New York Yacht Club Race Week 2012

[mpowlison]

A Classic Weekend

If the rest of the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex goes as well as this weekend did, there will be hundreds of very satisfied sailors telling their tales of joy next weekend, when the split-format regatta is scheduled to officially conclude. For the past two days (July 14-15), the Weather Gods have aimed to please and succeeded by delivering sunshine and sound breezes, which allowed 28 visually arresting vintage yachts to engage in lively battles for victory in six classes (two for handicap-rated Classics, one each for 12 Metres of Modern, Grand Prix and Traditional makes, and one for Herreshoff S Boats). When all was said and done--for this weekend, anyway—the skipper of the S Boat Osprey, Michael McCaffrey (Newport R.I.), claimed overall honors for best performance in Race Week’s first half and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner to wear on his wrist as a symbol of the distinguished level of excellence he had achieved.

“This honor is special not only for me but also for the S Class in general,” said McCaffrey, “because we were the strongest fleet here, and that demonstrates every owner’s love for their boat. It is an up-and-coming class, even though it’s almost 100 years old--it’s enjoying a renaissance of sorts.”

McCaffrey had to contend with nine other S Boats, which were among a total of 104 S Boats designed by the great Nathanael Herreshoff and built between 1919 and 1942 (96 of those in Bristol, R.I.) to be lovingly passed on and rebuilt or restored through the decades hence. In fact, McCaffrey restored Osprey in 2000, and it was bought from him shortly thereafter by Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who was crewing aboard for the racing this weekend. The boat had been commissioned by Whitehouse's grandfather in 1936, so it was a compelling reason for the Senator to reacquire it for his family after the boat had seen multiple owners.

Going into today, Osprey was one point behind Argument, skippered by Stephan Sloan (Greenwich, R.I.), and after today’s first race—in which Osprey won with only 30 seconds to spare over Argument--the two were tied with eight points apiece.

“At the start of the second race, Argument was hunting us down in a fairly aggressive manner,” said McCaffery. “We were just trying to stay clear, and after we started on port tack at the windward end of the line, we were able to cross the fleet on starboard on a lucky shift. Argument got caught up with Aguila after that and had to do penalty turns, so it was over for them after that.”

With Argument safely out of the way and eventually finishing in seventh for the race and third overall, Osprey cruised on to win its second race of the day and clinch its overall prize. Whitehouse called Argument’s daring moves “lethal” in the end, but he also proclaimed that McCaffrey had “nailed it” with his skippering skills all weekend.

"They are really sporty little boats that turn on a dime,” said McCaffery, “and there is some good close action. It is very tight racing, which is good for the adrenaline."

Extremely close racing was also the call for the day in Class 3 where the top three boats shared the same score after today’s two races, and the overall winner had to be determined by a three-way tie breaker. Fidelio, an S&S 39 skippered by Chuck Townsend (Middletown, R.I.) topped the score board after finishing 1-3, while the R Class 38 Ruweida, skippered by Joseph Huber (Wynnewood, Pa.) and the Luders 24 Belle, skippered by Joe Loughborough (Newport, R.I.) fell in line behind, with finish positions of 2-1 and 3-2, respectively.

“Coming into today, we knew who the competition was,” said Townsend. “For us, it was just a matter of staying with them. For the whole series it was a matter of seconds-- not minutes--that separated the finishes, so it was incredibly close racing and a lot of fun.

Townsend explained that Fidelio was designed off the exact same sail plan as the famous Sparkman & Stephens wooden race boat named Finisterre and built in Germany in 1956. “When I found her I knew what her DNA was, and though she had never really been raced, she was very sound and had a racing pedigree, so we rebuilt her and set her up with new rigging, sails and a fast bottom. The old wooden boats are such special things; they are like sailing beautiful furniture with all the attendant rewards that you get from that. Fidelio is 56 years old, and she is something that I am only the current owner of. I'm the current owner of this beautiful wooden boat that by heritage is very fast.

The yachts in Class 2 sailed one long “navigator’s” race each day, and veteran Narragansett Bay sailors agreed that the courses took them to places they hadn’t seen before. The Custom S&S 53 Sonny, owned by Joe Dockery (Newport) prevailed to win today’s race, toppling the 8 Metre Angelita (owned by Sam Croll and Henry Skelsey of Greenwich, Conn.) from the lead it had established by winning yesterday’s race.

“We knew we had to win today to win the regatta, and a second wouldn't cut it," said Sonny’s tactician Simon Davidson (Newport). "We sailed a little bit more conservatively today with a little less focus on current and more focus on the breeze. We have a great crew that is committed to the program, and the crew is what it really comes down to."

Sonny, a cutter sloop built in 1935, was hit by a German submarine in the War, then refloated and repaired, while Angelita won sailing’s Olympic Gold Medal in 1928.

In the 12 Metre racing, Modern Class, Dennis Williams (Hobe Sound, Fla.) posted two victories today and three total in his four-race score line to give his Victory 83 a three-point overall lead over Jack Curtin’s (New York, N.Y.) Intrepid. Yesterday’s leader in Traditional Class, American Eagle, owned by Herb Marshall (Barnstable, Mass.), finished 2-2 today to Alain and Dan Hanover’s (Weston, Mass.) Columbia, which won both races today and replaced American Eagle at the top of the scoreboard. The Grand Prix Class saw Kip Curren’s (Warwick, R.I.) Laura prevail to take victory over James Heckman’s (Arlington, Va.) USA 61, with which it had been tied on points going in to today. USA 61 had a gear failure in today’s single race held for that class and was unable to finish, settling for six points, while Laura claimed a total of four to win.

"Kip is very excited,” said Boat Captain Bennett Wickes (Newport) upon accepting the first-place trophy for Laura. “He just purchased the boat (formerly Hissar) this year, so it's a new boat for him with a new team. Both days worked out perfectly; we loved racing boat-for-boat in Narragansett Bay."

The 12 Metres followed the J Boats as stars in the America’s Cup from 1958 to ’83 here in Newport and in Western Australia in 1987.

The New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex continues on Wednesday (July 18) with a 19-mile Around the (Conanicut) Island Race, which is optional and separately scored from Race Week’s “second half,” which runs from Thursday (July 19) through Sunday (July 22) and features a National Championship for Swan 42 class, a North American Championship for J/109s and a Northeast Championship for Beneteau First 36.7s. Other classes competing will be IRC, J/111, J/105 and Melges 32. Sailors with PHRF-rated boats will sail Navigator Races on the final Saturday and Sunday, using government marks and courses that emphasize navigational skills over around-the-buoys boat handling skills.

For complete results, daily video and blog for the 2012 New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, visit www.nyyc.org


Place, Yacht Name, Type, Owner/Skipper, Hometown, Results, Total Points

12 Metres Modern Class (3 Boats)
Victory 83, Dennis Williams, Hobe Sound, Fla. 2-1-1-1 (5)
Intrepid, John Curtin, New York, N.Y. 1-3-2-2 (8)
Courageous,Ralph Isham / Alexander Auersperg, New York, N.Y. 3-2-3-3 (11)

12 Metres Grand Prix Class (2 Boats)
Laura, Kip Curren, Warwick, R.I. 2-1-1 (4)
USA, James Heckman, Arlington, Va., 1-2-3 (6)

12 Metres Traditional Class (2 Boats)
Columbia, Alain and Dan Hanover, Weston, Mass. 1-2-1-1 (5)
American Eagle, Dan MacDonald and Rick Bready, Newport, R.I. 2-1-2-2 (7)

Classics Class 2 (5 Boats)
Sonny, S&S Custom 53 53, Joseph Dockery, Newport, R.I. 2-1 (3)
Angelita, 8 Metre 50.33’, Sam Croll and Henry Skelsey, Greenwich, Conn. 1-3 (4)
Black Watch, S&S 68 68, Trevor Fetter, Dallas, Texas 3-2 (5)
Fortune, custom Crowninshield 50, John Taft and Tom Glassie, Newport, R.I. 4-4 (8)
Sumurun, Classic Ketch 94ft, Armin Fischer, Camden, Maine 5-5 (10)

Classics Class 3 (6 Boats)
Fidelio, Sparkman & Stephens 39, Chuck Townsend, Middletown, R.I. 3-1-1-3 (8)
Ruweida, R Class 38.83, Joseph Huber, Wynnewood, Penn. 2-3-2-1 (8)
Belle, Luders 24 38.25, Jonathan Loughborough , Newport, R.I. 1-2 -3-2 (8)
Madcap, 6 Metre 32, Tom Fair, North Kingstown, R.I. 4-6-4-4 (18)
Clarity, Six Metre 35.5, Jed Pearsall, Newport, R.I. 5-4-5-5 (19)


Herreshoff S Class (10 Boats)
Osprey, Michael McCaffrey/Sheldon Whitehouse, Newport, R.I. 4-3-1-1 (9)
Swallow, Leeds Mitchell IV, Providence, R.I. 2-7-3-2 (14)
Argument, Stephan Sloan, East Greenwich, R.I. 5-1-2-7 (15)
Firefly, Alan Silken, Newton, Mass. 3-6-5-5 (19)
Aquila, Angus Davis, Bristol, R.I., USA 1-8-7-4 (20)

[mpowlison]

An Island, a Circumnavigation, and One Big Ship

A predicted 1 p.m. squall never materialized, leaving 34 boats to rip around Conanicut Island after a noon start today in the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. The optional 19-mile Around the Island Race officially kicked off the biennial regatta’s second half and was scored separately so as not to effect the cumulative scoring that will begin tomorrow for 96 boats entered in the event’s final four days of racing (Thursday, July 19-Sunday, July 22). Sunshine was a bonus, along with decent 8-10 knot breezes that strengthened to 15 knots by the time the largest boat in the fleet, George David’s (Hartford, Conn.) Rambler finished off Fort Adams State Park, near where it had started only a bit over two hours before. Ten or so minutes behind Rambler was NYYC Commodore Bob Towse’s (Stamford, Conn.) Reichel Pugh 66 Blue Yankee, but Blue Yankee and Rambler both succumbed to their handicap ratings to finish fourth and sixth, respectively, in IRC Class 1 while Jim Swartz’s TP52 Vesper claimed victory.

"The start was the most challenging part of the day because the pin-end of the line was favored by seven boat lengths so you had to be aggressive from the start," said Gavin Brady (Annapolis, Md.), the America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and Olympic veteran serving as tactician aboard Vesper. "We've done about seven or eight Around the Island races here, and every time we do it there are added elements. This time, the tide was on the change, so everyone was trying to find out when and where the tide was changing. This is the ultimate windward-leeward course, and I think it is one of the coolest short coastal races you can do anywhere in the world.”

Conanicut Island—nine miles long by one-mile wide—is located a mile west of Newport in Narragansett Bay. It’s only town, Jamestown, is both a summer destination and a year-round community with a population of about 6,000.

Striking a dramatic visual on the north side of Conanicut today was the towering—and therefore obviously empty—656-foot tanker Auriga Leader as it powered from Quonset Point through the IRC I class, blasting its horns five times as a “danger” signal to sailors. Avoiding the path of the fast-moving Singapore ship was a priority for the crews, which suddenly looked like tub toys in its shadow. And certainly no one squandered time googling Auriga Leader to learn that it is the first ship in the world to be partially propelled by solar power, and it’s actually a car carrier used to ship Toyotas—up to 6,200 of them at a time—from Japan to the U.S.A.

“Coming into the finish, the fleet had to decide which side of the ship they would go on,” said Brady. “The timing couldn't have been worse."

In PHRF 2, Kevin Grainger’s (Rye, N.Y.) J/105 Gumption 3 won. "Conditions turned out to be much better than we anticipated," said Grainger (Rye, N.Y.) who has owned Gumption 3 since May of 2000 and travels up and down the East Coast to race against other J/105s. "We mostly do one-design racing, so without question, one of the great things about the Around the Island Race here is that we get to see a lot of the boats that we don't have the ability to sail with normally."

The race also provided great preparation for when Grainger and his team will engage in competition with 12 other J/105s in that one-design class’s racing, which is scheduled just for the weekend. "We're looking forward to it; this is a really competitive fleet," he said.

Other winners today were Craig Albrecht’s (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) Farr 395 Avalanche in IRC 3; Larry Landry’s King 40 White Witch in IRC 2; and Swift Delotto’s (Newport, R.I.) 12 Metre American Eagle in PHRF 1.

Racing will resume tomorrow for IRC, Swan 42, J/109, Melges 32, Beneteau 36.7, and J/111 classes, which PHRF classes will join the J/105s for weekend-only racing.

For complete results, daily video and blog for the 2012 New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, visit www.nyyc.org


IRC 1 (7 Boats)
1. Vesper, TP 52, Jim Swartz, Park City, Utah, 1
2. Interlodge, IRC 52, Austin and Gwen Fragomen, Newport, R.I., 2
3. Flying Jenny 7, IRC 52, David & Sandra Askew, Annapolis, Md., 3
4. Blue Yankee, Reichel Pugh 66 66, Bob and Farley Towse, Stamford, Conn., 4
5. Privateer, Cookson 50, Ron O'Hanley, Newport, R.I., 5

IRC 2 (9 Boats)
1. White Witch, King 40, Larry Landry, Newport, R.I., 1
2. Bandit, Swan 42, Andy Fisher, 2
3. Temptation-Oakcliff, Ker 50, Art Santry, Oyster Bay, N.Y., 3
4. Pendragon, X-41, Quentin Thomas, Portsmouth, R.I., 4
5. White Gold, J/44, James D. Bishop, Jamestown, R.I., 5

IRC 3 (6 Boats)
1. Avalanche, Farr 395, Craig Albrecht, Sea Cliff, N.Y., 1
2. Rush, J/109, Bill Sweetser, Annapolis, Md., 2
3. Superstition, J/109, Christopher Zibailo, Boston, Mass., 3
4. Seal, Yawl 40.67, Alfred-David Van Liew-Brodsky, Middletown, R.I., 4
5. Partnership, J/111, David/MaryEllen Tortorello, Bridgeport, Conn., 5

PHRF 1 (5 Boats)
1. American Eagle, 12 Metre, Swift Delotto, Newport, R.I., 1
2. Laura, 12 Metre, Kip Curren, Warwick, R.I., 2
3. White Rhino, Swan 56, Todd Stuart, Key West, Fla., 3
4. Bolero, S&S Nevins Yawl, Ed Kane , Newport, R.I., 4
5. Sejaa, Judel & Vrolijk, Mat Goldsmith, Southport, Conn., 5

PHRF 2 (7 Boats)
1. Gumption 3, J/105, Kevin Grainger, Rye, N.Y., 1
2. Night Train, Hinckley So'Wester 51, Thomas Haythe , Portsmouth, R.I., 2
3. Velocita, Melges 24, Sanford Tyler, W. Hyannisport, Mass., 3
4. Samba, Quest 30, Tristan Mouligne, Boston, Mass., 4
5. Flying Cloud 11, Swan 44, Gordon McNabb, Middletown, R.I., 5

[mpowlison]

July 19, 2012

Fast Start, Slow Finish

What began as a fast start to the day turned into a slow slug to the finish at the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, which started its second half yesterday with an Around the Island Race and began its final four-day buoy racing session today. Seven classes--four for IRC and one each for Swan 42, J/109 and Beneteau 36.7--set out for Rhode Island Sound this morning, expecting a forecasted 5-7 knots but were pleasantly surprised when a 12 knot east-northeasterly breeze greeted them for their first race. The good luck didn’t last, however, as the wind first shifted to the southeast then died altogether, keeping all but two classes from enjoying a second race.

It was close racing in all classes on the white course, which hosted the non-IRC boats, but the Swan 42s, in particular, were bone-in-teeth as they worked to get low points in the bank early. With 15 boats competing, the class is sailing its 2012 National Championship, and it was defending national champion Ken Colburn (Dover, Mass.), helming Apparition, that wound up getting the definitive jump on the fleet in the single race today. By the first mark he was leading, and on the second downwind leg of a four-lap windward-leeward course he had established a one-minute lead over Jon Halbert’s (Dallas, Texas) Vitesse, with Paul Zabetakis’s (Jamestown, R.I.) Impetuous and Phil Lotz’s (Newport) Arethusa making strong comebacks from the left side of the course and battling for third with John Hele’s (Toronto, CAN/Newport) Daring. At the finish, Vitesse ended up a full 15 boat lengths behind Apparition, with six boats going to the line for third place. Daring broke ahead by a boat length for the third, while places 4-6 and 7-9 all finished in overlapping groups.

The Swan 42s were postponed for 1 ½ hours before the Race Committee dared try a second start, but soon after the boats were in starting sequence, it was clear the plan was not going to work, and the race committee postponed it, never to start again.

“The Apparition team did a great job delivering on what we needed throughout the race," said Colburn (Dover, Mass.), explaining that after the start, they found a good shift with enough wind in it to put the boat ahead, and then, at the second windward mark, they jibed immediately for the breeze, which paid off again. "The 15 boats out here are pretty much the same as last year's Nationals. All are very competitive, any one of whom, frankly, can win a race or win this regatta. We got off to a good start today, but it’s the first race of many, and the first day of many, so we'll see how it goes."

In the single race for J/109s, which are sailing their North Americans, Ted Herlihy’s (S. Dartmouth, Mass.) Gut Feeling won the pin end, but a number of boats were close to weather, and Bill Sweetser’s Rush looked to be an early leader. That changed, however, when Gut Feeling stayed with the left side where the Swan 42s were showing the most pressure and clearly showed his upper hand. Later, Gut Feeling’s closest competitor, Rick Lyall’s (Wilton, Conn.) Storm, trailed by four boat lengths, then wound up rounding the leeward mark just behind, after taking advantage of a 20-degree wind shift. The pair had a nice five boat-length cushion on the fleet, but Storm made moves to take an impressive lead by race’s end, while Matthew Baker’s (Skillman, N.J.) Reliant took the favored left side downwind to pick off Gut Feeling at the finish. The results showed Storm, Reliant and Gut Feeling finishing 1-2-3, respectivley.

John Hammel’s (Arlington, Mass.) Elan came out on top today after one race in the Beneteau 36.7 Class, which is hosting its Northeast Championship here. "The key to winning the day was shifting gears and calling the oscillations,” said Hammel, who topped this class in the 2010 edition of Race Week at Newport, winning all but one of six races. “Ten minutes before our start, the average wind velocity was 18 knots, which is exactly our break point for the number one versus the number three jib, so we decided to go with the number three to take it easy, because we have a few new crew members onboard. When we started, the breeze dropped down to 12 knots, and now we had the wrong headsail for the conditions, so we toughed it out; then the wind continued to drop until we finished in six knots of breeze. We only got one race, but the race we did get in was terrifically challenging.”

On the IRC course, Classes 1 and 2 completed two races, while Class four completed one race and Class 3 abandoned its second race.

In IRC 2, Jim Swartz's (Park City, Utah) IRC 52 Vesper is leading with two victories and two points overall, while David and Sandra Askew's (Annapolis, Md.) IRC 52 Flying Jenny 7 is in second with four points. "The race committee did a good job on our course in very challenging conditions," said Flying Jenny’s tactician Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), who last was in Newport for the America’s Cup World Series as the commentator for NBC’s coverage. "It is pretty clear that in our class, Vesper is a step above the rest, so it will be fun to see if we can improve and get to their level within the next few days."

Jobson, a veteran of both America’s Cup racing here in Newport and the biennial New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, which is in its eighth running, added: "You can't go wrong with Newport in the summer, and every year more top sailors are showing up because you can expect great racing. The nice thing about sailing in Newport is that you normally have good reliable winds, so we are hoping for that for the rest of the week."

Winners in IRC Class 1, 3 and 4, respectively, were George David’s (Hartford, Conn.) Reichel/Pugh 90 Rambler, John Cooper’s (Cane Hill, Mo.) Mills 43 Cool Breeze, and Craig Albrecht’s (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) Farr 395 Avalanche.

J/111s will join in when racing resumes tomorrow, while PHRF classes and J/105s will be added for weekend-only racing.

For complete results, daily video and blog for the 2012 New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, visit www.nyyc.org


New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex

Results, July 19, 2012

Beneteau 36.7 (One Design - 8 Boats)
1. Elan, Beneteau 36.7, John Hammel, Arlington, Mass., 1
2. Agora, Beneteau 36.7, David Powers, Boston, Mass., 2
3. Whirlwind, Beneteau 36.7, William Purdy, New York, N.Y., 3
4. Resolute, Beneteau 36.7, Junius Brown, Ridgefield, Conn., 4
5. Surface Tension, Beneteau 36.7, Lou Melillo , Middletown, N.J., 5

Swan 42 (One Design - 15 Boats)
1. Apparition, Swan 42, Ken Colburn, Dover, Mass., 1
2. Vitesse, Swan 42, Jon Halbert , Dallas, Texas, 2
3. Daring, Swan 42, John Hele, Newport, R.I., 3
4. Impetuous, Swan 42, Paul Zabetakis, Jamestown, R.I., 4
5. Arethusa, Swan 42, Philip Lotz, Newport, R.I., 5

J/109 (One Design - 17 Boats)
1. Storm, J 109, Rick Lyall, Wilton, Conn., 1
2. Reliant, J 109, Matthew Baker, Skillman, N.J., 2
3. Gut Feeling, J 109, Ted Herlihy, South Dartmouth, Mass., 3
4. Skoot, J 109, Jim Vos, New Canaan, Conn., 4
5. Rush, J 109, Bill Sweetser, Annapolis, Md., 5

IRC 1 (IRC - 2 Boats)
1. Rambler, RP 90 WB 90, George David, Hartford, Conn., 1, 1 (2)
2. BLUE YANKEE, Reichel Pugh 66 66, Bob and Farley Towse, Stamford, Conn., 2, 3/TLE (5)

IRC 2 (IRC - 5 Boats)
1. Vesper, IRC 52, Jim Swartz, Park City, Utah, 1, 1 (2)
2. Flying Jenny 7, IRC 52, David & Sandra Askew, Annapolis, Md., 4, 2 (6)
3. Interlodge, IRC 52, Austin and Gwen Fragomen, Newport, R.I., 2, 5 (7)
4. SLED, IRC 52, Takashi Okura, Tokyo, Japan, 3, 4 (7)
5. Privateer, Cookson 50, Ron O'Hanley, Newport, R.I., 5, 3 (8)

IRC 3 (IRC - 8 Boats)
1. Cool Breeze, Mills 43 Custom 43, John Cooper, Cane Hill, Mo., 1
2. Decision, HPR Carkeek 40, Stephen Murray, New Orleans, La., 2
3. Temptation-Oakcliff, Ker 50, Art Santry, Oyster Bay, N.Y., 3
4. Entropy, Tripp 41, Patricia Young, Jamestown, R.I., 4
5. White Gold, J 44, James D. Bishop, Jamestown, R.I., 5.5

Class 4 - IRC 4 (IRC - 14 Boats)
1. Avalanche, Farr 395, Craig Albrecht, Sea Cliff, N.Y., 1
2. Dolphin, J 122, Andrew Shea, Annapolis, Md., 2
3. White Witch, King 40, Larry Landry, Newport, R.I., 3
4. Partnership, Mary Ellen & David Tortorrello, 4
5. Talisman, Farr 395, John Bailey, Darien, Conn., 5