The final tally is in and this year’s Heineken High Performance Dinghy Open hosted by American Yacht Club (AYC) in Rye, NY was a resounding success. With 87 boats competing, the Heineken HPDO posted its most impressive attendance to date.The racecourse on Western Long Island Sound was quite a sight to see, with a variety of classes in attendance. The biggest turnout was in the A-Cat fleet, with 22 of these high-tech singlehanded catamarans sailing. Competing in one-design classes were 15 RSK6s, 12 505s and (making their HPDO debut) six Bladerider International Moths. Two Portsmouth Yardstick handicap divisions included International Canoes (8 boats), Contenders (4), International 14s (3), Fireballs (5), Flying Dutchmen (3), Viper 640s (8) and a Tempest. It was a diverse group, with attendees from as far as California and Canada as well as many American YC and New England sailors.
Four races were sailed over the two-day event, in unseasonably light winds. Racers saw six to ten knots on the course, and while it didn’t provide for the high speed excitement the sailors in all classes look forward to, the Moths didn’t seem to be struggling as they flew by on foil at 15 knots and the other classes enjoyed close tactical racing. At the end of racing on Saturday, Danny Goretski from NJ and Peter Cogan from AYC were tied for first in the A-Cats, with Ben Hall from RI one point back in third. It ultimately came down to the final few minutes of the second race on Sunday, when Hall made the best of the dying breeze to take the final race and the event, leaving Cogan in second and Goretski third.
In the 505 class, veterans Ted Ferrarone and Mike Coe (Larchmont YC) established and maintained a dominant position from the start of the first race to the end of the last, with straight bullets on the scorecard. Buzzards Bay sailors David Meleney and Gardner Bowen were 2nd, and 470 World Champion skipper Erin Maxwell (Stonington, CT) took third, with AYC member Xavier Lacombe crewing.
Even in light air, the Bladeriders did not disappoint, with the lighter sailors getting up on the foils in about seven knots. AYC’s Peter Becker led the fleet for a dominant win in the first Moth class event at AYC in recent history, if not ever. The six boats were an impressive sight, and the ease with which sailors balanced the delicate craft was enjoyed by all.
Racing was managed by AYC PRO Ian Dunn, assisted by a team of volunteers from the club, including Commodore Mike Bruno. AYC members came out in force to support the regatta’s burgeoning attendance by taking traveling sailors into their homes, assisting with registration, providing lunches on the course, and opening the club to all competitors for the weekend.
AYC volunteers on the Race Committee and in supporting roles included Jim Reilly, David Schwartz-Leeper, Nickel van Reesema, Crash Exum, Mike Bruno, Rich Hulit, David Mayo, John Fallon, John Forster, Bill Fegan, Alexander Dunn, Ian Schwartz-Leeper, Carter Walsh, Chris Cruz, Jim Travis, Sheila Cameron, Siobhan Reilly, Ed Collins, and Sean Byrne. Many AYC members opened up their homes to competitors. In addition to Heineken’s generous continuing support of the HPDO, Ronstan, Annapolis Performance Sailing and TriBeach Holdings all provided support. Courtesy of Heineken, Photoboat.com provided high quality photos to all competitors.
AYC continues to be a top supporter of high performance sailing on Western Long Island Sound. Attendance was up significantly this year, and over 100 boats are expected next year. Class starts will be given to fleets of five or more, so start planning your trip to AYC for the 2009 High Performance Dinghy Open! Full results are available at americanyc.com. ✦