By the time you read this, hopefully the string of nor’easters in March is just a bad memory. The April sun has melted the snow away, and the kids are actually going to school again on a regular basis. For me, it has truly been a period of reawakening. I have been working with the dedicated WindCheck team to carry on the sixteen year tradition of this great publication and been scheming on how we might improve it for the future.
Springtime is the perfect opportunity to begin to do this. It is the month when we should all be planning our summers in earnest. To that end, last month we ran a story about how to take advantage of the New York Yacht Club’s vigorous Narragansett Bay racing schedule. This month we look to the west with an article about Larchmont Yacht Club’s activities on the Sound. I have to say, like many of my racing friends who grew up on the Western Sound but live a little further east, I had long ago given up on Larchmont Race Week. That was until my friend Andy Kaplan (current Larchmont Yacht Club Commodore) invited me two summers ago to come race his Viper. What a hoot! We had a bunch of forty-five minute long, really good up and down races in a twenty-boat fleet and then on the final day, a distance race around Execution Rocks where we came planing in to a neck-and-neck finish with the Alexander’s Gunboat 60. It was a riot and the lawn parties have evolved to something approaching spectacular, catching up with friends that I often only see at winter IC sailing. It was a really good time and I was very disappointed when I could not do it last summer. I encourage you to read about the evolution of Larchmont and the cool things they are doing there.
There is also a piece from Sea Cliff Yacht Club about another rejuvenated “staple” on the calendar, the Around Long Island Regatta, which this year will start in New York Harbor itself. You will also find a motivating article by a new contributor, known more for his racing cv, about how to cruise “the east” with the family successfully. And if you want to cruise to the west, there is an excellent description of “the best value on the Sound” for a combination of natural beauty and action packed fun.
Your advertisers are contributing mightily as well to help you plan your summer. We have many club’s promoting both their member and non-member activities, along with many events like Block Island Race Week to set your calendar around. As always, marinas, yards and service providers describe their offerings in detail, and our brokers are offering so many power and sail options for you to take advantage of.
One tradition of the magazine that I will adamantly maintain and expand upon is our focus on the environment. This month is no exception, with a fascinating description of what the Volvo Ocean Race is doing in this area. I’ll leave it to you to read but it’s far from just “greenwashing” for the sake of promotion. In the same vein, the Sound Environment column provides an good update on wind power in our area.
So while there are still some winter championships left to run in April, everyone should be checking the calendar to gear up for summer fun. At WindCheck, we are preparing for two big events in May. The CT Spring Boat Show at Brewer Essex Island Marina is the first weekend and then the middle of the month features the Volvo Ocean Race Stopover in Newport. So you need to get busy now because you are not going to have time in May!
See you on the water,
Ben Cesare
