Racing

The 90th Vineyard Race kicked off with a bang on Friday, August 30, as nearly 80 boats charged down Long Island Sound. The conditions were anything but calm—a choppy sea and a stiff easterly wind in the mid-teens made for a thrilling start. But as the race progressed, the wind died down, turning the event into a test. The last boat to cross the finish line was Osprey, a J/35 owned by Gregory Kotzas, completing the 238…

The International Sonar Class Association held its 2024 World Championship at Noroton Yacht Club in Darien, CT, September 12-15. Thirty-one boats from across the USA, Canada, and Ireland competed on Long Island Sound. © Rick Bannerot/OntheFlyPhoto.net Long Island Sound is known for its hot summer days, but nobody would have expected those conditions to extend until mid-September. On day one, despite her best efforts, PRO Shannon Bush couldn’t conjure up enough breeze to send out the fleet….

24-Hour Test of Fortitude   Light air prevailed for the 19th Ida Lewis Distance Race presented by Bluenose Yacht Sales.  © Stephen R Cloutier The 19th sailing of the Ida Lewis Distance Race presented by Bluenose Yacht Sales hosted 45 teams, with almost as many of those new to the event as returning and including both world-class and recreational racers. The competition’s 24-hour format saw seven classes leave Newport Harbor at 11 am Friday, August 16 and return on Saturday to a…

July 20, 2024 Southold Yacht Club, NY By Beth Fleisher Saturday, July 20 dawned with clear sky and light, fair winds for the 53rd World’s Longest Sunfish Race, Around Shelter Island, NY. This is a unique event: a distance race in small boats, the 14-foot Sunfish. The Sunfish is perhaps best known as a recreational boat, its colorful triangular sail a familiar image sailing off the beach and at resorts. But don’t underestimate the Sunfish: Yes, it…

How an underdog team became a national sailing powerhouse By Jill Pais and Mel Thibeault     In a spectacular showcase of skill, strategy and determination, the Sailing team at Roger Williams University (RWU) in Bristol, RI, clinched the 2024 Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Open Team Race National Championship, hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University on April 25-27. This victory, achieved over three intense days of competition on the Charles River, marks RWU’s…

3v3 format with spinnakers got spicy with breeze up in the finals. By Christina Pandapas With winds gusting into the 20s and double-point scoring evening the playing field for the finals, a strong New York Yacht Club team sealed the deal in the last ten yards of a dramatic race against Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association to win the 2024 National Women’s Invitational Team Race for The Thayer Trophy, hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, MA…

By Sam Crichton Three days of competitive racing and camaraderie along with a two-day coaching clinic wrapped up on June 30 in Newport, RI for thirty-three sailors with disabilities at the 22nd C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta, hosted by Sail Newport. This year’s fleet had eight of the Clagett Sailing Boat Grant recipients racing in the 2.4mR class, with two of the top three finishers being Boat Grant recipients. Principal Race Officer Tom Duggan spoke about…

J/105 Double Handed Team Wins Coveted Venona Trophy Photos by Rick Bannerot/OntheFlyPhoto.net Henry Sesselberg’s J/105 Ubuntu (Cape Elizabeth, ME), a double handed entry in Edgartown Yacht Club’s ’Round the Island Race (‘RTI), managed to sail away with the coveted Venona Trophy in the Edgartown Race Weekend, sailed June 20 – 22 in the waters off Martha’s Vineyard, MA. The ’RTI, an annual circumnavigation of Martha’s Vineyard that is one of America’s oldest distance races, realized its 87th running on…

By Paul Earl, Organizing Committee   Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly, MA hosted the 2024 Quantum Snipe Nationals on June 25 – 29. There were forty-four boats racing in the Heinzerling Series and eight in the Wells Series, with sailors from ten states and Canada participating. Eight races over four days were held in mostly light and shifty wind from all directions.     Meeting the challenge with superb consistency across all races for a total of…

Carina makes history, Summer Storm takes Gibbs Hill By Kate Somers, RisingT The 53rd Newport Bermuda Race officially came to a close the evening of June 29, with winners and award recipients honored at the Prize Giving Ceremony at the Pier 6 Complex on Front Street in Hamilton, Bermuda. The ceremony capped off nearly two weeks of festivities in both Rhode Island and Bermuda surrounding the storied sailing race. This year’s Newport Bermuda Race was as exciting and challenging…