Racing

Eight past world champions showed up within a 20-boat fleet in late August to race in the International One-Design World Championship at Northeast Harbor, ME. Five days and 10 races later, the team led by Isabelle & Jonathan Farrar of Fishers Island, NY outlasted the rest of the Norwegians, Swedes, Bermudians, Canadians, and other Americans to capture the championship—their second victory in three years.

Twenty-seven competitors on 9 teams were served a mixed bag of conditions at the second annual Clagett/Oakcliff Match Race for sailors with adaptive needs, hosted by The WaterFront Center in Oyster Bay, NY August 25 – 27. Pauline Dowell (Boston, MA) and her crew of Christian Thaxton (Sommerville, MA) and Kay VanValkenburgh (Boston), who are returning racers at this event, clinched victory without a single loss on their scoreline.

The weather started out gloomy, then got downright nasty for the 13th edition of the Ida Lewis Distance Race, which started Friday, August 18 off Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI.

The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee (BROC) has named Safe Harbor Marinas as the Official Boat Preparation Resource for the 2018 Newport Bermuda Race.  Said Bermuda Race Organizing Committee Chairman Jonathan Brewin, “We are very happy to welcome back Brewer Yacht Yards, now owned by Safe Harbor Marinas, as members of the sponsor family for the 51st Bermuda Race.  BROC is especially pleased that Safe Harbor Marinas will again bring its expertise to sailors with its race-preparation seminar.”…

Fun! That is the way I always describe Lightning Class regattas. The North American Women’s, Juniors’ and Masters’ Championships, hosted by Metedeconk River Yacht Club and Lightning Fleet 34 in Brick, NJ August 2 – 4, 2017 was an exception in that it was super fun!

UK-based Rooster Sailing is the latest clothing sponsor for Sail Black Rock (SBR), which hosts the intercollegiate sailing teams of Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University at Captain’s Cove Seaport in Bridgeport, CT.

Entry for this year’s regatta hit 115 boats, the biggest scratch sheet since the regatta began 13 years ago. According to YRA President Steve Cain, “The YRA Regatta this year is the biggest regatta on Long Island Sound after Larchmont Race Week.”

The 2017 Stone Horse Builder’s Cup, a one-design race limited to the 23-foot Stone Horse designed by S.S. Crocker and built by Edey & Duff, formerly of Aucoot Cove in Mattapoisett, MA, was held Saturday, August 12 in the waters off Padanaram, MA.

The 40th Annual Fools’ Rules Regatta was held, for only the second time ever, on the rain date, Sunday, August 13, in Jamestown, RI. This is the largest, most enjoyable event (free to participants and spectators) held in Jamestown each summer, and is sponsored by Jamestown Yacht Club.

YRA Champs are considered a regatta for everyone. From the Lasers and Ideal 18s, one design fleets to PHRF boats, there are opportunities for all to shine.