not moved to the top of the leaderboard before but sailed convincingly all weekend.
K.A.S. took the competition victory by a single point over the Sønderborg "kids"! The SYC kids fought hard all weekend through the very light winds. The decision was made in a close 1:1 duel in 5 races. There is no question the SYC youth team has promising future ahead of them.
Team SEF from Svendborg Sund Sejlklub finished just 4 points behind in 3rd place, a point ahead of KDY in 4th place. Team SEF started a bit sluggish, but sailed well after that, and ended up in 3rd place after some strong performances.
For K.A.S., the victory was the ultimate culmination of a path they had been working on very hard for several years. K.A.S. has come from the bottom of the 2nd division to be able to be a competition winner in a few years. Charlotte Andersen, Head of Racing at K.A.S. commented, “in 2017 we made a decision to improve the quality of our KAP school and with the team CrewYou. We to look at their set-up and strategy. We entered with the very best sailors in Denmark, Jesper Radich and Rene Villefrance, and it is satisfying to see how our great work has borne fruit!”
From K.A.S. skipper Henrik Rask Sørensen, he commented that “the victory was fantastic despite the very difficult conditions on Aarhus Bay. The result is also thanks to the improved training conditions in K.A.S., which now led to a regatta victory!” For more Danish J/70 Sailing League informationAdd to Flipboard Magazine.
(Tutzing, Germany)- From 20 to 23 August the season opener of the SAILING Champions League (SCL) 2020 will take place in Tutzing at Lake Starnberg – at the Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club. It is the first qualifier in Germany since the SCL was launched in 2014 and after holding events in St. Petersburg, Palma de Mallorca, Porto Cervo and St. Moritz. This year’s final will be held in Porto Cervo, Italy, from 15 to 18 October.Twenty-four clubs from 12 nations are going to start the SAILING Champions League in Tutzing this Thursday. “The enthusiasm among the athletes and sailing fans to finally start racing again is great. We are delighted that we have succeeded in getting the first SCL event in Germany off the ground,” says Anke Lukosch, SCL Project Manager, looking forward to the event.In addition to the top finishers of the national leagues from 2019, clubs were able to apply for a wildcard for this year's edition. Anke Lukosch explains the decision, “due to the current worldwide pandemic regulations and travel restrictions, some teams had to withdraw their participation at short notice. With the awarding of wildcards, clubs that could not qualify for the SCL directly now have the unique opportunity to compete with the best sailing clubs in Europe”.The SCL Qualifier can be followed via Livestream on Saturday, 22 August, and Sunday, 23 August, from 12:00 PM (CEST) on Facebook, YouTube and sailing-championsleague.com.After the first day of racing, the German clubs are leading. Despite light wind conditions, there was a lot going on the water and every meter was fought in the four races with the result of three penalties and one crash. The hosting club, the Deutscher Touring Yacht-Club, was able to make full use of its home advantage and sailed to first place in its race. The Norddeutsche Regatta Verein and the Segel- und Motorboot Club Überlingen, both also from Germany, are at the top of the table, too, and lead with equal points with the host. More news soon! Sailing Photo credits- Lars Wehrmann For more SAILING Champions League sailing information
"If you are a sailor and would like to be part of the great action going on at NSSC on the 15,16, of Aug., call me. There are J/35s going out to race stick against stick in Lake St. Clair. North Star is putting out the red carpet for us. We should have 9, or 10 J/35s going at it. Some of the J/35s are needing some talent. You are all familiar with the finest boat ever designed. Now is your time to grab the brass ring and join in. It will not get any better than this!
I am opening up an opportunity for some of you past J35 sailors. This type of racing is the most fun and competitive you will ever experience. Bill Vogan, winner of the Port Huron to Mackinaw in his J/35 MAJOR DETAIL, is signing up today.
Some of his crew is stuck in Canada. He will come down knowing that there will be plenty of crew with talent to help him win. Bill Wildner owner of Mr. BILL'S WILD RIDE and 6-time J/35 National Champion is going to have his hands full.
Dennis Meagher owner of SNIPE has been winning. This is Dennis's first year owning a J/35 and he loves it.
Tim and Amie Ross owners of BLACKHAWK just got their mast back from Canada after it got fixed. They will be looking for crew, they are always in the hunt.
Ed Bayer owner of FALCON is a 4-time National Champion and will need two crew people.
Jim Watts owner of GRIFFIN just finished the Slammer Cup in Tawas, Mi. he took 3rd over all. Jim will be interviewing for positions on his J/35. This is Jim's first year owning a J/35, but he has been racing since he was 7 years old.
Finally, four(!) other J/35 owners need crew- Robert Gordenker owner of TIME MACHINE, Sheri Dufresne owner of FIRE FLY, Cheryl Miller owner of DEAN'S LIST, Don Endres owner of RUMORS, some need your skills."
For more information on sailing J/35s, please contact:
Dean Fitzpatrick
p: 248.528.8440
e: dean_fitzpatrick@msn.com
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(Annapolis, MD)- Build It And They Will Come", reported Will Keyworth from Annapolis. "Well, Annapolis Yacht Club built on a race format used successfully in San Francisco Bay called the Three Bridge Fiasco but named theirs’s the Two Bridge Fiasco. The AYC put the Notice of Race on social media and boy did they come!
143 single and doublehanded teams hit the starting line for this fantastic new event, and no one was disappointed! Mother Nature turned on the wind machine to put some relief to the 90+ F temps and smiles on many a sailor's face!
It was a wild ride on the way back from the Bay Bridge mark with all of the waves set up by the 15 kt southerly compounded by all of the residual boat wakes from the fleets boiling downwind to the Bay Bridge mark..The SPINSHEET Protector was like a cork on the ocean providing its occupants with their own personal "carnival ride!"
According to Kevin Reeds and Dick Neville, "some were skeptical about the idea of a fun race, modeled after the successful Three Bridge Fiasco in San Francisco. But, it seemed like a good idea to try it here in Annapolis during a season of cancelled events and owners trying to finesse the idea of short-handed sailing. Thanks to the handicapping expertise of Bruce Bingman, starting times staggered based on predicted performance on the course with the fastest entries starting over an hour after the first competitor crossed the line at 1105 AM. The entries started slowly and then increased to a bold 100 and then more. Ultimately, 133 boats competed in the 10.0-mile Two Bridge Fiasco course which started at G9 at the mouth of the Severn River. From the start, competitors had to decide which order to round marks at the Naval Academy and Bay Bridges before returning to the finish again at G9. They could cross the start and finish line in either direction. So, yes, a not-too-serious, pursuit style race, with all boat types and non-racers welcome, turned out to be very popular. A sunny day with a nice 8-15 knot breeze made it even more successful."
SPINSHEET, the Chesapeake Bay sailing magazine, checked in with Dick Neville, who serves on the AYC’s sailing committee, and Kevin Reeds, who is serving as the principal race officer of the inaugural Two Bridge Fiasco to learn more about this exciting new Chesapeake Bay-area event.
SPIN: Can you give us an overview of the course? Also, are there specific areas that you think will provide tactical opportunities?
DN: The start and finish will be in the same place. We will set a rounding mark in front of each bridge. [Boats can] go to either mark first, then to second mark then to finish. There is a point to round between marks, with shallow water - advantage small boats.
KR: The course will start and finish at a government mark (G9) in the Severn River just outside of Annapolis. From the start, boats must round two inflatable marks before returning to G9 to finish. The marks will be located near the Bay Bridge and the Naval Academy Bridge. Competitors can round the two marks in either order.
SPIN: Some smaller boats will definitely have a potential advantage as they can transit across the face of Greenbury Point, which is very shallow. The challenge for them will be that because they are faster, they will be starting later in the pursuit sequence so they will have to be fast to catch those boats that have already started.
SPIN: What are the best-case and worst-case scenarios in terms of weather/conditions for the course?
DN: [It’s] traditionally light air. Worst [case is] no wind. Best [case is] 10-12 knots.
KR: This time of year, we can see a wide range of weather conditions, ranging from no wind to well over 30 knots if a summer squall comes through. Generally, we are expecting the wind to be between four and eight knots…that would be a perfect July day here in Annapolis.
SPIN: Will the event employ any unusual rules, or will it follow the standard Racing Rules of Sailing?
DN: [It will follow the] regular RRS, but we expect first-timers to not know [the] rules.
KR: [The] AYC is currently using a modified race-management plan because of COVID-19, which includes the elimination of signaling flags and extensive use of the VHF radio to communicate with competitors.
SPIN: We will use this same protocol for the [Two Bridge] Fiasco. This race will also use a pursuit start with the slower boats going off first followed by the faster boats.
Start times will be based on [each] boat’s PHRF rating. For those boats that do not have a PHRF rating, we will be using the Portsmouth Yardstick system to create a rating number for them. Whoever finishes first wins!
SPIN: How important do you think local knowledge will be in this event?
DN: Very.
KR: Local knowledge might prove to be very important for the Fiasco, especially if the wind is light. Knowing how the current works in the Severn River might provide a big advantage. Also, for the smaller boats, knowing where the shoals are across Greenbury Point will be key to sailing the shortest course.
SPIN: What kinds of safe-play pandemic tactics are you expecting from the racers on the water? Are we talking about standard-issue things like face masks and hand sanitizer, or will the doublehanded crews also be expected to self-quarantine ahead of the race? Also, do you expect that this will be a highly competitive event, or is the spirit of this event more about getting out on the water for some friendly racing?
DN: No special Covid requirements as the single-/double-handed [format] meets requirements. Friendly competition only is the intent.
KR: This race is limited to single and double-handed crews only. Everyone will be expected to wear masks and social distance when ashore at AYC. Boats will not be allowed to raft up at the club and there will be no post-race party.
SPIN: We have also recruited three quarantine couples to serve [as] the mark-set boat crews - one couple per boat. Our signal boat crew will be limited to only six people [including] the boat driver. All sailors and race committee volunteers will wear marks before leaving the dock.
Given that this is the first year that the Two Bridge Fiasco is being sailed, are there any traditions that you and the other organizers hope (or envision) will develop? Or, do you see that kind thing unfurling more organically over the years?
DN: Purely a trial to get non-racers involved and see if sailors enjoy it.
KR: Great Question! Our initial intent was simply to create an opportunity for folks to go sailing during the pandemic. We liked that idea of single- and/or double-handed crews for the same reason—limited opportunity to be within six feet of others.
Dick [Neville] and I wanted it to be fun and with no frills or stress for the club or the competitors, and we were hoping to attract some folks that don’t normally come out to compete at regularly scheduled events here at AYC.
One of the traditions we built into the event is that there will be no trophies— other than bragging rights. Hopefully that will become a thing going forward.
The [sailing community’s] response has frankly been overwhelming, and we are very excited that this could become a regular event of our annual sailing calendar going forward.
SPIN: Can you tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta’s environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the regatta?
DN: Deliberate minimal RC involvement to meet Covid-19 [standards] with added benefit of [the] environment.
KR: Environmental issues [have] not been part of our thinking for this event. The focus is just on providing folks an opportunity to go sailing during a pandemic and have a blast doing it.
SPIN: Anything else that you’d like to add, for the record?
KR: I am excited to serve as the PRO for this event. I am originally from San Francisco, so the Three Bridge Fiasco has always a favorite of mine. I am pleased to be bringing a bit of the West Coast to Annapolis in the form of the AYC’s Two Bridge Fiasco. I can’t wait to get started on Sunday, August second and see who wins."
In the end, it was not surprising to see a number of J/Teams fare well in their easily sailed, easily doublehanded boats.
Winning the ten-boat J/22 class was Jake Doyle's ZESTY ENTERPRISE, followed by Jeff Todd's HOT TODDY, and Chris Brady's GODSPEED. Of note, Terry Hutchinson's son and daughter, James and Annabelle, were having fun getting out on the Chesapeake Bay for the first time. If you recall, Terry is a J/24 World Champion and skipper/ manager of the New York YC AMERICAN MAGIC America's Cup Challenge Team.
In the five-boat J/24 class, it was Will Bomar & Bri Grenier on BANGOR PACKET taking class honors, followed by Kent Bartlett's SPACEMAN SPIFF and Kelly Fitzgerald & Mike Coe's RUSH HOUR.
There was a great turn-out for the J/105s, with seven boats aggressively pointing their bows across the line...even worse than the J/70's! Winning that class was Arthur Libby & Tom Carter's DOG HOUSE, followed by Brian Robinson's VELVET HAMMER, and Fredrik Salvesen's MIRAGE.
There was a LOT of strong competition for braggin' rights in the nine-boat J/70 class. What fun it is to race a J/70 double-handed! Winning was Henry Filter's WILD CHILD, followed by David Schoene's UNO MAS in second, and Ray Wulff's BUYING THE CADILLAC in third place. Amazingly, Lighting World Champion Geoff Becker sailed AWKWARD TURTLE into the cellar...more background news on that later!
In the huge 44-boat PHRF Spinnaker class, Kevin McKee's J/80 DEATH RATTLE took the bronze while John Loe's J/33 HORNET placed 7th ahead of twelve other J/crews.
In the PHRF Non-Spinnaker class of 22-boats, Paul & Sue Mikulski's J/42 FULL CICLE placed fourth while Nick Iliff's J/105 MUSKRAT finished just behind in 5th place. Thanks for contribution from SPINSHEET. For more news on Annapolis Yacht Clubs inaugural Two-Bridge Fiasco:
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(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
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* Experience and understand what it's like to sail offshore. The J/99 JAZZ was sailed by Rodney Johnstone and Clay Burkhalter from Stonington, CT to Bermuda (635.0nm as the 'crow flies') to help "rescue" a friends 65 ft sailboat. After 48 hours, they sailed the return voyage back to Stonington in slightly breezier, rougher conditions. Clay narrates the 10-minute video accompanied by the classic Grateful Dead "Franklin's Tower" song (Las Vegas 1992) playing as the background soundtrack. Enjoy!
Click photo or link here to watch video:https://youtu.be/ZzOdJmZKqLo
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A J/122 is a superlative boat, a true race-winning horse that also allows you to cruise as a family. Carbon mast, carbon boom and a huge inventory of NORTH SAILS sails in very good condition. Version 3 with double cabins and a bathroom. Consult us the complete list of equipment. Nautamarine- we are the exclusive distributors for Spain of the J/Boats. Learn more about this J/122 here.
(Mackinac Island, MI)- Call it what you may, but sailing offshore brings great camaraderie to small crews and big crews. In this year's version of a pandemic-driven reduction to family and smaller crews, it only brought people even closer together.
We got a wonderful report from our friends in Cleveland, Ohio- Brett Langolf who generally races his lovingly restored J/34 IOR classic Half-Ton racer on Lake Erie. This year, he had the privilege of sailing with a bunch of local friends on a J/35 called MAJOR DETAIL. Here is Brett's report:
"Why this year's Bayview-Mac?
Because you never stop racing.
Even if it’s less than 3 miles to go.
Even after almost 240 miles upwind, the lead J/35 is still extending.
Even if we've thrown everything at them, you can and have exhausted all options.
Even when sending the entire crew to sleep on the rail over the last 12 hours didn’t work.
Even if the Class President already sent an email congratulating the other boat on winning the Port Huron to Mackinac Race (watching the tracker live on-line).
So, you pause and decide to all have a beer as the sun rose and the finish line was in sight, “because good things happen when we drink beer!!”
You all raise Canadian beers, even though you had to stay out of Canadian waters, the whole race for fear of deportation. You all "cheers" for what you are about to achieve.
Cheers to second place in the Port Huron to Mackinac.
Cheers you didn’t break anything.
Cheers to old friends and new on the crew.
Cheers that all tested negative for COVID-19.
Cheers to our weekend boat escape.
Cheers for the families we are about to see.
You cheers to an amazing skipper that created this opportunity.
Cheers because….wait! What?? This dog fight of a J/35 battle just gave itself an insanely bizarre turn-of-events. The lead boat has tucked themselves into shore, to leeward of Mackinac Island, and potentially impacted by an on-the-nose current.
Check Yellow Brick Race Tracker. They are going 1.1 kts and we are going 7.1 kts! We can only see them through binoculars and all of a sudden, we like what we see.
“Mortimer, we are back in business!”
“Legs Out. Traveler Up. Keep us in the breeze. Grab me a water. Don’t screw this up,” we all said at once.
One last thing to throw at us. Over the line first? Maybe.
We pulled it off, the mano-a-mano J/35 battle was over. We pulled it off against an amazing crew!
Wait, this is an ORR Race. How much time do we owe them? Crap, almost 6 minutes? OK we got it.
Well, cheers to us, we pulled it off.
First in Class E, First in the J/35 Fleet and Yacht Club Challenge Winner. MAJOR DETAIL was on the virtual podium, the real awards happen once America figures out this COVID mess.
J/Boat sweep- J/35, J/35, J/109....but we need to update one minor detail, it was MAJOR DETAIL in 1st!
Grab your wallet and your masks boys, "Pink Pony" here we come." Editors note- the Pink Pony Cafe & Restaurant is the de facto race HQ for all sailors after completing any Mackinac Race. Thanks for contribution from Brett Langolf.
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