Racing

By William Adler More than 450 sailors competed in five classes of sailboat racing on June 1 & 2, as Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, CT hosted part 1 of its 2019 OneDesign Regatta. This popular event attracted so many entries in recent years that it will be staged on two separate dates this year. On June 1-2, the club hosted racing for J/70, J/88, J/105, J/109 and Beneteau First 36.7 classes. The regatta was part…

By Jan Hodnett Robie Pierce Women’s Invitational, May 30 Julia Dorsett, along with her crew Gabby Mitchell and Deb Frankel, dominated the Robie Pierce Women’s Invitational for Disabled Sailors with four firsts for a total of 4.8 points. Second-place winner JoAnn Stead with Pat Burst and Alix Hahn scored a total of 10 points, and Dawn Hart with Rebecca Miller and Pam Washington were third with 12 points. Julia, who has sailed all her life, said that…

By Coco Solsvig The Second Annual Sunfish Adventure Raid, presented by LaserPerformance, took place on the Connecticut River on June 1 & 2. Sunfish – including one Super Sunfish – were filled with single- and double-handed crews hailing from as far as Rochester, NY (a 5-hour drive!) and as young as 10. Everyone had a blast!   In preparation for an early start Saturday, Sunfish were unloaded Friday night at the start point at Ferry Park in…

The 65th Commodore of the New York Yacht Club, Phil Lotz (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Newport, RI) has competed successfully in J/105s, Melges 32s, Etchells, Viper 640s and IC37s. He won two national championships on his Swan 42, Arethusa, and won the inaugural Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. Phil currently owns a Gunboat 60 and has sailed and raced her extensively in New England and the Caribbean. He’s also an accomplished team racer. WindCheck: When did you…

By Dick Holliday Within several weeks of Neil Armstrong’s historic first steps on the moon in July 1969, Frank Hall Boatyard in Avondale, Rhode Island launched two prototype fiberglass Watch Hill 15s. These two 24’ 7” racing sloops, the first of a fleet of 25, were commissioned by Hubbard Phelps and Avard Fuller, Past Commodores of Watch Hill Yacht Club in nearby Westerly. Avard Fuller’s vision was to sponsor an active racing fleet to replace the aging and…

By Ron Weiss For the 65 boats that started the 74th Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race, the wind gods proved to be capricious. Competitors found themselves to be racing in big breeze one minute, and no breeze the next. Many were sailing in a northerly only to find that they were – without warning – “auto-tacked” by a southerly of similar strength and now headed in the exact same direction but on the opposite board. Ideal…

By David Hubbard One hundred years ago, the most famous boat designer of all time, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, aka “Captain Nat,” aka “The Wizard of Bristol,” was 71 years old, and quite possibly at the height of his powers as a sailboat designer. If you own a sailboat, or have ever seen a modern sailboat, you should give him a nod for what he was about to do; that is to design the “S Boat,” of which…

On Saturday, August 17, the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club in Atlantic Highlands, NJ will host the 2019 Ms. Race, an annual charity sailboat race designed to benefit and raise awareness for 180 Turning Lives Around (180nj.org). 180 is a Monmouth County-based private, non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault in the community. All proceeds from the Ms. Race as well as other related special events throughout the year are donated to this incredible organization….

The Edlu Distance Race, first sailed in 1956, is one the must-do events on western Long Island Sound. Starting off the Larchmont Yacht Club breakwater, its 32-mile round trip course to the north shore of Long Island gets the season started, and the 64th edition on May 11 embraced the rise in shorthanded sailing. Beyond the two divisions of doublehanded teams were two 6-boat divisions of Plus One, a concept where the crew size is limited to…

New York Yacht Club American Magic has assembled many of the world’s best sailors to challenge for the 36th America’s Cup presented by Prada, and guiding them toward triumph in Auckland in March 2021 is one of the finest coaches in the sport. A resident of Granville, VT, James Lyne has won multiple world championships in the TP52, Maxi 72, Farr 40, Melges 24 and Melges 20 classes. WindCheck: Where did you grow up, and how old…