Reported by Party Tree Racing
Mike Filimon of Party Tree Racing and Joel Raposa of Lead Mine enjoy a post-race mudslide at Mahogany Shoals.
The Twenty Hundred Club Annual Block Island Race took place August 3-5 2024. This race has a long history with the Twenty Hundred Club and consists of a race to Block Island, a lay day and then a return race, originally on Victory Day. For 2024, The Party Tree and fleet was looking forward to a great race with typical Rhode Island conditions.
At 1030 a fleet of nine boats in cruising and racing divisions took off into a solid 15-knot southeasterly. An outgoing tide felt like a conveyor belt pushing Party Tree out of Narragansett Bay, and we were having a great time in upwind boat speeds we rarely see. Outside of Castle Hill, wind against tide created some big seas in the 8-foot range that our little J/80 climbed over with aplomb, generating a wet ride.
Once out of the dishwasher, we settled in for a long upwind haul and made our tactical race plans. We tucked into the Point Judith shore for current relief once the outgoing push from the bay shifted to an eastward flow from Long Island Sound. Our rival J/80, Lead Mine, took a more offshore route and tucked in a reef in the building breeze while most of the fleet stayed farther offshore. We did the math on current and distance and tacked over and rode the current across to “1BI.” The current was ripping so fast it looked like the buoy was driving toward us. A few more short tacks up the North Shoal brought us within striking distance as we finished at the buoy outside New Harbor.
Rinse cycle on the way out to Block
After finishing we made our way into the harbor and watched the fleet settle in for the night. Boats got moorings, rafted with support boats, or spread out between Champlin’s, Boat Basin and Payne’s Dock. We pulled into our slip at Payne’s and had Lead Mine pull in next to us. As a small boat we immediately went about switching to cruising mode. A boom tent and cushions were deployed and we began the process of drying the boat out while post-race beverages were had. We saw the race fleet raft up with each other at various locations as The Twenty Hundred Club prepared to take Block Island.
We made our way over to the post-race party at Champlin’s, which is one of the highlights of this event. The Twenty Hundred Club sponsors a great party under the tent. You get a nice little taste of Block Island Race Week, complete with delicious food and drinks. The whole fleet is there so you can meet old friends and make new ones. We announce the winners and discuss what strategies paid off or didn’t this year. After the party the fleet spreads out, but on land this time. First stop was Boat Basin where a few crews had met on one boat for drinks while another crew dinghied in to meet us. After a round we continued on to Mahogany Shoals, where we met up with some other crews who were bar-hopping by dinghy. A round of mudslides capped off the night before retiring to the boat.
Lead Mine and Party Tree in weekender mode. We suspect their crews had just a bit more fun than anyone else on Block that weekend.
Now, the best part of this race is the scheduled day off on Block Island. The teams all spread out on island, enjoying everything it has to offer after breakfast at The Cracked Mug, the National, or any of the quality places available. We retreated to the boats while a line of thunderstorms blew through. Once the weather cleared, we made our way to the beach for several hours of swimming and enjoying the sun. We even ran into the crews from some other boats while there. After the beach a quick shower at Payne’s made us ready for our crew dinner at Poor People’s Pub. As Party Tree and Lead Mine are the smallest boats in the fleet, we embrace being the poor people while having just as much fun as the yachts. After dinner we headed back to Boat Basin for a round of mudslides onboard one of our competitors docked there.
Party Tree served as the Race Committee boat for the start of the return race.
Monday morning, we woke up ready to race. After a quick breakfast, Party Tree departed Payne’s and stationed itself ready to be RC. The fleet came out to greet us and at 1030 the race back to Newport commenced. A forecasted 15 to 20-knot southerly never materialized and left us with a 5-10 knot breeze from the south. Despite all the cruising gear aboard the lightweight J/80 performs well in these conditions so we were excited.
After fulfilling our RC duties we weighed anchor, set a kite and started hunting down the fleet. At “1BI” the first tactical decision was made. Some boats went straight across to the Rhode Island shore. Others gybed at the mark. Party Tree gybed and took a more offshore course hunting for a sea breeze we hoped would materialize. A gybe back brought us back in touch with the fleet as we hugged Brenton Reef for current relief. The fleet compressed at Rose Island as we all finished, waved goodbye and returned to our home ports.
Sam Cushing, Mike Filimon and Conor O’Neil are all smiles as Party Tree sails to the finish line.
The Twenty Hundred Club Block Island Race is our favorite event for the mix of sailing and shoreside fun. At Party Tree Racing we believe you sail for the trophy, the story and the people, and the Twenty Hundred Club Races live up to our ethos. This year we sailed fast in a competitive fleet, enjoyed some time on the beach, bar-hopped and boat-hopped. We left with new friends and spent good times with old ones. We hope you will join us at this race and all other Twenty Hundred Club races this year and next. ■
