July 20, 2024 Southold Yacht Club, NY
By Beth Fleisher
Seventy-four sailors on sixty-seven boats contested the 53rd World’s Longest Sunfish Race, Around Shelter Island, NY. © Gayle Sheridan
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 delivers on a daysail, but also brings it on the racecourse. It’s enjoyed by avid racers as it’s a true one-design class, a test of the sailor and not the pocketbook.
The race started at 11:30am in Southold Bay in a light 6-knot breeze from the southwest, a good sign that the sea breeze would fill. Sixty-seven boats with 74 sailors crossed the starting line in advantageous current, heading counterclockwise around Shelter Island. No marks need to be honored; the only course rule “keep the island to your left.” This may seem easy, but the waters run from long, extended sandbars to drops to 92 feet. Wicked currents need to be conquered for one to be successful.
The race is also a test of endurance. Including the tacking and gybing needed to complete the course, it’s estimated that this is a nautical marathon, as much as 26 miles depending on a sailor’s strategy. That said, while the race is known for stiff competition at the top of the fleet, mid-fleet and beyond sees sailors who set their own goals: to complete the course, to sail with family, to enjoy a beautiful day on the bay.
Ruth Hakanson from Wetpants Yacht Club (best dinghy club name ever!) and her daughter Chloe, who literally got off a plane from Australia and decided to go sailing with Mom, had a blast! © Gayle Sheridan
The wind remained light as boats crossed the wicked currents of South Ferry, and combatted the wakes of cruising yachts through Sag Harbor. The fleet tended to hug the shore on the east side of the island past Coecles Harbor, the halfway point. Rounding Hay Beach and entering Greenport, the current began to turn. Sailors sought the best route to hide themselves from the onslaught of water, as the wind built into a strong southerly. Difficult calls were made and positions solidified – and lost – tacking past North Ferry and trying to round Conklin’s Point with its fierce current and noted sandbar. Which is the better choice? A bit more current? Or to risk losing wind and catching bad shifts under Shelter Island Heights?
It was a fierce beat into the home stretch, the finish line in sight. There is nothing more exhilarating for this PRO than seeing first one, then a second, then tens of boats heading for the finish. Chris Williams of Park City Sailing Association (UT) crossed the line in 4:41:44, finishing first and also bringing home the prize for First Master (over 50).
John Eckert of Massapoag Yacht Club (MA), a previous winner, was second at 4:43:43. Griffin Sisk from Westhampton Yacht Squadron (NY) placed third at 4:46:53. Isis Schiffer from Sebago Yacht Club (Brooklyn, NY) won the Peggy Wagner Memorial award for first female across the line. Jeff Schultz of Westhampton Yacht Squadron was first youth (under 18). Bill and Tina Edwards, a husband-and-wife team from Mattituck Yacht Club (NY), were first doubles.
Griffin Sisk, representing Westhampton Yacht Squadron, finished third. © Gayle Sheridan
Jennifer Truscott, Westhampton Yacht Squadron © Gayle Sheridan
The World’s Longest Sunfish Race is a bucket-list event for many sailors. Registration opened April 1, with places guaranteed for 53 boats. That quota was filled on day one, with the waiting list streaming behind. This is one of the largest one-design races in the country. Sailors came from California, Utah, Nevada, Ohio, Georgia, and up and down the East Coast.
It would be remiss to not mention the volunteers that make this race possible. Sixteen safety boats followed the fleet around the course. Greg Young, Southold Yacht Club’s Commodore, was last off the water (and last to the party), seeing the final boat safely home. Many hands helped on land, from Celeste Flick who scored, to Nancy Cuneo who organized breakfast, Sean Cleary and his grill masters who fed the hungry crowd at the post-race beach party. It goes without saying that Southold Yacht Club fully supports this event and Sunfish Fleet #307, or it wouldn’t be in its fifty-third year.
Tina & Bill Edwards from Mattituck Yacht Club took first place in the doubles division. © Gayle Sheridan
A word to those big boat sailors out there: Never underestimate the Sunfish. Come race with us in 2025…but don’t be late to register! To learn more, visit southoldyachtclub.com/around-shelter-island-regatta. ■
Beth Fleisher is the Race Committee Chair at Southold Yacht Club in Southold, NY, and Principal Race Officer for The World’s Longest Sunfish Race.
