Interclub Midwinters 2013 - Shivery sailing
by Lincoln White on 31 Jan 2013
Neither snow nor freezing temperatures could keep Interclub sailors from competing in the 2013 Midwinter Championship Chris Simon
IC Midwinter Championship 2013. Despite freezing temperatures all weekend, with wind chills in the low teens on Saturday, 26 teams braved the 2013 Interclub Midwinter Championship, hosted by Larchmont YC on Long Island Sound, just 18 miles north west of downtown Manhattan.
LYC teams took the top six spots overall, with Team Vineyard Vines-John Baxter, Molly Baxter, Danny Pletsch and Emily Anderson winning their fifth crown in the past six years. Larchmont, New York is on the shore of Long Island Sound, just 18 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan.
The 104 sailors (52 skippers, 52 crews) arrived on Saturday to find snow on the ground, ice in some boats and temperatures in the low 20s. After deploying rock salt, heat guns and boiling water to free stuck lines and centerboards, teams were able to hit the water and get in four races per division, despite salty icicles that began forming on bow covers, mast partners and turning marks.
Sailors rotated divisions every two races on Saturday to keep warm, and when the mercury inched above 32 degrees on Sunday, the race committee was able to get in a three-race set along with an additional two-race series to allow for a total of nine races per division.
Large helpings of clam chowder and hot chocolate kept competitors warm between races. Northerlies both days caused shifty winds but were strong enough to allow for minimal delays and the sunny skies and racing close to shore allowed for brisk rotations.
Top five finishers after nine races
1.) John Baxter (19 points)
2.) Jay Rhame (40 points)
3.) Clay Bischoff (42 points)
4.) David Dowd (62 point)
5.) Andrew Kaplan (66 Midwinter Championship 2013
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